Martin Sisters - Mother Agnes of Jesus (Marie Pauline Martin)

On September 7, 1861, Marie Pauline Martin entered into the world with beautiful brown
hair and brown eyes in her parent’s home on rue du Pont-Neuf in Alençon, France. At the
birth, of each child, Azélie would pray: “Lord, If ever it would be lost, I prefer that you
should take it without delay.” (ML) Little Pauline resembled her mother both in personality
and in looks. She became the second-born child of nine children of Louis and Azélie Martin.
Louis and Azélie honored each of their children with the first name of Marie in honor of Our
Lady and honored each male child with the additional name of Joseph in honor of St.
Joseph. The children’s second name was given after their godparents. Pauline’s godfather
was her uncle Isidore Guérin and her godmother was Pauline Romet, a close family friend in
Alençon. The blessed day arrived on September 8, 1861 when Pauline was carried in her
mother’s arms to the Cathedral of Saint Pierre-de-Montsort and baptized by Father Lebouc.

Each morning Pauline's mother 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 passed 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 and Pauline, in particular, was
very excited at his birth. Her parents, Louis and Azélie gave Pauline the honor of being this
child’s godmother. 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.

Pauline, like her mother, developed a high level of energy to
accomplish many things in such a short span of time.
As a very young child, Pauline exhibited the same healthy
characteristics as her older sister Marie. However, Pauline
developed a bad case of whooping cough. But with many
prayers from her family at her side, Pauline’s whooping cough
soon disappeared. From the start, Pauline was very affectionate
towards her family encompassing a soft, angelic voice. Out of
pure instinct, she would consistently give her family several
kisses, even blowing a kiss to a statue of Jesus and Our Lady.

Louis and Azélie took special interest in the development of
each one of their children’s lives. At the earliest stages of
Pauline’s life, both parents would correct her when she did
something wrong. They never allowed Pauline, even at the
earliest stages of her life, to go without being corrected. Up
to the age of two, Pauline's mother worked with Pauline on
her frequent bouts of stubbornness and was able to conquer them.          Carmel de Lisieux

Their mother would teach both Marie and Pauline how to pray to God. Every
morning and every night, Azélie would kneel beside Marie and Pauline, at their
bedside, and all of them would pray their prayers to God. Both Marie and Pauline
would continually reverse their prayers to their parents to show each one of them
no special preference over the other.

Before Marie and Pauline went to bed, their parents would read to them the lives of the
saints. They were promoting, instilling and fostering in them the spirit of faith showing them
that the things the world offered to them was simply vain. Occasionally, Azélie would take
Marie and Pauline to the Cathedral to pray prayers before the Blessed Sacrament. Before
they would leave, Pauline would rush upstairs to go to her room and quickly put on her most
beautiful dress. Upon returning to her mother she would ask her to clean her face.

Louis and Azélie always stressed the importance to them that they should, “Obey through
love, always try to please the dear Jesus, and most importantly to make small sacrifices for
Him.” (ML) One small example of Pauline making sacrifices was when her sisters would
want to use something of hers. Pauline's mother would be at her side and tell her to give it
up to them so that she could earn another pearl in her crown, affectionately, Pauline would
obey.

Pauline’s education first started at home; however, it was time for her to start receiving a
formal education. Her mother started preparations for both Marie and Pauline to attend the
Visitation boarding school in Le Mans. Sister Marie Dosithée, Azélie’s sister, was
instrumental in getting Marie and Pauline admitted into the boarding school. Through the
years, the boarding school became a very popular place among the elite, in France, for
sending their children. It was the perfect place for the Martin children to go there because
Sister Marie-Dosithée was there to keep a close eye on them.

In October of 1868, Louis, Azélie, Marie and Pauline boarded a train to Le Mans.
Previously, they had taken Marie and Pauline on short trips to see their relatives in Lisieux
and also their aunt in Le Mans. However, this time they would leave them behind to start
their education. The separation as a family turned out to be very difficult for both the
children as well as the parents. Also, the loss of Pauline's grandfather took place the same
year. Pauline's mother constantly wrote numerous letters to encourage both Marie and
Pauline to do well in their schoolwork as well as maintaining a high level of piety.

On July 19, 1870, The Franco-Prussian War began. France
declared war on Prussia and the lower German states
then aligned themselves with the North German Federation.
The French military would soon realize that the German
army was far more superior in combat than their French
adversaries. As each battle ensued, French towns in the
northern part of France started to fall, leaving behind massive
amounts of wounded and dead. Once the Germans had
advanced onto Le Mans in the latter part of December of 1870,
parents from all over the area rushed to retrieve their children
from the Visitation boarding school; Louis and Azélie were no
exception. Pauline's mother sought out several options to
retrieve their children but the only option was for them to travel
the lengthy road to Le Mans. It was impossible to go by train
because the French army was using it for the war effort. Louis             Carmel de Lisieux
set off along the dangerous roads by carriage to Le Mans to
retrieve his daughters. Louis safely brought his daughters back
home amongst seeing for themselves the spoils of war. Sadly, Le Mans fell on January 11,
1871. The Germans in turn used the boarding school to house the wounded, which in some
cases, the wounded soldiers transmitted deadly communicable diseases to the local
townspeople.

After the fall of Le Mans, the city of Alençon would be no exception. It too fell. As the
German army advanced onto Alençon, Azélie led all of the children into the root cellar as the
bombs started to land nearby. Once the smoke cleared and the town officially surrendered,
the Germans then forced each French family to house a number of German soldiers. The
Martin family housed nine German soldiers on the bottom floor of their house during their
occupation, which then lasted until May 10, 1871.

Soon after the war ended, things started to get back to normal for the Martin family. They
inherited the home once owned by Azélie’s father, Isidore Sr. The home was much larger
then what they had. So, they made the decision to leave their home on rue du Pont-Neuf
and move into their new home on rue Saint-Blaise.

On January 2, 1873, Marie and Pauline were home for the holidays and their mother gave
birth to their newly born sister. The next day, they were given the opportunity to glance their
eyes upon their new little sister, Thérèse.

A few months later, Marie contracted typhoid and she was sent home from the Visitation
boarding school. As a result of Marie’s illness, Pauline was
forced to stay at the boarding school during her Easter break.
Emotionally, it was a very difficult time for Pauline to be
away from her family because Marie and Thérèse were both
fighting to stay alive.

Weeks after Easter, Marie recovered from her illness and
Thérèse was sent to live with a wet nurse. Pauline arrived in
Alençon by train on Whit Sunday. She described the event
of seeing her home after the long train ride: “My heart almost
stopped beating when I caught sight of my own home; I
thought I would collapse with emotion and I had to stop for
a minute to avoid fainting.” (SF) She was overjoyed by the
fact that she was able to see her sister Marie as well as going
to visit her other sister Thérèse. For once the entire family
would be together again for just a short time.
                                                                                                        Carmel de Lisieux

After returning to the Visitation boarding school, Pauline continued to strive to be the best in
all of her studies. Eventually, she would surpass most of her fellow peers of her own age
group. Pauline understood from the start, at what cost it was for her parents to place both
her, Marie and Léonie in school. So, she used her graceful talents to the best of her ability,
earning her many awards. Her teachers looked upon her as a very talented, very gracious
and thoughtful student.

To Pauline's mother, piety was the most important virtue above all others that she thought all
of her children should have. It was her antidote for Pauline’s successes in her studies to keep
her heart humbled. Pauline’s aunt became her "surrogate mother" and reprimanded her when
she fell out of line. Pauline’s biggest obstacle for herself was to control her temper. She
became very sensitive when other students harassed or attacked her. Azélie also saw
how tender Pauline’s heart was and continued to encourage her, through letters, to overcome
her obstacles. Their mother stated in one of her letters to both Pauline and Marie: “You must
serve the good God faithfully, my dear girls, and beg to be, one day, in the number of those
saints whose feasts we as a family celebrate.” (ML)

Pauline studied her catechism feverishly, preparing herself for her First Holy Communion.
She wanted to make every effort meaningful when it was time to consecrate herself to God.
On July 2, 1874, dressed in her beautiful white gown and veil, Pauline walked down the aisle
to receive her First Holy Communion. Her family surrounded her at the Visitation Chapel in
Le Mans as she consecrated herself to God.

Her mother still pursued the prospects of her becoming more pious. She remarked to Pauline
in a letter: “You are a good little girl, very affectionate, very submissive, but not yet pious
enough.” (ML) Pauline’s aunt, Sister Marie Dosithée, reaffirms to Azélie and tells her that
Pauline will be pious. Pauline’s mother reinforces her love for her by saying: “You are my
true friend. You give me courage to endure life with patience. Be always the joy to others
that you have been to me. The good God will bless you not only in the next world, but in
this, because he is always happiest even in this life, who always bravely does his duty.”
(CWe) Another of Azélie’s main focuses for Marie, Pauline, and L é onie is that they become
holy. Pauline's mother states in a letter addressed to Marie: “I want all of you to become
saints.”

Pauline's mother also focused her energy on Pauline maintaining her virginity. When Pauline
was much younger, her mother would place her on her knees and tell her: “Only virgins
would follow the spotless Lamb, Jesus, and that they would be crowned with white roses
while singing a song that others could not sing.” (SF) Pauline reaffirmed to her mother that
she would refrain from marriage and always stays a virgin for Jesus.

Religious life was Louis and Azélie’s desire for each of their children that they would be
consecrated to God. Pauline was the first of their children to exhibit any interest in becoming
a nun. Her aspiration was to become a Visitation nun like her aunt.   Pauline's mother, seeing
her daughter’s aspirations to enter the religious life, started to cultivate slowly into her soul
the desire to pursue it. Azélie writes in a letter on July 9, 1876: “In spite of my desires to
give them all to God, if He was to ask these two sacrifices (Marie and Pauline), I should do
my best even though I would suffer as a result of giving them up.” (SF) It was known
throughout the family that Pauline would become a nun. As for Thérèse, from the age of
two, did not know what a nun was but wanted to follow Pauline’s example. She, too, wanted
to become a nun. Reflecting back on her childhood, Thérèse states to Pauline about entering
the religious life: “It was by your example, which drew me to the Spouse of Virgins.” (SS)

Family life in the Martin household was filled with much excitement in all its simplicity. They
would come together around the piano and sing religious songs. The girls would show their
competitive skills in a game of draughts (checkers). But after having fun playing all of their
games, Marie and Pauline would then bring out a book such as Dom Gueranger’s Liturgical
Year, which was given to Pauline as a present by her father. They would read it to the rest
of the family before they retired for the night and say their evening prayers. When it came
time to celebrate a Saint’s Feast Day, the family would have a little celebration of their own
to honor them. For example, on St. Catherine’s feast day, cake was Pauline’s favorite food
to celebrate this event.

Pauline developed a love for painting, using the attic as her studio; she painted several
watercolors, which her father had framed. He placed a couple of them in the Pavilion. One
of her paintings at the Pavilion was of a fish that Louis once caught. When Louis went on
trips, he would bring her back some shells, ivory or parchment so that she could paint little
miniatures on them. She also spent time learning to sew and do needlework.

When the family spent time at the Pavilion, during the summer months, Marie, Pauline, and
Léonie were each given a small plot of land to cultivate and plant a garden. The girls
successfully grew several types of vegetables and flowers. They especially loved to pick
strawberries. While there they would rest under a tree next to the water and have a picnic.

Soon, October of 1876, came and things would change for the worst. It was Pauline’s last
year as a student at the Visitation boarding school. By December, it was widely known that
her aunt, Sister Marie-Dosithée, whom contracted tuberculosis, was very sick. It was a very
heart wrenching experience for Pauline to see her “surrogate mother” suffer so much from
this deadly disease. In addition, Pauline was to find out that her mother was suffering
from breast cancer. In January of 1877, Azélie went to see her sister for the last time, as well
as, to comfort Pauline. Pauline's mother says to her: “Have courage, my dear Pauline,
whatever the good Lord sends us, we should submit to it. If I lose my dear sister, I shall not
weep for her, but for myself. She will be happy; it is we who will have sorrow. But this
sorrow will be soothed by the certainty of her happiness.” (ML)

On February 24, 1877, Pauline’s holy aunt, Sister Marie Dosithée, took her last breath. The
Martin family arrived by train to Le Mans to pay their last loving respects. All of the children
wore black dresses out of respect for their aunt’s death. Her funeral was conducted in the
Visitation Chapel and her body was then laid to rest nearby.

By the time summer arrived in 1877, the state of Azélie’s health worsened and had reached
to the reality that only a cure from God was her only avenue of staying alive. Previously, she
had sought out doctors to cure her of her cancer, but all of them told her it was too late for a
cure. She decided that she would make a pilgrimage to Lourdes. Pauline was so convinced
that by going to Lourdes that this was the miracle they were seeking. But her mother
cautioned Pauline by saying: “We must prepare ourselves to be ready to accept generously
the will of God, whatever that may be.” (ML)

There was only one group from the city of Angers, at the time, making plans to leave on
June 18th to go on a pilgrimage to Lourdes. Azélie, Marie, and Léonie traveled by train a
few days earlier from Alençon to Le Mans to pick up Pauline and then proceed onto Angers.
They left Angers on June 18th with the other pilgrims by train to Lourdes.

On the train from the city of Angers to Lourdes, a calamity of misfortunes occurred. The
first occurrence happened when a pot of coffee tipped over onto their luggage as well as onto
their food. The coffee seeped into the luggage and stained their clothes. The food that they
brought with them met the same fate and had to be thrown out. As soon as the train arrived
in Lourdes, it was Pauline's mother expectation to go to the Lourdes baths immediately. But
first they needed to drop off their luggage at the hotel. Unaware of the state of the hotel,
when they placed their reservations, it became apparent, when they arrived, that it was not
suitable for the four Martin women. So, they were forced to leave and seek refuge elsewhere.

Each day, they would endure a new misfortune, from the loss of their aunt’s rosary to their
mother spraining her neck. These events were chipping away at any expectation that their
pilgrimage was going to be a fruitful one. As Pauline and her sisters watched their mother,
day after day, being dunked in the icy cold waters of Lourdes’, it became apparent that there
was not going to be a cure for their mother’s cancer. With deep regret, they boarded
the train for home, on June 22nd, without a cure in hand. They first traveled to Le Mans to
drop off Pauline at the Visitation boarding school and then traveled onto Alençon. Pauline
became very distraught over the realization that her “best friend” was going to die.

As soon as Pauline's mother arrived home, she immediately changed her focus from her
expecting to be cured to preparing herself for her impending death. Immediately, Azélie
wrote a letter to her daughter Pauline to ease her grief over her approaching death. Her
mother wrote: “Are you still angry with our Blessed Mother because she did not make you
dance with joy? … Do not look for much joy on earth, for if you do, you will be
disappointed. As for me, I know by experience to what extent to rely on the joys of the
earth. If I did not live only, for the joys of Heaven, I would indeed be very miserable.”
(CWe)

On August 1, 1877, Pauline completed her studies at the Visitation boarding school. The
celebration and the awards she received were somewhat bittersweet. She was leaving behind
the beloved memories of her “surrogate mother” who passed away just months prior. It was
also hard to say farewell to her childhood friends and to head home to help her mother die.

Once Pauline arrived back home she assisted Marie in preparing Léonie, Céline and Thérèse
in their studies. It was of great concern for Pauline's mother to have all of her children
properly educated. She tasked this responsibility onto Marie and Pauline. Realizing that their
mother would never see the rest of her daughters complete their education, Marie and
Pauline put on an awards ceremony for her. It was their way for their mother to celebrate
with them on the future completion of their schooling.

After sending Céline and Thérèse to a neighbor’s house for the day, Pauline spent time at her
mother’s bedside attempting to ease her pain. Her mother looks at her after she kissed her
hand and replies with a loving look: “Poor little soul! What a vacation for you! And I who
was rejoicing to have you back home for good. Oh, my Pauline, you are my treasure. I
know well that you will one day become a nun.” (SF)

As the end of August approached, the physical pain from Azélie’s cancer spread throughout
her body. The pain became unbearable for her to move even an inch without crying out to
God. As Pauline sat beside her mother, she grabbed and kissed Pauline’s hand and then
pointed to her sisters. Azélie signaled to Pauline that she was relinquishing all of her
responsibility as a mother over to her. As night approached on the 28th of August, Pauline
escorted her two little sisters, Céline and Thérèse, to their room to go to bed. Azélie’s painful
departure from this world would soon follow around midnight. Just after her mother’s soul
ascended to Heaven, Pauline’s uncle Isidore went outside at the back of the house and called
out to Pauline at her bedroom window. Answering her uncle’s call, he told her in a low
voice that her mother just died. Pauline decided not to wake her little sisters up and waited
until the morning to tell them.

On August 29, 1877, the family escorted their mother’s body to the Cathedral and then onto
the Cimetière Notre Dame (Our Lady’s cemetery) in Alençon. The family’s maid saw them
and gave them her sympathies for their mother’s suffering. She said to them: “You poor
little girls, you have no mother.” (SF) Thérèse then leaped into Pauline’s arms and said to
Pauline that she will be her mother.

Days after their mother’s death, Céline approached Pauline and asked her if their mother
gave her any sign that her soul made it to Heaven. Pauline said to Céline that she received a
dream of an angel writing in the sand: “Blessed are those that mourn, for they shall be
comforted.” (ML) This was a confirmation to Pauline that their mother’s soul ascended to
Heaven.

Before Azélie’s death, she suggested to Louis, that he should consider moving to Lisieux to
be closer to her family. So, Louis and the children focused their eyes on Lisieux so that they
would be closer to their cousins. Pauline’s father discussed it with her and Marie about
making the move to Lisieux. He conceded to both of his daughter’s desires for a new change
in scenery. After a long search, their uncle found them a place live. The family would
nickname their new home: “Les Buissonnets”. It was emotionally difficult for each of them
to leave behind their dear friends and neighbors. There were many memories spent in their
home that they will leave behind. One of which was the untimely death of their beloved
mother.

On November 14, 1877, the family said their goodbyes at their mother’s grave before leaving
to Alençon. Lisieux was a small city with roughly 16,000 residents. It had the same
pleasantness as any small city, which was the perfect place for the Martin children to grow
up. The famous Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Lisieux (Cathedral of St. Peter’s of Lisieux) was
in the center of town as well as many small shops and government buildings. “Les
Buissonnets” was located on a hill side on the outer edge of the city. Their new home
encompassed a large backyard with plenty of trees and hedges. But unfortunately their home
lacked many modern amenities such as indoor plumbing and electricity.

Family life resumed after they set up their new home. Every morning, Louis, Marie and
Pauline would attend morning Mass at the Cathedral. Pauline, as well as her sisters, joined a
religious organization called the Children of Mary which promoted the adoration of the
Blessed Sacrament. Each week, Pauline devoted two days praying before the blessed
sacrament as part of the requirements for the religious organization.

Pauline continued painting her miniatures and portraits which were admired by her family for
its fine detail. Pauline also was very good in sewing. She took upon herself to make an alb
for Father Ducellier, whom was her spiritual director at that time. She embroidered it with
fine guipure lace. After receiving his newly crafted alb, Father Ducellier went to the Martin
home to thank Pauline personally for the beautiful gift.

At times, Pauline had to keep a close eye on her father when he read certain religious books.
Louis would be enlightened by a book that he read which inspired him to practice some form
of mortification. Some of these mortifications were too stringent on his delicate health and
Pauline would have to intervene and strategically remove the book from his possession.

In the evenings, Pauline would place Thérèse on her knees and take out a religious book and
read it to her. After reading the book, there would be a multitude of questions that Thérèse
would ask her. In one particular instance, Thérèse was concerned that each person’s good
deeds, whether they were large or small, would not share the grace of God’s glory equally.
Pauline asked her to bring out her father’s drinking glass and also a thimble. Pauline
filled both of them up and asked Thérèse to compare each of them to see which one was
fuller. Thérèse responded back that both of the containers were equally full. Pauline stressed
to her the point that each person regardless of their stature in society will receive the same
grace of God’s glory equally. There is no reason to be envious of another human being
regardless of what they have done or how much they have done for the grace of God’s glory.

Preparations for Thérèse’s formal education were a priority for Pauline before she entered
the Benedictine school in Lisieux. Pauline not only taught Thérèse lessons in such studies as
grammar, catechism but also lessons in piety. Pauline conditioned her to the rigors of school
life before she entered by having her do lessons and then grading her on them. Thérèse was
rewarded by Pauline for her successes but also reprimanded her for her faults. Years later,
Thérèse remarked: “I have asked myself many times how you were able to bring me up with
so much love and tenderness and without spoiling me. You never allowed any of my
imperfections to escape, and every reproach of yours was truly deserved.” (SST)

Thérèse was reaching the age of her first confession. To prepare her for it, Pauline had her
examine her conscious on a daily basis for her to see whether or not she committed any sins.
Pauline asked her to confess her sins to the priest as if she were speaking to God. Later,
Thérèse remarked to Pauline on her first confession: “You said to me that confessing my
sins to a priest was not to the priest himself but to God. I asked, should I also tell
him that I loved him too as if he were God in the flesh and you agreed.” Pauline worked
with Thérèse on studying the catechism for her First Holy Communion. Later, Marie took
over teaching Thérèse after Pauline entered the Carmelite monastery.

Generosity was always the spirit of faith in the Martin family home. Les Buissonnets would
be no exception. The poor would congregate outside the family’s home every Monday to
receive some form of charitable gift. Pauline would have Thérèse meet them at the front
entrance to find out from them what their needs were. Thérèse, in turn, would come back
to Pauline and tell her. Pauline would decide on what to distribute to them whether it was
food, clothing, or money for the people in need. Even if the person was not able to come to
their home, they would make the effort to go to their homes and help them. It was a great
lesson for Thérèse given by Pauline to overcome some of the fears she
had.

During times of leisure the girls would go sit by the river either sketching the local scenery or
working on their needlework while their father went fishing. Pauline would prepare a basket
of food for their little adventures.

After spending five years at Les Buissonnets, it was time for Pauline to answer the call to the
religious life. Her eyes were focused on the Visitation convent in Le Mans. She frequently
went on visits to her former boarding school and spoke with the Mother Superior about
entering the convent. But God had other plans for her to serve Him. On February 16, 1882,
while praying beside a statue of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel at St. Jacques Church (St. James’s
Church), Pauline received a revelation that she is to become a Carmelite nun. Acting on this
revelation, Pauline made frequent visits to the Carmelite monastery in Lisieux to speak to the
prioress about entering into their Order.

But at the time that she was seeking to enter, there was not any room at the monastery. So,
she looked into entering the Carmelite monastery in Caen. And as soon as she was going to
make her final decision to join them, a postulant at the Carmelite monastery in Lisieux died
suddenly which left an opening for Pauline to enter.

Written by: R. Hann

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Gibbons, James Cardinal. Holy Bible (Douay-Rheims) 1899 Edition. (B)
Baronius Press Unlimited, London, United Kingdom, 2005

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September 7, 1861-July 28, 1951

Mother Agnes of Jesus
Marie Pauline Martin
"The Pearl of Lisieux"

"Jesus is asking us to be saints. He needs completely devoted souls that are totally surrendered to His divine pleasure." - Mother Agnes of Jesus