Holy Women's History Month: Saint Zélie Martin

Like many people, I first became aware of Saint Zélie Martin (1831-1877) when I learned about her famous daughter, Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. At that point, the extent of my knowledge was that Saint Thérèse had holy parents who had somehow managed to raise five daughters to enter religious life and that Saint Zélie had died of breast cancer when Saint Thérèse was a young child.

It was only after Saints Zélie and Louis were beatified in 2008 that I began to learn more about Saint Zélie as a saint in her own right. I discovered that she was a holy friend I could relate to. Here are a few lessons I have learned from her. 

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You Can Worry and Still be a Saint 

From the time she was a child, Zélie suffered from anxiety and migraines. Her family was poor, and her mother was overly strict. Her unhappy childhood deeply affected her, and she resolved to do better in caring for her own children. Yet, even as a married woman, she still spent a great deal of time worrying, often for seemingly good reasons.  

She was frightened when her children were sick. She lost four of her nine children when they were young. It was only natural that every illness could be the portent of something serious. She worried about her family’s financial situation. Having grown up poor, she feared poverty. She was always concerned there wouldn’t be enough. She worried about her children’s lives and education. She wanted to make good decisions for them and help them be who God wanted them to be. 

Make no mistake, Saint Zélie had a deep faith in God. She prayed every day, usually attending daily Mass. She trusted in God but often struggled in spite of that trust. She prayed, hoped, and still worried. While anxiety isn’t a good thing, and we should always strive to trust in God’s plan, we can take comfort that saints worried, too, on those days when our worry seems to be winning. 

You Can Struggle with Work-Life Balance and Still Be a Saint 

Like many modern mothers, Zélie struggled with work-life balance. Her husband, Louis, was a watchmaker by trade, but Zélie was an accomplished lacemaker with a prosperous business. In time, he gave up his own craft to support her entrepreneurial efforts. They worked together to provide for their family, but the business largely depended on Zélie. She felt personally responsible for the financial future of her family and for the many women she hired to make lace for her. She loved her work, but it was also a heavy burden.  

In addition, she had five children as well as elderly parents and in-laws to care for. Yes, she had help from her husband, servants, and nurses, but the heavyweight was on her. She often slept little, working late into the night to accomplish all that she needed to do. Long before it was a term, she struggled with work-life balance. Zélie strove to put God first in her life and to do her best with her family and her work, but she was often stretched too thin. That is something many of us can relate to.   

You Can Make Parenting Mistakes and Still Be a Saint 

Leonie Martin was the middle child, and Zélie struggled to parent her from the time she was a baby. She was different from the other girls: more sickly, less attractive, not as intellectually smart, and more difficult to manage. She’d promise to try harder to be good and then fail. She was kicked out of school. All the parenting techniques Zélie used with her other children didn’t seem to work. What was she doing wrong? How could she fix it? At a time in which there were no diagnoses of neurodivergence, Leonie’s difficulties seemed like moral failings. Zélie loved Leonie. She prayed and tried to do the right thing but somehow could still not get through to her daughter. 

Their family servant, Louise, thinking she was helping the overworked Zélie, decided to take matters into her own hands and verbally and physically abused the young girl. Zélie didn’t even realize it until she was nearing the end of her life. At the time she left, Zélie did all she could to reconcile with Leonie and heal her wounds. Leonie eventually became a Visitation sister and is now considered a Servant of God. 

Those of us with neurodivergent children can relate to Saint Zélie’s struggles. Even though we might have a better understanding of our children’s challenges today, it can still often seem like all we do is make mistakes. There are times when nothing seems to work. We need to continue to trust in God and not give up hope. God has a plan for our children and can bring good even out of our mistakes. 

Trusting in God is the Key to Holiness 

Despite all her challenges in life and her personal human flaws and failings, Zélie kept trusting in God. Even when life did not go how she hoped, she continued to believe that God had a plan and that it was important to accept God’s will in all things. She encouraged her family members to do the same. She knew we were not meant for happiness in this world but the next.  

She was canonized as a saint because she is a model of holiness for married women and mothers. She lived an ordinary life full of challenges we modern Catholic mothers can relate to. She shows us that even though we may not be perfect, we can still be saints by continuing to pray and put our trust in God. Saint Zélie is a holy friend who understands our difficulties and wants to help us get to heaven.   

During Women's History Month, Catholic Mom writers are celebrating the women who have inspired their faith journeys — whether canonized saints, saints in progress, or beloved women from Scripture. Through personal reflections and heartfelt stories, they share how these holy women have touched their lives, offering wisdom, strength, and a deeper connection to God. Join us as we honor the spiritual legacy of these remarkable women and the lasting impact they continue to have on our hearts and souls. 

Copyright 2025 Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur
Images: Holy Cross Family Ministries