Martin Sisters - St. Therese of the Child Jesus

"I will let fall a shower of roses. I will spend my heaven,
doing good on earth." --Saint Therese of the Child Jesus

Marie Françoise-Thérèse Martin was born in Alençon, France at Rue
du Pont-Neuf on January 2, 1873. Françoise-Thérèse was the
nineth-born child of nine children of Louis and Azelie Martin.
Her parents named their children Marie in honor of Our Lady.
Sadly, four of the Martin children died at infancy.
Françoise-Thérèse was baptized at the Church of Notre-Dame
on January 4, 1873. Her father nicknamed her his beloved “Queen”.

Each morning Azélie would make it a habit to rise early to attend
morning Mass. Before participating in Mass she would light a
candle and pray reverently before the statue of Our Lady. Humble
at heart, Azélie petitioned Our Lady for the children that she and her
husband were given by God, that one day they would become saints.
She would also ask Our Lady for her children to be more reverence
toward God then she was.

Sadly, four of the Martin children would never make it to adulthood. Azélie gave birth to her fourth child on October 13,1864, Marie
Hélène who past away on February 22, 1870, at the age of five. Louis and Azélie were given the blessing of receiving another child on
September 20, 1866 with the birth of their first son, Joseph Louis Martin. It was with great sadness the he too past away a year later on
February 14, 1867. On December 19, 1867 the birth of their second son, Joseph Jean Baptiste was born. However, he too was taken
away from them on August 25, 1868. The life of Louis and Azélie’s sixth daughter, Marie Mélanie Thérèse was very short from August
16, 1870 to October 8, 1870.

***Complete Biography in December 2010***