Marie Therese Martin

Marie Therese Martin was born on January 2, 1873. Her father, Louis Martin, was a successful watchmaker in Alencon, France, and her mother, Zelie-Marie Guerin was a lacemaker in Alencon as well. Marie Therese was often called just Therese since each of her sisters, Marie, Pauline, Leonie,and Celine, had the first name Marie as well, to honor the Mother of God. When she was but a child of four her dear mother, Zelie, passed away. Therese was the youngest of nine children, the fifth to live past infancy. In the spring of 1883 she was struck with a sudden undiagnosed illness. She was cured miraculously and lived out her life dedicateed God. When she was still quite young she appealed with her father to become a nun which at length he gave his consent to. At the age of fifteen she entered the Carmelite convent in Lisieux. Louis Martin passed away five years following her entrance after suffering from the illness that beset him around the same time Therese entered the convent. After years of faithful humble service, Therese died in 1897. She was only 24 and was canonized in 1925 by Pope Pius XI, when she would have been only 52 years old.

Sources[edit]

Fr. Camilo Macisse, OCD, Father General of Discalced Carmelites, http://www.helpfellowship.org/St. Therese of Lisieux.htm