Marie Léonie Martin was born on June 3, 1863, in Alençon, France, the third surviving daughter of Louis Martin and Zélie Martin (both later canonized). From early childhood she suffered from fragile health, including whooping cough and measles with convulsions, and her temperament and struggles in school frequently worried her mother. Though her younger sister Thérèse of Lisieux would become famous for her “Little Way,” Léonie’s path was marked by difficulty, repeated attempts at religious life, and the long journey toward finding her place.

In her early adult years, Léonie entered religious life multiple times: first briefly with the Poor Clares, then twice with the Visitation Sisters at Caen, but health issues and internal struggles led her to leave each time. Finally, at age 35 in 1899, she entered the Visitation community in Caen as Sister Françoise-Thérèse and made her perpetual profession in 1900. She lived her vocation quietly through acts of simple service: sacristan, infirmarian, porter, and companion to her cloistered sisters, embracing a spirituality of “little-flowered littleness” in her own way.

Léonie died on June 17, 1941, in Caen, after years of declining health. Her cause for beatification was officially opened in 2015.