The woman whose goodness changed her husband from atheist to priest [By Elisabeth Leseur ]

This inspiring book gives you a splendid example of how to live as a Christian in a secular environment that can be indifferent or hostile to your Faith. For Elisabeth Leseur had two great loves: God, and her husband Felix. Felix loved Elisabeth as well; yet to their mutual sorrow, he couldn’t share the life of the Spirit that Elisabeth cherished.

Occasionally the happiness of their life together in upper-class Parisian society was shattered by Felix’s frustration and impatience. How could such an intelligent woman waste her time, as he saw it, with ignorant superstitions? Sometimes he and his friends would even ridicule and mock her faith.

But Elisabeth loved Felix too much to allow their home to degenerate into an emotional war zone. She realized that confrontations and arguments were useless; she chose instead to keep quiet and pray for Felix. In her secret diary, she recorded how she used his efforts to destroy her faith as means to grow in love for him and for God.

Throughout their life together, it grieved Elisabeth to think that Felix might be separated from her for all eternity because of his rejection of God. For her, life in Heaven wouldn’t be happy without him. Yet when she died prematurely, Felix was still an unbeliever.

The story doesn’t end there. When Felix found this diary, he discovered how Elisabeth’s whole life bore witness to the truth of the God she loved.

In time, Felix was transformed by the diary and his memories of Elisabeth. He became a Christian and, later, a priest. Now she may even be declared a saint. Elisabeth’s diary and spiritual writings (all included in this one volume) map out for you a path to marital harmony and greater love for God — especially if you love someone who stands outside the Faith. Let Elisabeth’s two great loves, and her faith and perseverance, inspire you now.

“No spiritual writer has taught me more than this French housewife about the sanctifying power of the sacrament of marriage, especially those unions that for one reason or another might be labeled ‘difficult.’ A true spiritual sister of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Elisabeth Leseur discovered and practiced her own ‘Little Way’ — a form of sacrificial love and asceticism uniquely suited to the domestic context.”
Robin Maas
John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family

“Elisabeth Leseur’s example of courageous generosity can strengthen every marriage, whether healthy or troubled. With lustrous humility and grace, she lights our way toward holiness in marriage, effective prayer for our loved ones, and the heights of personal sanctity.”
Lynn Nordhagen
When Only One Converts

“A profound self-portrait of a soul molded and transformed by divine grace. If St. Augustine’s Confessions is analogous to the sun — bright, powerful, and penetrating — then Elisabeth Leseur’s Secret Diary is like the moon: soft, friendly, and enchanting in its spiritual beauty.”
Fr. Joseph Esper
Saintly Solutions

Softcover, 336 Pages Price: $19.95

Related Items: Literary Converts, Survival Till Seventeen