Servant of God Leonie Martin

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Leonie Martin is on the path to sainthood, and is best known for being the daughter of Sts. Louis and Zelie Martin and the sister of St. Therese of Lisieux. 

You might remember Leonie as the troubled sister if you have read anything about the holy Martin family. 

From her birth, Leonie had bad health. She contracted both whooping cough and measles before she was a year old. The measles also caused convulsions. Her health was so poor that her mother, Zelie, feared that she was close to death, so she had her sister, Sister Marie-Dosithee, a Visitation nun, begin a novena. After Sister Marie finished the novena, Leonie never had a severe illness again. 

Leonie’s problems continued. She was very disruptive and rebellious, so much so that she was kicked out of boarding school multiple times and her parents feared for her salvation. When Zelie contracted breast cancer and it was clear she would die from it, she was most worried about how Leonie would be cared for after her death. So, she prayed for her sister’s intercession again to discover the cause of Leonie’s behavior.

Zelie’s sister worked her intercession again, for before Zelie’s death, Zelie discovered the cause of Leonie’s behavior problems. Leonie’s sister, Marie, discovered that one of the maids had been beating Leonie and indoctrinating her against her parents. Immediately, Zelie forbade the maid from being near Leonie. Zelie spent the months before her death spending much time with Leonie to try to undo these effects. Leonie’s behavior much improved.

Three of Leonie’s sisters entered the Carmelite convent. Leonie attempted to enter the Poor Clares, but it did not work out. This left Leonie and another sister to care for their father in his final years. After her father’s death, Leonie entered the Visitation convent, just like her aunt who had interceded so much for her. She spent her final years with the sisters, practicing her little sister’s Little Way, and growing in holiness, before dying at the age of 78.

Leonie’s story is one of hope. Anyone who knew her in her early years would have thought she was a lost cause. However, through her mother’s love, her aunt’s intercession, and the discovery of the causes of her behavior, Leonie was able to find healing from the effects of the abuse and following in her sisters’ footsteps to become a religious sister and a saint. 

May Leonie intercede for all who may feel like lost causes, helping them to find hope, as Zelie always had hope in her.

Leonie Martin: A Difficult Life by Marie Baudouin-Croix

To learn more about other saints who have faced trauma, please visit the Stories of Hope page.