January 2, 1873 - August 28, 1877
Therese from her birth in Alencon until the death of her mother
Marie-Francoise-Therese Martin, the youngest of the nine children of Louis Martin, a watchmaker, and Zelie Guerin, a lacemaker, was born on January 2, 1873 in Alencon, France. She was baptized two days later in the church of Notre-Dame. Before Therese's birth, two little boys and two little girls had died very young.
Therese's parents were devout, energetic, and loving. Her mother established a business manufacturing Point d'Alencon lace. Therese had four older sisters: Marie, Pauline, Leonie, and Celine. Several years after little Therese was born, Zelie developed breast cancer. After a painful illness, she died on August 28, 1877. Zelie and Louis Martin were declared "Venerable" in 1994, and the cause for their beatification is progressing. After his wife's death, Louis decided to leave Alencon and move with his children to Lisieux, where Zelie's brother and sister-in-law, Isidore and Celine Guerin, could offer an extended family to the motherless girls.
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Therese's milieu and family
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the house in which Therese was born
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especially Therese's relationship with her father
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Therese's mother, Zelie Guerin, and father, Louis Martin
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Also contains other information about Therese's parents
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Zelie's letters at the time of the death of her young children
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Part of this article in the "New Oxford Review" may be seen for free; the full text must be purchased from them for $1.50
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This article, from the "Social History of Medicine," describes the terminal illness of Therese's mother. See the abstract; to see the full text, you must purchase short-term access or subscribe.
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Therese's description of her father in "Story of a Soul;" and remarks made about Louis Martin by M. Ducellier, a priest of LIsieux, in 1895 when he preached at Celine's reception of the habit
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A spiritual newsletter from St. Joseph de Clairval Abbey in Flavigny
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Excellent photos; text in Italian