Novena to Sts. Louis and Zelie Martin: Day Two, "Fruits of the Spirit," July 4, 2026
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"STS. LOUIS AND ZELIE MARTIN, ST. THERESE OF LISIEUX, AND SIBLINGS" - ICON By PAOLO ORLANDO
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Pray a novena to Sts. Louis and Zelie Martin to prepare for their feast on July 12. The introduction and Day One: "The Meeting. God's Time"
/Prepare for the feast on July 12 of Sts. Louis and Zelie Martin, the first saints canonized as a couple, by praying this novena. God bless you.
Pope Leo XIV issues a letter about Sts. Louis and Zelie Martin on the tenth anniversary of their canonization, October 18, 2025
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COMPOSITE PHOTO OF STS. ZELIE AND LOUIS MARTIN,
COURTESY OF THE SHRINE AT ALENCON
Today the Vatican released Pope Leo’s letter for the tenth anniversary of the canonization of Sts. Louis and Zelie Martin, written on October 1, the feast of St. Therese, to Mgr Bruno Feillet, bishop of Séez, the diocese where Sts. Louis and Zelie lived throughout their marriage and where all their children were born.
Pope Leo writes:
As the first couple to be canonized as such, this event is of particular importance as it highlights marriage as a path to holiness. . . . “Louis and Zélie understood that they could become saints not despite marriage but through, in and by marriage, and that their marriage should be considered as the starting point of a journey together” (Cardinal Martins, Homily for the Beatification).
Later, he speaks of the family as a place in which to experience the boundless love of Jesus and to love Him in return:
Dear couples, I invite you to persevere courageously on the path you have undertaken, which is sometimes difficult and laborious, but luminous. Above all, put Jesus at the centre of your families, your activities and your choices. Help your children discover His boundless love and tenderness, and strive to make them love Him in return as He deserves: this is the great lesson that Louis and Zélie teach us today, and which the Church and the world so urgently need. How could Thérèse have loved Jesus and Mary so much – and then passed on such a beautiful doctrine to us – if she had not learned it from her saintly parents from an early age?
Please see the text of Pope Leo’s letter.
"Supper with the Martin Family" - Tuesday, October 3, 2023 - Center for Carmelite Studies - Catholic University of America
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On Tuesday, October 3, 2023, at 6:00 p.m., I will have the honor of speaking on Sts. Louis and Zelie Martin, St. Therese's parents, and on the Martin family for the Center for Carmelite Studies at Catholic University in Washington, D.C. This is part of a series of events the Center is sponsoring in honor of the 150th jubilee of St. Therese's birth and her recognition by UNESCO. Everyone is welcome.
The event will be livestreamed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SIbdaFH2Os
Supper begins at 5:45 p.m. This same information is available on the University's Web site at https://cua.campuslabs.com/engage/event/9362223
Fifth anniversary of the canonization of Louis and Zelie Martin on October 18, 2015
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Visit the canonization ceremony with me, and see images of what happened in St. Peter’s Square that morning; Pope Francis; Pietro Schiliro, the child whose healing was the miracle for Louis and Zelie’s beatification; and more. They have been canonized for five years. Pray that people come to know and love them more and more and to lead lives inspired by tem.