"Leonie Martin, A Difficult Life" now available as an e-book

I am delighted to announce that Veritas Press in Ireland has reissued the book "Leonie Martin: A Difficult Life" by Marie Baudoin-Croix, as an e-book.

"Leonie Martin: A Difficult Life," by Marie Baudoin-Croix is in print again!

Many English-speaking readers are familiar with this book from the earlier edition, translated by Mary Frances Mooney, published by Veritas in 1993 and reprinted by them in 2004.  It had been distributed in the United States by Ignatius Press.  I hope very much that it will be reissued in the United States, but, until it is, you can order one from Ireland by clicking on the image above.  Many people have written me asking for copies.  Many interested in Léonie were "special children" or the parents of special children.  Others have had "late vocations" or, like Léonie, have struggled to find a place in a family, in the Church, and in the world.  Of late, as interest in Léonie has increased and used copies became scarce, their price has risen. Seize the opportunity to get a new one.  Do not be put off by the phrase "A Difficult Life," which might seem depressing.  About this 120-page book, from the introduction by Christopher O'Donnell, O. Carm. of the Milltown Institute in Dublin:

“The story of Léonie is told by letters, to her and from her, and about her by other members of the family. Hers is a fascinating story, with an interest even independent of her canonised sister.

She tried religious life four times before she was finally professed as a Visitation Sister. There she achieved a high degree of holiness. From a most difficult childhood and adolescence she overcame her disabilities and reached a mature serenity when she finally achieved her goal of being a religious. This book tells of her struggles, her failures, her disappointments, her dogged perseverance. When we get beneath the language and culture of Thérèse, we find that, for all her charm, she was almost ruthless in her pursuit of holiness in her complete sacrifice to God’s merciful love. Léonie too has something of the hard steel that always lies just below the surface in Thérèse. The reader will find Léonie a fascinating person in her own right, very different from her better-known sister.

This book by Marie Baudoin-Croix is to be strongly welcomed. It does not add to what has been available to specialist scholars, but it will be a revelation to so many admirers of St. Thérèse in the English-speaking world. I warmly compliment the author, the translator, and the publishers for making this important book widely available. It is an ideal companion to the autobiography of St. Thérèse. (p. 6)”

Click here to order Leonie Martin: A Difficult Life in Kindle format.  If you do not own a Kindle device, Amazon will send you a free Kindle app for your own computer or mobile device.