May 24, 2014: Stained-glass window dedicated to the Martin family to be blessed by Mgr Jacques Habert, bishop of Seez

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The stained-glass window dedicated to the Martin family in the church of St. Symphorien des Bruyères in the province of Orne, France.

On Saturday, May 24, 2014, at 11:00 a.m., Mgr Jacques Habert, bishop of the diocese of Séez, will preside at a Mass of thanksgiving for the restoration of the Church of St Symphorien des Bruyères in the province of Orne.  Then he will bless the three new stained-glass windows in the church, including the window pictured above, dedicated to the Martin family.  The window shows a scene from the life of the Martin family.  At left, Zelie is teaching her two youngest daughters to pray: Therese is on her lap, and Celine kneels in front of her.  One of the older Martin daughters looks on. The other two are near their father, who looks on. At the top of the window can be seen the words "Martin Family" and, at the bottom, the words "All Called to Saintliness." 

A family at prayer

The Shrine at Alençon informed me that the window is based on the painting above, which represents the Martin family at prayer.

The family of Louis and Zelie Martin was chosen as a subject of the window not only by the Church but also by the mayor and the people of the commune of St Symphorien des Bruyères, a small municipality about an hour northwest of Alençon.  We congratulate the commune and the Association for the Conservation of the Heritage of the commune for completing the restoration of this fifteenth-century church after ten years of work. 

You may see other photos of the church on the Web site of Atelier Touchard Architectes, which accomplished the restoration.

May the life of the Martin family be a true icon for us.  May we see their hardships and joys all now illumined by the light of Christ.  May the light of their lives shine through ours so that they may obtain for us from God the same grace of seeing God in everything and everything in God. 

I thank the Shrine at Alencon (http://www.louiszeliemartin-alencon.com/eng/), which permits me to share with you the photographs and the story. 

Pope Paul VI to be beatified on Mission Sunday, October 19, 2014

Pope Paul VI.  Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

Today the Vatican announced that Pope Francis has approved the promulgation of the decree to beatify Pope Paul VI, formerly Giovanni Cardinal Montini.  See details at Vatican Radio and details of his beatification miracle, the healing of a child born in California in 2001, at Vatican Insider.  And see my article of today about the bond between Pope Paul VI and St. Therese of Lisieux.

Pope Paul VI will be beatified on Mission Sunday, October 19, 2014, at the end of the Third Extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the Family (a synod he established).  It's also the 17th anniversary of the day St. Therese of Lisieux was declared a Doctor of the Church and the sixth anniversary of the day her parents, Louis and Zelie Martin, were beatified.  Both of those ceremonies also fell on Mission Sunday.  This date is most fitting because Pope Paul VI opened the way for St. Therese to be named a Doctor of the Church and for her parents to be beatified as a couple.

The cause for Louis Martin was opened in the diocese of Bayeux on March 22, 1957, and the cause for Zelie Guerin Martin was opened in the diocese of Sees on October 10, 1957, both during the papacy of Pius XII. Their last surviving daughter, Celine (Sister Genevieve of the Holy Face) had the joy of testifying about them before she died in 1959. But Pope Paul VI made two important contributions to the cause.  It was he who, with the the Sacred Congregation for the Causes of Saints, approved the writings of the Servants of God, Louis and Zelie Martin.  And in  1971, for the first time in the history of the Church, Paul VI, finding that they became holy as spouses, ordered that the two causes be united into one single cause.  He laid the foundation for their being beatified together in 2008 and for the possibility of their being named saints as a couple.  (An Italian couple, Blessed Luigi Beltrame Quattrocchi and Blessed Maria Corsini, were beatified in 2001.  Their cause, however, was introduced only in 1994, long after Paul VI united the causes of Louis and Zelie Martin). 

How marvelous that he will be named blessed on the anniversary of the beatification of this blessed couple.

Pietro Schilirò meets Pope Francis: "It was like meeting Jesus"

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Pope Francis with Pietro Schilirò

     Pietro Schilirò is the Italian child who was healed by God after the prayer of his parents and relatives to Louis and Zelie Martin. This healing has been officially recognized as a miracle, and it led to the beatification of the Martin spouses in 2008.  On March 29, 2014 Pietro, now 11, met Pope Francis in Rome.  Here is his first-person testimony:
 

     When I learned that the Pope was to meet with deaf people and their families, I asked Mom if we could go there too. We decided to write to the Pope to tell him that we would be very happy to greet him personally, but if that was not possible, we would be happy to receive his blessing even from afar.

     In St. Peter's Square, we lined up with all the other deaf people and their families. It moved me to see other people who were deaf like me. Some had trouble speaking; this touched me so that I had the desire to learn sign language, that I might be closer to them.

     Suddenly, my Dad’s phone started to ring.  We were told that Pope Francis would meet us personally at the end of the audience. We were very touched!

     After about 1 ½ hours, the Pope came in amid songs of joy and hands raised in a sign of salute (this is how the deaf applaud). After some testimonies, the Pope spoke to us.

     Then the Pope came down to the crowd to greet the people who were in front, including us! I was very excited and I asked Mom and Dad what I should say, because I could not find the words.

     Pope Francis approached; he was close to me! Mom and Dad greeted him, and Mom told him that we pray for him. Then he kissed me, and I burst into tears! I leaned against him, and my hearing aid fell to the ground. Then the Pope bent down to pick it up! Dad told the Pope that I was healed by a miracle granted by the Lord through the intercession of Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin, and he was very happy to hear that. He smiled and said, “I know that now there has been another miracle that is being studied. I am very happy!” And with a big smile he said, “Go now, and do not cry any more.”  And with a big hug, we said goodbye to Pope Francis.

     Then, before waving to everyone and leaving the room, he looked at me. With his fingers he gave me the ‘OK’ sign! I still felt close to tears, but I was so happy because of the Pope’s embrace. For me it was like meeting Jesus! I will never forget it.”

Pietro Schilirò

This translation by Mary Davidson and the photograph appear here by courtesy of the Web site of the Shrine at Alencon (www.louiszeliemartin-alencon.com).

The Shrine of the Martin Family (Blessed Louis and Zélie Martin and Saint Thérèse of Lisieux) announces the opening of its new Web site in English, November 21, 2013

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I am happy to report that the Shrine at Alençon has launched its new Web site in English at http://www.louiszeliemartin-alencon.com/eng/ 

Many people still associate the Martin family primarily or exclusively with Lisieux, in the diocese of Bayeux and Lisieux in the province of Calvados.  In fact, Louis and Zélie spent their whole married life in Alençon, in the diocese of Sees in the province of Orne.  Had Zélie not died prematurely, Thérèse would have known Lisieux only as a place for occasional visits, for Louis moved to Lisieux only because, after his wife's death, he wanted his daughters to be near their uncle, aunt, and cousins. 

Alençon has now organized a pilgrimage office (the "Shrine") to create a powerful experience for pilgrims who come to walk in the steps of the Martin family.  I hope that those who go on pilgrimage to France will visit Alençon first, so that they can "grow up" with Thérèse.  Here you can see the house where Thérèse was born, the exterior of the house where all the other Martin children were born, the Basilica of Notre-Dame where Louis and Zélie were married and Thérèse was baptized, the Pavilion (Louis's small garden on the outskirts of the town), and many other places of interest. 

The site has much even for those not planning a trip to France; information about the life, message, and prayer of the Martin family, the developments in their cause for canonization, and much more.  I congratulate the Shrine on this outreach to the English-speaking world.  Please do your best to spread the word.

UPDATE, June 29, 2014: The Shrine at Alencon has announced its summer schedule, including guided tours every Tuesday in July, a monthly trip on the "tourist train" to visit the sites related to the Martin family, and many special events for the feast of Louis and Zelie on July 12; for the anniversary of Louis's death on July 29 and the anniversary of Zelie's death on August 28; and for the feast of St. Therese on October 1.  For an English translation (by Mary Davidson) of this schedule, please see http://tinyurl.com/alencon2014  Thank you.

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