Paperback: St Thérèse's mother, Zélie Martin, was herself a saint, canonized in 2015 along with her husband, Louis. Zélie married at age twenty-seven, bore nine children, ran a home business, and did a superb job of raising five daughters - including "the greatest saint of modern times."
She died of breast cancer at the age of forty-five, but her greatness was recognized by her family and her friends and is now known to the world. Zélie suffered many of the ordinary burdens of life, yet she was happy, loved her children "madly," and enjoyed them immensely.
Turned down by the convent because of poor health, Zélie Martin courageously faced the worldly struggles of dealing with family worries, illnesses, the death of four of her children, discipline problems, business problems, irreligious people - she even quartered and counselled young German soldiers during the Franco-Prussian War.
Zélie brought her totally Catholic outlook to everything she did.
The Mother Of The Little Flower: Zélie Martin (1831-1877) (1957) was written by her daughter Céline, who had access to Zélie's letters and to the reminiscences of her older sisters in the Carmel of Lisieux. It is authentic and inspiring, showing what a tremendous life's work and accomplishment it is to be a truly Catholic mother.
The Mother Of The Little Flower: Zélie Martin (1831-1877) is translated from the French by Fr Michael Collins SMA.
About the author: Céline (1869-1959) was four years older than Thérèse and closest in age. She entered the Carmel in Lisieux after Thérèse and took the name Sister Geneviève of the Holy Face.
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