Story Of A Life
Childhood in Alencon (1873-1877)

Of farming and army stock, the Martin family had solid roots in Normandy and Mayenne. Brought up in a series of military camps, Louis Martin (18231894) thought seriously of entering a monastery. But this was not to be, and he turned to clock- and watchmaking instead. Zélie Guérin (1831-1877) was also unsuccessful in her attempt to enter the religious order of the sisters of the Hótel-Dieu. She learned the Alencon lace-making technique and soon mastered this painstaking craft. They married in 1858 and had nine children. Four, including two boys, died in infancy.

Thérèse, the youngest, was born on 2 January 1873. She was put out to nurse for a year and became a lively, mischievous and self-confident child; she thrived on the love which surrounded her in this Christian household, where prayer, the liturgy and practical good works formed the basis of her own ardent love of Jesus - her desire to please him and the Virgin Mary. But disaster struck suddenly, when her mother died of breast cancer in the summer of 1877.

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