AnneLine Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 Hi Phamily, We have always been good about coming together to pray for our family members in trouble, especially when there is a child involved. Those who visit the 'Raising Small Children' locked area (and also the Prayer Room) know that ArchaeologyCat's son, Kieran, has been ill for quite a while. As was his little brother Leo. Their family definitely needs our prayer support, especially Kieran. About 2 years ago, we prayed a novena asking the intercession of St. Therese of the Child Jesus' parents, Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin, to help Leo when he was just a baby. At the end of that novena, he showed a remarkable improvement. ArchaeologyCat has asked if we would be willing to do a novena again, this time for Kieran. I told her I would be happy to repost it... and by strange coincidence, July 12 is their feast day. (They are celebrated on the Carmelite calendar and in their diocese). That date was chosen because July 13 is their wedding anniversary (but it was already taken). Starting tomorrow I will re-post the same novena I did 2 years ago... it will tell you a lot about Louis and Zelie, their family, and of course, more about St. Therese. Most people enjoyed the posts and videos that were available, and I am sure some or all of you would enjoy seeing them again. I've also asked ArchaeologyCat to post a little about Kieran's situation, as some/many of you don't go (or aren't able to go) into the locked area. Thank you in advance for your prayers! Blessed Louis and Blessed Zelie, please pray for Kieran and for all of us! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnlySunshine Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 I don't want to derail this thread but could you include the intentions of my parents who, today (the 12th), celebrate their 34th wedding anniversary? I'd appreciate it! I'll keep ArchCat in my prayers, for sure! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatherineM Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 Blessed Louis and Blessed Zelie, please pray for Kieran and for all of us! I'll offer up my physical pain today to lessen his. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrossCuT Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 Lets do this! Prayers for Kieran!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archaeology cat Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 Guys, this means so much to me. Thank you. So, background. We did this novena for Leo with his gallbladder issues last year when they were considering surgery. He then began improving, and his latest labs were his best ever, so his doctor isn't even considering surgery at this point. During the past year, Kieran (age 6) has had multiple vomiting episodes that remain unexplained. It's like, when he is exposed to a mild virus or some other stressor, he begins vomiting and not even Zofran has been able to control it. This had resulted in multiple ER visits and a couple of hospital stays. The most recent episode started Thursday and isn't quite resolved yet. He's had multiple tests with GI, but nothing has shown. We were referred to genetics because of his amino acid profile, but we don't have all the results yet and still no answers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneLine Posted July 12, 2014 Author Share Posted July 12, 2014 Thank you for the intro, ArchaeologyCat!!!! Here is a little background about this Novena. Last year when I learned that ArchaeologyCat's son, Leo, was very ill, I immediately suggested a novena to Bl. Louis and Bl. Zelie Martin, the parents of St. Therese. This is what she told us regarding Leo’s condition at that time: “Leo has the rare problem of pediatric gallstones (incidence of .15-.22%). They have tried medication to no avail. He had more lab work today (heartbreaking!) to check his liver, among other things, and we'll have the results at the specialist appointment next Friday. As long as I avoid any remotely fatty, acidic, or fried foods, and dairy and soy in any form, he does pretty well. He's a very happy baby overall, thank God.†As I told her at that time, I believe the Martin Parents are very powerful before God, and I know that they would understand the problems that this family faces. They were the mother and father of a large family They knew the sorrow of having children who were very ill They understood the difficulties of raising children while running a business They know what it was like to deal with all the problems and struggles that today's families face. I was sure that they would be willing to intercede for Leo. I also had a personal reason for suggesting that Leo’s parents might ask them for help. I had given a series of lectures on St. Therese' family at the time of the hundredth anniversary of St. Therese's death in 1997. When my husband was diagnosed with Stage III colon cancer in 2001, I asked them to help. I am convinced that they intervened in his case. He is now well over ten years cancer free. We prayed the novena for Leo. On the last day of that novena, ArchaeologyCat and Leo had another appointment with the doctors, This is what she posted in that thread: Thank you guys so much! When he had labs at 6 weeks, his bilirubin and GGT levels were abnormal. Now both are normal! The stones have stayed the same, but he's growing so the stones aren't blocking as much now. He'll continue having u/s and labs, but nothing else unless something changes. Deo gratias! Thank you for your prayers! As she noted in her post (above), he is doing very well at this time. Thank God! Now we will storm heaven for Kieran... God is Good, and He knows what is best for Kieran and for all of their family. Pray with us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneLine Posted July 12, 2014 Author Share Posted July 12, 2014 Day 1 Novena Below is an interesting article from 2008 about the beatification of Louis and Zelie.... "The necessary directive for the beatification of the Martins came last summer when Pope Benedict XVI authorized the promulgation of a 2003 healing of Pietro Schillero, now six years old. The healing was directly attributed to the intercession of the Martins. The boy was born with inoperable lung deformities in 2002 in Monza, Italy in the diocese of Milan. "Doctors had told the baby’s mother and father, parents of five other children, that their baby could not survive without pulmonary support. His chances for long-term survival were virtually non-existent. But, the Schillero’s pastor, a Carmelite priest, suggested that the Pietro’s parents pray a novena to Louis and Zelie Martin. The Martins would understand their agony, he told them. Louis and Zelie lost four children, three in infancy, and one at five years old. "The Schillero's fellow parishioners joined them in prayer. On June 29, 2003, on the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, the baby’s condition showed dramatic and almost instantaneous improvement. Testing indicated the lungs were now inexplicably healed; the deformities had disappeared! Fourteen-month-old Pietro Schillero continued to improve and left the hospital in July, 2003. Miraculously, he went home to his overjoyed family, breathing on his own! ...." Read the rest of the article here.... https://www.avemariapress.com/engagingfaith/2008/10/parents-of-st-thrse-one-step-closer-to/ Today, July 12, is the day that that Bls. Louis and Zelie are celebrated on the Discalced Carmelite calendar and in their diocese. (As Blesseds, they are not celebrated on the universal calendar). Tomorrow, July 13, is their 156th wedding anniversary! So we will celebrate with them.... and you will learn much more about their marriage and family incoming days! But here is a short introductory article: http://www.therese-de-lisieux.catholique.fr/Blessed-Louis-and-Zelie-Martin.html Novena Prayer God of eternal love, You give us Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin, the parents of St. Therese, as an example of holiness in marriage. They remained faithful to You in all the duties and trials of life. They desired to raise their children to become saints. May their prayers and example help Christian family life to blossom in our world today. If it be your will, grant me the grace I now ask of You, through the intercession of Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin, and let them be counted among the Saints in Your Church. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maximillion Posted July 13, 2014 Share Posted July 13, 2014 Praying....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneLine Posted July 13, 2014 Author Share Posted July 13, 2014 Day 2 Novena Here is some more information about the lives of Bl. Louis and Bl. Zelie, from the website of the Discalced Carmelites of Australia: "Louis Martin was born in Bordeaux France on 22nd August 1823.... Marie Azelia Guerin was born near Alencon France on 23rd December 1831. She was baptized the next day in the local church; was always known as Zelie and later became Zelie Martin.... "Louis was a watchmaker/jeweler and Zelie a lace maker. After a formal religious engagement of three months they married at midnight on 13 July 1858 in the church of Notre Dame in Alencon France. They settled in Alencon from where they conducted their businesses. Sometime after the marriage Louis took on the business management of Zelie’s lace making enterprise." "The couple was married for nineteen years before Zelie’s death from breast cancer in 1877. They created a close, caring, family home, where love of God and neighbor were taught and practiced. Of their nine children, two of the girls and both boys died at early ages...." Read more about this fascinating couple here: http://www.carmelite.com/saints/default.cfm?loadref=111 The video below shows the family home in Alencon, France, where Louis and Zelie lived, and where Therese was born. You may recognize the red-covered bed at the end of the video as the same one that little Pietro Schillero was shown sitting in a previous article! It is also where St. Therese was born, and in which Zelie died. Pilgrimage visit to St. Therese's birthplace, Alencon. [media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kP3fxPwpguc[/media] http://catholicexchange.com/the-saints-that-marriage-needs-today Novena Prayer God of eternal love, You give us Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin, the parents of St. Therese, as an example of holiness in marriage. They remained faithful to You in all the duties and trials of life. They desired to raise their children to become saints. May their prayers and example help Christian family life to blossom in our world today. If it be your will, grant me the grace I now ask of You, through the intercession of Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin, and let them be counted among the Saints in Your Church. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIKolbe Posted July 13, 2014 Share Posted July 13, 2014 Offering my Mass for him today...Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin, intercede for us we pray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ash Wednesday Posted July 13, 2014 Share Posted July 13, 2014 Keeping your family in my prayers today ACat! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneLine Posted July 13, 2014 Author Share Posted July 13, 2014 Offered my Mass last evening and my prayers through these days for Kieran and for ALL of you. Please give Keiran and Charlotte and Leo and your husband our love and concern. Your family does remind me of that of the Martins in many ways... and God willing you will all grow closer to God and each other through what you are dealing with. :heart: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatherineM Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 Had a hard day with the kids, but kept thinking that at least mine are all physically healthy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneLine Posted July 14, 2014 Author Share Posted July 14, 2014 (edited) Day 3 Novena More information about Blesseds Louis and Zelie Both Louis and Zelie discerned whether or not they might have religious vocations before they discerned marriage. Louis trained as a watchmaker, but felt called to religious life. He wanted to enter the Swiss Abbey of St. Bernard. However, when he presented himself at the abbey, he was told he needed to learn Latin prior to entrance. He had never learned the language, because his training had not been in a classical college, but in a commercial apprenticeship. He went back to Alencon, engaged a Latin tutor... but was not successful in learning the language. After several years of trying, he realized he wasn't going to be able to follow that dream. He instead worked as watchmaker... and was from all accounts an EXCELLENT watchmaker. He settled down into a quiet life as a Catholic layman in a small town, doing his work, active in his parish, enjoying fishing and hiking and other solitary pursuits. He was very happy... but his mother was not pleased. She wanted him to be married.... and apparently determined that she would do something about this! Alencon, where Louis and Zelie lived, is at the center of the French lace-making trade. It was common for women to take classes to learn this skill, which was one that took many years to perfect, and which was a very well-paid skill. It was also one that young women realized could be continued even after marriage and raising a family. Mme. Martin had been taking lace-making classes, and her eye settled on Zelie Guerin, a young and very capable lace-making student. About six years younger than Louis, Zelie Guerin had also discerned religious life with the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. Zelie's older sister had entered the Visitation Nuns (‘Visitandines’), and she and Zelie were very close. Zelie had wanted to join the Daughters, but she was refused admission by the mother superior. It's possible that the superior was concerned by what she saw of Zelie's mother, who was from all accounts a very strict, overbearing woman. After being refused admission to religious life, Zelie decided she had best plan on a marriage, and decided learn to lace-making so she could accumulate her dowry. That was where and how she encountered Louis' mother! Louis and Zelie met about three months before their marriage... and there is a good possibility that Mme. Martin played a part in their 'accidental' meeting on a bridge in Alencon. That's not a lot of time for an engagement even by 19th Century standards! Zelie was startled (and dismayed!) when her new husband announced on the afternoon of their marriage that he wanted to have them live as sister and brother rather than as man and wife! She told her sister at the Visitandine Monastery in Caen that she was very unhappy at this prospect. She had wanted to give her life to God, and He had refused her the opportunity to be a Sister; then she wanted to marry so she could have many, many children... and now look what had happened! Her sister didn't know what to tell her! After about eighteen months, their local parish priest lovingly counseled them to reconsider what God wanted from them. He told them that they were not supposed to find God in SPITE of being married but THROUGH being married, and persuaded them to have a normal married life, and that they should be open to having children. They took his advice, and ultimately they had nine children, seven girls and two boys. Five of the daughters lived to adulthood, three died as small babies, and one as a child of about five. (Losing children in infancy and early childhood was a sad but normal thing in the 19th Century.... which didn't make it easier to bear.) Their youngest daughter, Marie Francoise Therese, was called 'Little Therese' from birth -- because she was named for her older sister, Marie Melanie Therese, who had died shortly beforehand. 'Little Therese' is someone we know very well: she is known to us as St. Therese of the Child Jesus and Holy Face, and she is a Doctor of the Church. After his marriage, Louis gave up his watch making business and helped Zelie with her lacemaking work. More about that--and about Therese's sisters!--on another day! Today's video is an overview of Louis and Zelie's daughters that survived to adulthood. All of Therese's sisters lived to their eighties and nineties, dying in the 1940's and 1950's. Her OLDER sister, Celine, lived until 1959!!!! Three of them were members of the same Carmelite community that St. Therese lived in. The middle daughter, Leonie, became a Visitation nun at the same convent in Caen where Zelie's older sister lived! There are those who would like to see all the sisters beatified... and that's why there is a prayer toward that end in the video! The pictures of the four Martin sisters as middle aged women were taken at the time of the inquiry into St. Therese life prior to her beatification and canonization. You will also notice a piece of artwork toward the end of this video showing ALL the Martin children and their parents. It's beautiful to think of them that way, but that image couldn't have happened... St. Therese never met her older brothers and sisters who died young. [media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNdkzH2lAow[/media] Image of Bl. Louis and Bl. Zelie unveiled at the time of the Beatification. It is the work of artist Fabienne Bayi, shown beside the sculpture. http://www.cherbourg.maville.com/actu/actudet_-Beatification-de-Louis-et-Zelie-Martin-la-statue-officiellement-devoilee_6209-725362_actu.Htm Edited July 14, 2014 by AnneLine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maximillion Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 Prayers for you and yours, ACat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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