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A Sister of St. Thérèse: Servant of God, Léonie Martin – Bearer of Hope with Fr. Timothy Gallagher – Episode 3
In this episode, we begin to hear from the perspective of St. Therese and her early memories of Léonie. Also, Zélie continues to share her fears, frustrations, deep concerns for her Léonie. She thinks she has found an answer with the arrival of two retired nuns. They might be able to teach her challenging daughter, but not all is what it appears to be with these two women. There is also something of a mystery surrounding Zélie and Leonie’s relationship. What is preventing Zélie from breaking through to her daughter? Then another sad death affects the family, while Zélie begins to experience her own health failing. What will become of her poor Léonie?
Fr. Gallagher says, “Léonie’s life holds a very important story because she was the forgotten one; she was the one who was in the last place; she was the one who was less gifted than the others. Today we would call her a ‘problem child,’ and we’ll see that she certainly was the source of great anxiety to her parents, especially to her mother, Zélie, who loved her dearly.”
As a child, Léonie suffered from severe illnesses and physical maladies that would plague her entire life. She also struggled with understanding social clues and interactions and with behaving appropriately. Conventional educational models of the day failed to meet her particular needs, and she was labeled “developmentally delayed.” Yet those who knew her well described her as having a “heart of gold”.
Who was Léonie and what were her struggles? Why has her cause of canonization begun? Father Gallagher, along with Kris McGregor, answers these questions and explains why Léonie is “a bearer of hope” in this landmark series.
Leonie's parents - Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin
Marie
Pauline
Céline
St. Thérèse
Léonie's Aunt and Uncle - Céline and Isidore Guérin
Léonie's Aunt - Sr. Marie Dosithée (Élise Guérin)
A resource used for this series
Images in this post of the Martin/Guerin family are used with permission from the Archives of the Carmel of Lisieux website for strictly non-commercial use. We encourage you to visit the website for more information on this remarkable family.
For more series Fr. Timothy Gallagher podcasts visit here
Father Timothy M. Gallagher, O.M.V., was ordained in 1979 as a member of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, a religious community dedicated to retreats and spiritual formation according to the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Fr. Gallagher is featured on the EWTN series “Living the Discerning Life: The Spiritual Teachings of St. Ignatius of Loyola”. For more information on how to obtain copies of Fr. Gallaghers’s various books and audio which are available for purchase, please visit his website: frtimothygallagher.org
I’m loving both of your podcast series, Fr. Gallagher. I’m know I’ll be doing the podcasts for both series a second time! What a beautiful family, a holy one. I now really understand how a loving family feels about one another, not just in words but saintly deeds toward each other. I have you, Father, Kris and the Matin family to thank.
Pamela