My Pope Philippines – August 2018

Rue Saint-Blaise’s house at Alençon Originally

Zelie’s childhood home, she, Louis, and their

children lived here for six years.

Fine Pearl, Celine was the
Dauntless One, the Good-
hearted was Leonie, and
the youngest, Thérèse,
was his Little Queen.

DIVINE PLANS
Perhaps the couple’s
deep faith stemmed
from their desire
to join religious
life when they were
young. Before Louis
fell in love with
Zelie, he wanted to
live in a monastery
with the Augustinian
Canons of the Great
St. Bernard Hospice in
the Alps. However, he lost
heart due to his difficulty in
learning Latin. Meanwhile
Zelie, a talented lacemaker,
wanted to join the Sisters
of Charity of St. Vincent de
Paul, but was rejected due
to her poor health. When
they married, they decided
to live a life of celibacy. But a
wise priest counseled them,
saying that it was not the
way God intended marriage
to be. Years after, they had
children, but out of the nine,
only five girls survived.

TESTS OF FAITH

Within three years, two
baby boys, a five-year-old

girl, and a six-and-a-half-

week-old infant died. Zelie

was numb from the suffering

that had befallen her family.

Nevertheless, the couple’s

faith and love of God and each

other did not falter.

In one letter to her sister-

in-law, Zelie wrote: “When

I closed the eyes of my dear

little children and buried

them, I felt sorrow through

and through... People said

to me, ‘It would have been

better never to have had

them.’ I couldn’t stand such

language. My children were

not lost forever; life is short

and full of miseries, and we

shall find our little ones again

up above.”

On January 2, 1873, the

couple’s last child was born.

She was so weak and frail

THE MARTIN FAMILY

HOUSE IN LISIEUX

The Martin family moved to the Les Buissonnets

after Zelie’s death. St. Thérèse’s carefully preserved

childhood home is open to the public.

RUE SAINT-BLAISE’S

HOUSE AT ALENÇON