Novena For Kieran Asking Intercession Of Bls Louis And Zelie Martin

[AnneLine]

 

Day 6 Novena

 

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

 

Marie Leonie Martin - Sister Francoise-Therese, VHM

 

Leonie was the middle child of Louis and Zelie. She was named for her godmother, who was a friend of the family. Leonie's health was poor, and as she grew up, she had numerous problems with learning and with her behavior. She was so difficult and hard to live with that the Visitation nuns refused to let her stay at the monastery in Caen, and refused to consider taking Celine and Therese, for fear they would behave as Leonie had behaved. That is why Leonie and her two younger sisters would be educated at home in Lisieux by their mother and sisters, with some day classes at the local Benedictine Nuns’ school.

 

 

http://www.helpfellowship.org/Sr_Francoise-Therese.htm

 

 

Leonie was loved by her parents and siblings, who called her the Little Violet, but they were aware of her problems. Zelie in particular was concerned about what would become of Leonie, and this was a big worry for her as her breast cancer grew worse and it became clear she would not be around to take care of Leonie or help her to grow into a proper young woman. Zelie made sure to prepare her for her First Communion, and tried to help her as much as she could. However, Leonie was slow, and her problems were compounded because she was terrorized by a family servant, despite being under the watchful eyes of her parents and siblings. Leonie testified at St. Therese's beatification hearings that Therese was able to help her to learn to read, and that she managed to do it in such a way that she did not make her older sister feel stupid.

 

Leonie's problems did not end when her schooling was done. She tried to enter religious life several times, but was unsuccessful in her first attempts. Therese encouraged Leonie and taught her the secrets of the Little Way that she was sharing with the novices that Therese was nurturing.  She also told Leonie that after Therese died, she would obtain the grace to be successful in religious life.  Leonie believed that her sister Therese's intersession was responsible for her being able to succeed when she tried again after Therese's death.

 

She and her younger sister, Celine, were the ones who stayed home to take care of Louis in his final illness. She was also the one who was able to attend her Sister, Therese’s funeral and accompany her to the town cemetery.   After Therese’s death, Leonie finally was able to be successful in following her vocation at the Visitation Nuns at Caen, where her older sisters had attended school, and where her Aunt had died several years before, just as Therese had predicted.

 

 

There are those who believe that of all the Martin Sisters, Leonie was able to achieve the greatest holiness, because she made her sister Therese' 'little way' her own, learning to quietly and humbly find God in the midst of her disabilities. She achieved a reputation for great holiness by the end of her life.  She can be a great encouragement to those of us who feel we are unable to do as much as others, or who believe we will never be successful at things we try.

 

You can read more about Leonie/ Sr. Francoise Therese, VHM here:

 

http://martinsisters.org/sister_francoise_therese.html

 

 

 

Marie Celine Martin - Sister Genevieve of the Holy Face, OCD

 

Celine was the eighth child of Louis and Zelie. Her godmother was her Aunt Celine, married to Zelie's brother, Isidore. Because Zelie had lost several children in the years before Celine's birth, her mother had her baptized at home immediately after her birth. As Zelie was unable to successfully nurse Celine, she sent her to a wet-nurse in the country.... to the same nurse that St. Therese would be sent three years later.

 

Celine was educated at home by her mother and older sisters. She was very close to Therese, who was three years younger. Whereas the elder sisters were mentors to the youngest girls, Therese and Celine were more friends and confidants. They encouraged each other to grow in 'wisdom, age and grace.' Celine was known as 'The Intrepid' in her family -- and she was the one who encouraged Therese to speak to the Pope regarding her desire to enter Carmel at fifteen. Although Celine also hoped to follow her older sisters to the Carmelite Monastery when she was 18, she graciously let Therese go ahead of her, freely choosing to be the sister who would remain behind to care for Louis in his final illness (and to some extent, Leonie). She would later have St. Therese as her own novice mistress!

 

http://www.thelittleflower.org/Main_Site/Album_Life_Index.htm

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Celine_martin_1-137x180.jpg

 

While she waited to enter the convent, Celine took advantage of Louis' offer to travel and to study art and photography. She became fascinated by the newly-discovered photographic pictures of the Shroud of Turin, and she and Therese were profoundly moved by the image of the Man on the Shroud, as he so reminded them of their Father, who suffering from the effects of strokes and dementia in his final years.

 

 

 

 

When Celine entered the Carmelite monastery after Louis' death, she chose as her name Genevieve (in honor of the foundress of the monastery), and added the title "of the Holy Face'.  The powerful image of Jesus in Death had become important to her spirituality, and undoubtedly she intended it as a tribute to their father as well.

 

Painting by Celine Martin of the Holy Face from photos taken of the Shroud.

 

 

http://holyfacedevotion.blogspot.com/

 

 

Bl. Louis Martin surrounded left to right, by Leonie, a servant, Celine, a servant, and their uncle, Isidore Guerin (1892).

 

St. Therese's spaniel, Tom, is also in the photo! It is easy to see why the face of Louis reminded her of the Holy Face!

 

 

http://www.traditioninaction.org/religious/c023rpLouisMartin02.html

 

 

The well-known painting of St. Therese with the roses is also the work of Celine:

 

http://www.catholicreview.org/blogs/god-is-in-the-clouds/2013/10/01/inspiration-from-the-little-flower-saint-th%C3%A9r%C3%A8se-de-lisieux

 

Before the photographs of St. Therese became more popular, this was the image that most people associated with St. Therese.  People in the 19^th and early 20^th centuries often felt that a painting or portrait conveyed more of the ‘person’ than a photograph did… and certainly the Martin sisters agreed!  

Celine brought her artistic skills and her photographic equipment with her to the monastery when she entered, and it is because of that we have so many fine photos of St. Therese and her sisters.

 

You can read more about Celine / Sr. Genevieve of the Holy Face here:

 

http://martinsisters.org/sister_genevieve_of_the_holy_face.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.

 

Edited July 17, 2014 by AnneLine

[maximillion]

Day 6 prayers.......

[maximillion]

Okay, info from the vid......

 

 

The lace really took off in modern times at the start of the 1900's, (1903), and happened mainly due to the auspices of the Sisters of Providence of Alencon, in particular one Sr Marguerite. (The nun at 3.21 is not her, she is a modern day Sr of Providence).

 

Today the lace-makers have 8 years of formation before they can say they are craftspersons (Like being a nun!).

This training involves not only learning how to form the actual stitches but every aspect of the pattern making, in which every space and block is precisely laid down at the design stage.

LE PICAGE is the second design stage and is done these days onto a piece of green parchment paper because green is easier on the eyes.

This is very important because the thread laid down in the next  stage (which follows the holes made) is the anchor from which all the lace pattern grows. (If it is not precise or the holes are in the wrong places then it messes up the whole design).

 

It was customary for women to make little bits of the pattern in their own homes where they could do this alongside other household activities, and each woman made the bit of the pattern she was best at making......

I am presuming then that Zelie was the one who had the highly demanding job of then joining all these smaller bits together. Sounds like a daunting task!

 

 

Just an aside from me. Alencon lace never really went out of fashion, and if you go to Alencon today, you will still find there are women who make small bits at home and offer these on market day. Usually something like a collar or cuffs, an insert into a pillowslip edging, lace frills on linen handkerchiefs, small projects that someone can do as a sort of hobby.

The bolts and great lengths of lace are made in workshops like the one we see on the video, so it still represents a large income for the area.

It is PHENOMENALLY expensive, but I think we can see why.

 

 

[CatherineM]

Doing business taxes today. I will offer up this difficulty for your son.

[Archaeology cat]

Thank you, again, for all the prayers. I tried conferring with the geneticist about his labs, but the nurse was talking about the wrong labs, so I think there was a mix-up. I really need to discuss the other labs, so guess I'm phoning again.

[AnneLine]

Day 7 Novena

 

Here is a short video about Louis and Zelie from the Apostleship of Prayer:

 

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LW_zmHmKGz0[/media]

 

This is a interesting article about the Beatification of Louis and Zelie by Ms. Maureen Riordan, T.O.C., who was able to attend:

 

http://www.carmelitereview.org/issues/v47n4/tracing.php

 

The photos are copyrighted, so I can't post them.  But it is worth checking them out on that web page!

 

http://www.louisandzeliemartin.org/

 

Ms. Riordan’s website includes a number of photographs of unique articles connected with the Martin Family:

 

• Sites of the Martin Family in Alencon
• Louis Martin before his marriage
• The Marriage of Louis and Zelie Martin (including the wedding register with their signatures!)
• Photos of their Parish Church in Alencon
• Their home in Alencon

and additional items as well!

 

Below are photos of the beautiful relic container which houses the relics of Blesseds Louis and Zelie. 

 

The artist included the bridge on which they were said to have met for the first time, their homes and the churches that they attended!

 

 

http://www.louiszeliemartin-alencon.com/eng/the-message/the-meaning-of-relics/

 

 

The bronze urn containing the relics of Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin, the parents of St. Therese of Lisieux, on display in St. Peter's Basilica. (CNS photo by Cindy Wooden)

 

http://cnsblog.wordpress.com/2009/01/12/relics-of-blessed-louis-and-zelie-martin-visit-the-vatican/

 

 

The relics on display in the crypt of the Basilica of St. Therese in Lisieux.

 

 

http://tradvocations.blogspot.com/2008/12/ibp-seminary-in-lisieux.html

 

 

 

 

And here is a new reliquary containing relics of St. Therese and her parents.  

There is a beautiful slide show of the reliquary available through this link:

 

http://fleurnabert.com/reliquaire-martin/

 

Again, I wish I could post pictures, but the websites indicate they cannot be posted.

 

 

 

 

 

http://lorettocarmel.org/content/saint-th%C3%A9r%C3%A8se-our-patroness

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

Edited July 18, 2014 by AnneLine

[AnneLine]

Oh... and Maximillion... thank you SO MUCH for the translation of the information on the lace-making video from French to English.  It added a lot to understanding the first part of what was contained in the video.

Thank you, or perhaps we should say, Merci!

[maximillion]

You are welcome - my pleasure.

 

 

Praying the novena today and offering some little frustrations.

[Archaeology cat]

I got in touch with the lab and geneticist, and was told he likely doesn't have a metabolic disorder. So that's good, and I guess gets us slightly closer to an answer.

[OnlySunshine]

I got in touch with the lab and geneticist, and was told he likely doesn't have a metabolic disorder. So that's good, and I guess gets us slightly closer to an answer.

 

That's good news.  I hope, whatever it is, can be controlled and your son starts feeling much better really soon!

[Spem in alium]

Offering up my illness today. Prayers. 

[maximillion]

Praying today......

[AnneLine]

Day 8 - Novena

 

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

 

They also have left us powerful lessons about how to deal with the difficult times in life: Sicknesses, stresses within the family, and how to face incurable illnesses and death.

 

This is a family that faced breast cancer, children with learning disabilities, loss of a spouse, mental illness and long, protracted final illnesses. They have left us a legacy of how to find God in the difficult things of life as well as in life's joys.

 

 

Information on the final illnesses of both Zelie and Louis

 

http://100holyheroes.blogspot.com/2012/07/july-12-bl-zelie-and-louis-martin.html

 

 

 

Another video on Blessed Louis and Zélie Martin

 

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToSxk8sN730[/media]

 

 

An interesting two-part blog post about the connection between the Martin Family's devotion to the Holy Face and the sickness and death of Bl. Louis Martin.

 

http://www.traditioninaction.org/religious/c022rpLouisMartin01.html

 

http://www.traditioninaction.org/religious/c023rpLouisMartin02.html

 

 

 

http://www.traditioninaction.org/religious/c023rpLouisMartin02.html

 

A Drawing of Louis Martin in death by his daughter, Celine (Sr. Genevieve)

 

Memorial card for Louis Martin that was selected by Celine.

 

 

http://www.traditioninaction.org/religious/c023rpLouisMartin02.html

 

Celine Martin (Sr. Genevieve of the Holy Face), had strong devotion to the Holy Face. She was very interested in the photographs of the Shroud of Turin that were taken at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. Because of here connection to St. Therese, her artistic skill and her familiarity with photography, she was the artist who was commissioned to create a painting of Jesus based on the photographs of the Shroud of Turin.

 

 

Positive and Negative Images of the Shroud image...

 

https://www.shroud.com/meacham2.htm

 

The facial imprint on the Shroud of Turin as it appears to the viewer (above, left) and in photographic negative (above, right). Photograph by G. Enrie, 1933; © 1935, 1963 by the Holy Shroud Guild.

 

 

 

Painting by Celine Martin of the Holy Face from photos taken of the Shroud.

 

http://holyfacedevotion.blogspot.com/

 

 

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.

 

[Archaeology cat]

This evening I took the kids over to the house of a lady who is a 3rd order Carmelite. She had a relic of St Therese, so we prayed the Rosary and he held the relic. She let Charlotte hold the relic, too. Then she left us alone with the relic for some time to ourselves to pray. She also gave the kids rosaries because we'd forgotten to bring all of theirs.

[brandelynmarie]

Now that is just awesome. :)