Spirit Singing

Louis and Zelie Martin

parents of St. Therese of the Child Jesus

to be Beatified on October 19, 2008

World Mission Sunday

The Good God gave me a father and a mother more worthy of Heaven than earth.

St. Therese

The Holy Father recognized a miracle of healing attributed to the intercession of the Martins for Pietro Schiliro of Italy. Pietro was born with a lung malformation. On the advice of a Carmelite priest, they prayed to the parents of St. Therese.


The announcement of the beatification came on July 12, 2008, the 150 anniversary of the couples' marriage. They had been married on July 12, 1858 in Alencon.


The beatification will take place at the basilica of St. Therese in Lisieux, France. Please see my links for access to the basilica of St. Therese web page.


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In our Carmelite Community, we recently studied St. Therese's Story of A Soul. We noted how St. Therese and her sisters observed their father and the holy example he set for them. They noted how he prayed and explained the spiritual life to them. The Martin household was truly a vibrant "domestic church" as John Paul II described the Catholic home.


We see how St. Therese loved her earthly father so dearly--he who was a symbol for her Heavenly Father. She was an obedient child and an obedient religious, always wanting to carry out the will of the Father. St. Therese was faithful to the commandment, "Honor your father and your mother." When she became a religious she put her will completely under the superior. St. Teresa of Jesus states this about holy obedience, "There is no path which leads more quickly to the highest perfection than that of obedience...Obedience brings us the sooner to that happy state and is the best means of attaining it." (From the book of Foundations)


As lay Carmelites we have "holy parents" in St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Jesus (Avila). We can ask ourselves, are we obedient children, faithful to their teachings and direction? Are we obedient to the Order, our Superiors? Do we take seriously our promises to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, or is it mainly hit or miss? Do I feel a real hunger for the Eucharist? Do I try to attend mass daily if possible? Do I pray for the priests, brothers, and sisters of our Carmelite family? Do I pray for our community and the sick members who cannot attend? These are just some ways we can examine our conscience in light of our Carmelite promise.


Let us look to our Heavenly Father, and our holy Mother, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel for help. May she assist us to be her faithful children and bring us to her Son, where in the company of our holy parents, St. John and St. Teresa, we may live forever in the one family of love: the communion of saints.


Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds