“Certainly there have been as many saintly wives and husbands as there have been holy priests and nuns. But religious orders and dioceses know how to navigate the canonization procedures on behalf of bishops, priests, brothers and sisters. By contrast, how many families have the resources to embark on the decades-long process on behalf of even the holiest mother or father?”—James Martin, S.J., “His Wife’s a Saint, So Is Her Husband,” The Wall Street Journal, October 17, 2008
(At Mass this weekend, the pastor of my church, St. Cecilia of Englewood, N.J., Fr. Hilary Milton, drew our attention to the beautification occurring in Lisieux, France, today for Louis and Zelie Martin, the parents of St. Therese of Lisieux. The ceremony has particular interest for my church, which is the Eastern Shrine of St. Therese the Little Flower. Fr. Hilary pointed out how unusual it was that the parents of a saint are themselves now on the road to canonization.
Fr. Martin’s excellent article, which I’ve linked above, underscores another unusual aspect of this process: the short roster of saints who have been married, and the even briefer list of those married to each other. It’s an inspiring piece about the persistence of faith even amid the multiple difficulties and tragedies of life.)
I've been devoted to St. Therese for many years, after reading her life story, beginning with her saintly parents, we can see the hand of Providence here. Nurturing their daughters with the faith by example and deed, it's no wonder St. Therese, the Little Flower became known by the Church as the "greatest saint of modern times".
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