"Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin, the parents of St. Therese of Lisieux: their lives and beatification," a photo show in honor of their first feast on July 12

Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin, the parents of St. Therese of Lisieux: their lives and beatification from Maureen O'Riordan on Vimeo.

The first liturgical feast of Blessed Zelie and Louis Martin, the parents of St. Therese, will be celebrated on Sunday, July 12, the anniversary of their marriage in 1858. The Shrine at Lisieux has announced a two-day celebration of liturgy, prayer, and festivities.Cardinal Tettamanzi, Archbishop of Milan, will preside at a Pontifical Mass in the Basilica of St. Therese, where Louis and Zelie were beatified on October 19, 2009. See the schedule of liturgies and festivities.

In honor of the first feast of the Martin spouses, I am happy to present the photo show "Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin, the parents of St. Therese of Lisieux: Their lives and beatification" above. Please celebrate the feast by joining us in this virtual pilgrimage to the places Louis and Zelie made holy by living with such faith, hope, and love. View the historic exhibit "Story of a Family" mounted at Lisieux in honor of the beatification, with furniture, possessions, documents, and photos belonging to the Martin family. See photos of Pietro Schiliro, the Italian child healed at the intercession of Zelie and Louis, and photos of his family. View the images of the beatification ceremony and of the reliquary. Come as a pilgrim of the heart to honor the faithful servants of God, and ask for the grace to imitate them.

The first feast of Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin, July 12, 2009 - Cardinal Tettamanzi presides at the celebration at Lisieux

June 8, 2009 - The first liturgical feast of Blessed Zelie and Louis Martin, the parents of St. Therese, will be celebrated on Sunday, July 12, 2009, the anniversary of their marriage in 1858.  The Shrine at Lisieux has announced a two-day celebration of liturgy, prayer, and  festivities.  Cardinal Tettamanzi, Archbishop of Milan, will preside at a Pontifical Mass in the Basilica of St. Therese, where Louis and Zelie were beatified on October 19, 2009.  See a complete schedule of the liturgies and festivities for the first feast of Louis and Zelie Martin at Lisieux on July 12, 2009.  

Apostolic Letter of Pope Benedict XVI declaring Louis Martin and Zelie Guerin blessed

As we approach the first liturgical feast of Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin on July 12, 2009, I am happy to present my English translation of the Apostolic Letter of Pope Benedict XVI declaring them blessed and establishing the feast on the anniversary of their wedding.  I had the joy of hearing this letter proclaimed during the Mass of Beatification in the Basilica of St. Therese at Lisieux.

APOSTOLIC LETTER OF POPE BENEDICT XVI
ANNOUNCING THE BEATIFICATION
OF LOUIS MARTIN AND ZÉLIE GUÉRIN

We,
fulfilling the wishes of our brothers
Pierre Auguste Pican, bishop of Bayeux and Lisieux,
and Jean-Claude Boulanger, bishop of Sées,
and the wishes expressed by many Brothers in the Episcopate
and by a multitude of the faithful,
after having consulted the Congregation for the Causes of Saints,
permit,
by virtue of our Apostolic Authority,
that the Venerable Servants of God
LOUIS MARTIN and ZÉLIE MARIE GUÉRIN,
lay persons, spouses, and parents,
who, strengthened by the sacrament of marriage
and the example of the Family of Nazareth,
have testified to their love for God, for the Virgin Mary,
for the poor, and for the missions,
and consecrated themselves diligently to their children,
among whom we count St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus,
are now to be called Blessed,
and that their feast may be celebrated each year on July 12,
the date of the anniversary of their marriage,
in the place and following the procedures established by law.
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Given in Rome, at Saint Peter’s,
October 15 in the year of the Lord 2008,
the fourth year of Our Pontificate.

Benedict XVI, Pope.

translated by Maureen O’Riordan for www.louisandzeliemartin.org

See two new online films about the life of Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin and the family of St. Therese in Alencon

"Louis and Zelie Martin of Alencon" shows scenes familiar to the Martin family in Alencon, interviews in French, and the first film footage of the Pavilion, Blessed Louis Martin's watchtower and walled garden on the outskirts of Alencon.  Until the beatification of Zelie and Louis in October 2008, this property had been closed to pilgrims for decades. 

"The Inauguration of the Martin Family Home in Alencon" films the event in late April 2009 at which Louis and Zelie Martin's house on Rue Saint-Blaise, where St. Therese was born, was reopened to the press after having been closed for restoration.  Most of the film is interviews in French with Mgr. Jean-Claude Boulanger, bishop of Seez, and artists who worked on the restoration.  I thank the diocese of Seez WebTV for permission to post the films. 

"Pilgrimage to the Beatification of Blessed Zelie and Louis Martin: Alencon and Lisieux, 2008" - a film by Susan Ehlert

With thanks to Susan Ehlert, I am happy to present her seven-minute photo show of the events of the week of the beatification of Louis and Zelie Martin, the parents of St. Therese in October 2008.  Join us as we tour the places Louis and Zelie knew in Alencon.  Glimpse the historic exhibit of the belongings of the Martin family at St. Jacques Church in Lisieux.  See the renovated Carmelite monastery and the souvenirs of St. Therese.  Watch the events of Beatification Sunday.  Visit the garden of the house in Rue Labbey, Lisieux, where Blessed Louis lived for the last two years of his life.  Scroll down a little on the page to find the photo show.