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Sts. Louis and Zelie Martin
Married: July 13, 1858
(civilly married 10pm on July 12, religious ceremony at midnight on July 13).Beatified: October 19, 2008
Canonized: October 18, 2015
Feast Day: July 12
Patrons of: Marriage, parenting, child loss, illness, mental illness
Marriage and Family Motto was a quote from St. Joan of Arc: "God is served first."
“It is necessary that the heroic becomes daily and that the daily becomes heroic.” St. Zelie
“I want to become a saint; it will not be easy at all. I have a lot of wood to chop and it is as hard as stone. I should have started sooner, while it was not so difficult; but in any case, “better late than never.” St. Zelie
"Goodbye, See you in heaven." St. Louis
"Soon we'll have the intimate happiness of the family, and it's this beauty that brings us closer to him." St. LouisAs the first married couple to be canonized together, Sts. Louis and Zelie Martin are wonderful examples of living virtuous, holy lives in the ordinariness of the everyday. They show us how to pursue God while juggling marriage, family, homes, jobs, etc, how to glorify Him with our daily actions and choices. They surrendered everything to God and were rewarded with heaven. We can see the fruit of their labors in their daughters especially St. Therese of the Little Flower and Servant of God Leonie Martin.
Ways to Celebrate the Martins- Husbands and wives go on a special date, include some prayer time (the Martins made God the foundation of their marriage and pursued holiness through their vocation).
- Support a small business (both spouses owned their own small business)
- Wear a watch or a piece of lace (Louis was a watchmaker and Zelie a lacemaker)
- Do a special family activity together (the Martins all depended on one another for support and love through the ups and downs of their lives)
- Write a family mission statement or pick a family motto to live by
- Pray for your (future) spouse (no better foundation for a marriage God)
- Eat French food or dessert
A brief bio of these loving saints...
Louis Martin was born August 22, 1823. His father was in the military which meant Louis' family moved frequently as he grew up. Louis desired to be a religious monk but was turned away due to his struggles learning Latin. He then trained to become a watchmaker and opened his own shop in Alencon.
Zelie Martin was born on December 23, 1831. Her father was a police officer which kept them fairly grounded (Zelie only moved one time in her life). Zelie also desired to enter the religious life but had too poor of health to be accepted. She learned how to make lace and opened her own shop.
The two met on a bridge in April and were married in July. They were civilly married the evening of July 12 and their religious ceremony (Mass in the Church) started at midnight of the 13th. For the first several months of their marriage, the couple did not consummate their marriage, having both so deeply desired to live the religious life. However, upon encouragement from their spiritual director to live the vocation God had given to them, they ended up having 9 children. Four of these children died early in life leaving five daughters remaining. At their beatification, Cardinal Martins said that Louis and Zelie understood that they could become holy not in spite of marriage, but through, in, and by marriage, and that their becoming a couple was the beginning of an ascent together."
Louis and Zelie poured their love out upon these daughters, teaching them to love and serve God above all else. All five of these daughters entered religious life, one has been canonized, and a second has started the process to canonization.
After twelve years of marriage, Louis sold his watchmaking business to help Zelie run her lacemaking one. He ran the books and advertised, sometimes even drawing the designs for her lace, while she made the lace and cared for their children and their home.
Zelie died in 1877 from breast cancer when her youngest daughter was 4 years old. Louis suffered back-to-back strokes leaving him paralyzed before he also lost his mental capacity and spent the last few months of his life in a sanatorium, and died in 1894.
Both Louis and Zelie lived ordinary lives raising their family. They faced the same struggles we do today, having to make hard choices for their family (As a newborn, Therese was sent to live with another woman because Zelie was afraid she didn't have enough milk to sustain the baby. After Zelie's death, Louis moved the family to a new town to be near to a brother and sister-in-law who could provide a motherly influence on his daughters.). Through it all they kept God at the center. In a letter about losing her four children, Zelie writes, "I do not regret the pains and sacrifices I underwent of them. They're enjoying heaven now... I have not lost them always. Life is short, and I shall find my little ones again in heaven." As Louis suffered after his strokes, he said, "Everything for the greater glory of God. I have never been humiliated in my life, I need to be humiliated." This husband and wife duo were exemplars of depending on God with perseverance, humility, and love.