Saints Louis Martin and Zélie Guérin, Saint of the day for 25 September

(22 August 1823 - 29 July 1894; 23 December 1831-28 August 1877)

The story of Saints Louis Martin and Zélie Guérin
Born into a military family in Bordeaux, Louis was trained to become a watchmaker. His desire to enter a religious community remained unsatisfied because he did not know Latin. Moving to Normandy, he met the highly skilled lacemaker, Zélie Guérin, who was also disappointed in her attempts to enter religious life. They married in 1858 and over the years were blessed with nine children, though two boys and two girls died in infancy.

Louis ran the lace business which Zélie continued at home while raising the children. He died of breast cancer in 1877.

Louis then moved the family to Lisieux to be close to his brother and sister-in-law, who helped with the education of his five surviving girls. His health began to deteriorate after his 15-year-old daughter entered the monastery of Mount Carmel in Lisieux in 1888. Louis died in 1894, a few months after being admitted to a sanatorium.

The house that Louis and Zélie created nourished the holiness of all their children, but above all of their youngest, who is known to us as Saint Teresa of the Child Jesus. Louis and Zélie were beatified in 2008 and canonized by Pope Francis on October 18, 2015. The liturgical feast of Saints Louis Martin and Zélie Guérin is July 12.

Reflection
In life, Louis and Zelia have known great joy and excruciating pain. They firmly believed that God was with them in every challenge that married life, parenting and their occupations presented.