Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin: Feast Day, Patronage & Prayers
Feast day: July 12 (kept in some places; not on the General Roman Calendar)
Patron of: No official patronage; often invoked by married couples and parents.
About Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin
Louis Martin, a watchmaker, and Zélie Guérin, a skilled lacemaker, both hoped as young people to enter religious life and were turned away. They met in Alençon, France, and married on July 13, 1858. They had nine children, four of whom died in infancy or early childhood, a grief they bore with deep faith. The five surviving daughters all became nuns, the youngest being St. Thérèse of Lisieux.
Their home was marked by daily Mass, prayer, generosity to the poor, and honest work. Zélie ran a successful lace business with her husband's help, while suffering from breast cancer, of which she died in 1877 at forty-five. Louis moved the family to Lisieux to be near relatives, and in time generously gave each daughter to God. In his last years he suffered from a mental illness and was hospitalized for a time, a trial he accepted with humility. He died in 1894. Pope Francis canonized them together in 2015, during the Synod on the Family, the first married couple canonized together. They show that marriage and family life are a true path to holiness.
Prayers to Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin on Daily Catholic Prayers
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