Death Visits the Martin Household

by Kristen West McGuire

On February 24, 1877, Sr. Marie-Dosithee of the Visitandine convent in Le Mans died of tuberculosis. Her sister, Zelie Martin, had just realized that her breast cancer was terminal. Of her five girls, Leonie worried her the most. How could she face leaving her rebellious, difficult daughter?

Small Leonie had suffered from eczema and had a frail constitution. Where her older sisters were pretty and vivacious like their mother, Leonie was easily offended and struggled with schoolwork from the start. She was the boisterous sister, a tomboy with the bruises to prove it. The family struggled to make peace with her.

Her closest sister was Helene, who tragically died at the age of five in 1870. Leonie was only seven at the time, and deeply mourned her loss. She was removed from boarding school several times, even from the Visitation school. Her aunt had the only truly positive effect on her, and she opened her heart to her. So Leonie and her mother together felt the impact of the loss of Sr. Marie-Dosithee.

Zelie was no stranger to sorrow— little Helene and three other babies had died before this fateful year. And yet, because of her health concerns, she was even more distressed when her sister died. Leonie and Zelie both begged the saintly aunt to bring their petitions directly to the Blessed Virgin in heaven.

Desperately, Zelie undertook a trip to Lourdes accompanied by her elder daughters, where the exhausted mother prayed more for Leonie than her own cure. They had a miserable time, and Zelie returned in even worse physical condition. Thus, the following turn of events were seen as a gift from heaven.

Quite by accident, Zelie discovered that one of their maids was emotionally and physically abusing Leonie. When she obeyed her parents, she was subjected to beatings. When she helped the maid do her chores, she was left alone. This maid thought she was doing the family a favor by making poor Leonie “behave.”

Zelie was horrified. The demands of her lace-making business had forced her to hire several household helpers, and this maid had been with the family for over ten years. Poor Leonie had been abused for all this time. While her temperament and learning disabilities were real impediments, it was easy to see how circumstances had conspired to make her life more difficult than it had to be.

Zelie firmly discharged the maid, and set about a gentle conquering of her daughter’s heart. It didn’t take long for Leonie to respond, and Zelie was amazed and humbled by the change in her rebellious child.

Whether it was a bona fide miracle is open to interpretation. However, it’s enough for me to know that God provides reconciliation before and after death.

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