Louis and Zelie Martin: The Seed and Root of the Little Flower

The canonization of Louis and Zélie Martin, the parents of St Thérèse of Lisieux, means that, for the first time, a married couple are canonized together.

This is a true love story, Louis Martin and Zélie Guerin, the parents of the greatest Saint of modern times, fell in love at first sight. They loved all their children and wanted to provide the best for them, but above all they loved God and desired that each of their family would also love Him. The Martins lived at a time or trouble for the Church in Rome and of war between France and Prussia.  Their main battle, however, was in achieving holiness for themselves and each of their children.

Paulinus Redmond’s much loved account, now published in a new edition, tells the story of Louis and Zélie in the form of letters written to their daughter, St Thérèse of Lisieux.  With a family of Saints, Louis and Zélie Martin stand as an affirmation of Catholic family life for the twenty-first century.  What was their secret?  These letters reveal that thy simply lived ordinary lives extraordinarily well.