![]() In a letter to her sister-in-law who had lost an infant son, Zelie remembered: “When I closed the eyes of my dear little children and buried them, I felt sorrow through and through…People said to me, ‘It would have been better never to have had them.’ I couldn’t stand such language. But her faith sustained her through these terrible ordeals. “I haven’t a penny’s worth of courage,” she lamented. Within three years, Zelie’s two baby boys, a five year old girl, and a six-and-a-half week old infant girl all died. The Martins’ delight in their children turned to shock and sorrow as tragedy relentlessly and mercilessly stalked their little ones. “We lived only for them,” Zelie wrote “they were all our happiness.” Within the next fifteen years, Zelie bore nine children, seven girls and two boys. Louis Martin and Zelie Guerin eventually met in Alencon, and on July 13, 1858, Louis, 34, and Zelie, 26, married and began their remarkable voyage through life. Notable as these achievements were, Zelie was yet to reveal the depths of the strength, faith, and courage she possessed. Richly talented, creative, eager, and endowed with common sense, she started her own business and became quite successful. Zelie then learned the Alencon lace-making technique and soon mastered this painstaking craft. As a young lady, she sought unsuccessfully to enter the religious order of the sisters of the Hotel-Dieu. Born into a military family, Zelie described her childhood and youth as “dismal.” Her mother and father showed her little affection. Zelie Guerin (1831 – 1877) was one of Alencon’s more talented lace makers. French people greatly admired the skill and talent required to produce the exquisite lace known throughout the nation as Point d’ Alencon. Most famous of Alencon’s thirteen thousand inhabitants were its lace makers. He became ill and dispirited, and abandoned his hopes for the monastic life. Louis, whose bravery would have carried him to the heights of the Alps in search of a lost pilgrim, got himself lost among the peaks and valleys of Latin syntax and grammar. Unfortunately, the Abbot insisted the young candidate learn Latin. The blend of courage and charity the monks and their famous dogs manifested in rescuing travelers in Alpine snows appealed powerfully to Louis Martin. It even had a lovely trout stream nearby, offering him the opportunity to pursue his favorite recreation.Īt twenty-two, young Louis sought to enter religious life at the monastery of the Augustinian Canons of the Great St. It was a quiet place and he was a quiet man. His temperament, deeply influenced by the peculiar French connection between the mystical and the military, tended toward things of the spirit.Įventually, Louis settled down in Alencon, a small city in France, and pursued his watchmaking trade. He absorbed the sense of order and discipline that army life engenders. But, as with so many men, Louis’ life had not turned out at all the way he had planned.īorn into a family of soldiers, Louis spent his early years at various French military posts. He also skillfully managed his wife’s lace business. ![]() Louis Martin (1823 – 1894) was a watchmaker by trade, and quite a successful one. The Pope stated in his homily, “The holy spouses Louis Martin and Marie-Azelie Guerin practiced Christian service in the family, creating day by day an environment of faith and love which nurtured the vocations of their daughters, among whom was Saint Therese of the Child Jesus.” They are the first-ever married couple with children to be canonized in the same ceremony. The Martins had been beatified earlier on October 19, 2008. Peter’s Square which included the Rite of Canonization for Sts. On Sunday, October 18, 2015, Pope Francis presided at Mass in St. Special Events Toggle Submenu for Special Events.Novenas & Celebrations Toggle Submenu for Novenas & Celebrations.Religious Gifts Toggle Submenu for Religious Gifts.Mass Cards Toggle Submenu for Mass Cards.Cards & Gifts Toggle Submenu for Cards & Gifts.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |