The mother of St. Thérèse, St. Zélie (baptized as Azélie-Marie, but affectionately known as Zélie)—is an appealing-to-many, newer saint (canonized along with her husband, Louis, in 2015) who offers much to mull over as the mother of the dearly-loved Little Flower. 

Though Sts. Louis and Zélie did not intend to serve God as married people, they would eventually have nine children, four of them joining the Discalced Carmelite monastery in Lisieux, including St. Thérèse. What can we learn from these great saints?

Declared venerable by Pope St. John Paul II in 1994 and beatified in 2008, the Martins are believed to be the first parents of a saint to be canonized.