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Novena For Kieran Asking Intercession Of Bls Louis And Zelie Martin


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maximillion

Tried to edit my post but not permitted......

 

I was given the great grace of being permitted to visit the Lisieux Carmel while I was in temporary profession ( she is my confirmation saint).

 

I was scandalised to note one of the Sisters, at Terce, calmly take her place in what had been Therese's stall......my heart was in my mouth the whole time as I was convinced this must be some sort of heresy!

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I am going on just a couple hours sleep today. Thinking about all the sleep you have lost worrying about your babies.

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brandelynmarie

Prayers & prayers for answers & solutions....thinking of you & Kieran & the rest of the family often. :amen:

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Today I will be posting this a little later than I have been doing the last few days.. so check back in 6 or 7 hours.  Thank you!   Still praying....

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(after more delay than anticipated!)

 

 

Day 4 Novena

 

Today we will look more specifically at Louis and Zelie and how they dealt with problems and struggles.   It was written by a Discalced Carmelite Bishop, Guy Gaucher, who has made St. Therese and her family a special area of study. This fine article was issued for the fourth anniversary of their beatification, in 2012.

 

(btw, Bishop Gaucher, OCD, died earlier this month; pray for him.)

 

 

http://www.thereseoflisieux.org/my-blog-about-st-therese/2012/7/11/louis-and-zelie-martin-a-marriage-of-love-by-guy-gaucher-ocd.html/

 

Below is a picture of the home that Louis and the daughters moved to in Lisieux after Zelie's death. They did so at Zelie's request so the girls could be close to the family of Zelie's brother, Isidore and their daughters.

 

therese101.jpg?w=450

 

http://beatimundocorde.wordpress.com/category/saint-therese-of-lisieux/

 

Here's a picture of a young woman working on some of the lace.... and of a sample of the lace... but it is NOT a picture of Zelie working on it!):

 

lace2.jpg

 

http://nobility.org/2012/07/12/zelie-martin/

 

Zelie's specialty was in combining all the little strips of lace that the various lace workers in her employ created. Louis also helped by designing the tiny patterns, a skill very comparable to the fine watchmaking work that he had done while employed in his own watch and clock making business.

 

I also think it is wonderful that Louis had saved some of Zelie's lace for Therese's wedding gown when she was received as a Carmelite nun. That gives me a special insight into his very romantic heart....

 

In case anyone is interested, below is an excellent video on the making of Point d'Alençon Lace. The video is in French, but I think you'll be able to enjoy it even if you don't speak the language.

 

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBws14YwHgw[/media]

 

Another article on Zelie and the children....

 

http://nobility.org/2012/07/12/zelie-martin/

 

Below is a picture of a piece of lace that was created by Bl. Zelie and presented to Pope Leo XIII for his Jubilee as a present from the Diocese of Bayeux.   I had heard before that her work was exceptional... but this is truly magnificent.

 

I cannot imagine the hours of work it represents....  the video (above) shows how each little detail is picked out from plain thread.   I have heard the figure that a single cuff on a dress could take 300 hours.... imagine how long this must have taken!

 

If you click on the picture below you can see an enlargement of the lace piece.  The detail is AMAZING!   I love that it was Pope Leo XIII that Therese visited during her trip to Rome, and of whom she asked the favor of entering Carmel at age 15!  (I wonder if he had any idea of the connection!)

 

lacefull.jpg

 

 

 

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.

 

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Spem in alium

Praying. 

 

And goodness, that lace is just exquisite. I don't think I've really seen anything like it.

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maximillion

Amazing vid....the National Lace Workshop is housed in a former Jesuit College.

 

The thing she is using at the end to press on the lace is a Lobster pincer.

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Max!  I didn't think... you must speak fluent French!   If there is anything in that video that would be especially useful for us to know could you explain it to us?   My understanding is that Zelie employed a bunch of women who did the work in their own homes, and that she did the final, most complex work, of joining all the little pieces of lace together.  I cannot imagine how exacting that work must have been!

 

Also, perhaps you can explain a bit what they were saying about the 'pricking out' of the designs because that a the part of the work that Louis did for Zelie -- because it used similar skills to his watchmaking skills.  Can you explain this a bit more for those who couldn't follow the video?  It would be gratefully appreciated!

 

I'm hoping to get today's novena up in an hour or so!

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I am terribly sorry, but for some reason NONE of the photos I would like to use will post.  

It makes for a kind of boring entry, but it's like that some days!

 

 

Day 5 Novena

 

Louis and Zelie created a loving, faith-filled home that fostered the human gifts and religious vocations of all of their daughters.

 

Today, we will look at the two eldest daughters, Marie and Pauline.

 

Marie Louise Martin - Sister Marie of the Sacred Heart, OCD

 

Marie was the eldest child of Louis and Zelie. She was named for her godmother, Zelie's sister Marie Louise, known as Elise. Zelie was very close to Elise, who served as Zelie's surrogate mother, whom she called her 'little mother' because their own mother was very remote and strict. Elise was the sister who started the lacemaking work with Zelie! Elise eventually became a nun (Sr. Marie Dosithee) in the Visitation Monastery at Caen. That is why Marie and Pauline were sent there to be educated!

 

Marie was nicknamed 'the Gypsy' by the family, and was called 'the Diamond' by her father. She was St. Therese's godmother! Marie followed her younger sister, Pauline, into the Carmelite monastery at Lisieux. She was a very practical woman, and served the sisters as the procurator (buyer) for the monastery. After Therese's beatification and canonization, she was in charge of sending out all the 'Therese' materials (holy cards, medals pamphlets, etc.) for the monastery for many years.

 

We owe to Marie the section in St. Therese' Story of a Soul where she talks about love and her vocation to be love in the heart of the Church. Marie had complained to Therese that while she had written extensively for Pauline and Mother Gonzaga about her life as a girl and as a Carmelite nun, she hadn't written anything for her! Therese dashed off her thoughts on love for Marie while she was on her last retreat... and they form the 'heart' of St. Therese' autobiography.

 

You can read more about Marie / Sr. Marie of the Sacred Heart here, and view some pictures that I am unable to post:

 

http://martinsisters.org/sister_marie_of_the_sacred_heart.html

 

 

 

Marie Pauline Martin - Mother Agnes of Jesus, OCD

 

Pauline was second child of Louis and Zelie. Her godfather was Zelie's brother, Isidore, and she was named for her godmother, a close friend of the family. Like her older sister Marie, she was educated at the boarding school run by the Visitation Nuns in Caen, where her godmother was a nun.

 

Pauline was especially close to her mother, and there are a number of letters from Zelie to Pauline in existence. Zelie shared many confidences with her, and felt that this daughter was an especially blessed soul and an excellent confidante, and that she possessed exceptional wisdom for her age. Her father called her the Pearl.

 

After Zelie's death (when Therese was only 4 and Celine only 7), the two youngest daughters reached out to their older sisters to fill the void. Celine, who was three years older than Therese, ran to Marie and threw herself into her arms, saying, 'You will be my little mother now.' Therese wanted to do the same, but didn't want to hurt Pauline by leaving her out. Therese went to Pauline and told her that she chose Pauline to be her 'little mother'. They developed a very close relationship that spanned the rest of Therese's life.

 

Pauline was the first of the Martin daughters to enter the Carmelite monastery of Lisieux. She eventually became the Mother Prioress (superior) of the community, and served in that role for part of the time that Therese was a nun, and for many years after St. Therese' death. She was the one who first encouraged Therese to write the story of her childhood, and she also was the one who persuaded Mother Marie de Gonzague (the prioress who took her place just before Therese' death), to have Therese write the story of her time in the Carmel as well. Those two sections, along with the section on love, comprise the book that we know as The Story of A Soul. Mother Agnes edited the manuscript at Therese' request; unedited 'facsimile' copies only became available after the death of St. Therese's last living sister in 1959. While some people may criticize the extensive editing that Pauline made to the manuscript, it is almost certain that had she not done so, the book would never have been published after Therese's death.

 

Pauline also appears to have been a very good superior who was not afraid of modern things. When the last of the Martin sisters, Celine, entered the Carmel, she allowed Celine to bring her photography equipment with her -- which is why we have so many photos of St. Therese and her sisters!

 

You can read more about Pauline/Mother Agnes here, and view some pictures that I am unable to post:

 

http://martinsisters.org/mother_agnes_of_jesus.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.

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