the Parents of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux
The life and spirituality of Saints Louis and Zelie Martin and the history of their cause for sainthood
"STS. LOUIS AND ZELIE MARTIN, ST. THERESE OF LISIEUX, AND SIBLINGS" - ICON By PAOLO ORLANDO
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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.
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.
To enrich your celebration of the feast of the first couple canonized together, the parents of St. Therese of Lisieux and her sisters, consider:
“The Wedding of Zelie Guerin and Louis Martin, July 13, 1858: “Frequently Asked Questions: A Story with 21 Photos To Celebrate Their Feast on July 12.”
“Supper with the Martin Family” - a video of Maureen O’Riordan’s conference about Sts. Louis and Zelie Martin for the Center for Carmelite Studies, October 3, 2023:
Click for this rich slideshow of the lives of Saints Louis and Zelie
See a photo show with the scenes of the family’s life at Alencon and Lisieux, with photos, documents, many objects that belonged to them, and images of their beatification:
To prepare for the feast of Sts. Louis and Zelie Martin on July 12, 2024, please make this novena: a special prayer exercise each day for nine days. Click on the image above to visit the introduction to the novena and the prayers for Day One. May God answer the prayers we offer through their intercession.
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
The lives of Saints Louis and Zelie Martin, the parents of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux; their spirituality; the life of their family; their beatification in 2008 and canonization in 2015; what we can learn from them today. Articles, homilies, conferences, photo galleries. A unique photo show to celebrate the visit of their relics to Ireland in 2018.
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