AnneLine Posted July 15, 2014 Author Posted July 15, 2014 (after more delay than anticipated!) Day 4 Novena Today we will look more specifically at Louis and Zelie and how they dealt with problems and struggles. It was written by a Discalced Carmelite Bishop, Guy Gaucher, who has made St. Therese and her family a special area of study. This fine article was issued for the fourth anniversary of their beatification, in 2012. (btw, Bishop Gaucher, OCD, died earlier this month; pray for him.) http://www.thereseoflisieux.org/my-blog-about-st-therese/2012/7/11/louis-and-zelie-martin-a-marriage-of-love-by-guy-gaucher-ocd.html/ Below is a picture of the home that Louis and the daughters moved to in Lisieux after Zelie's death. They did so at Zelie's request so the girls could be close to the family of Zelie's brother, Isidore and their daughters. http://beatimundocorde.wordpress.com/category/saint-therese-of-lisieux/ Here's a picture of a young woman working on some of the lace.... and of a sample of the lace... but it is NOT a picture of Zelie working on it!): http://nobility.org/2012/07/12/zelie-martin/ Zelie's specialty was in combining all the little strips of lace that the various lace workers in her employ created. Louis also helped by designing the tiny patterns, a skill very comparable to the fine watchmaking work that he had done while employed in his own watch and clock making business. I also think it is wonderful that Louis had saved some of Zelie's lace for Therese's wedding gown when she was received as a Carmelite nun. That gives me a special insight into his very romantic heart.... In case anyone is interested, below is an excellent video on the making of Point d'Alençon Lace. The video is in French, but I think you'll be able to enjoy it even if you don't speak the language. [media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBws14YwHgw[/media] Another article on Zelie and the children.... http://nobility.org/2012/07/12/zelie-martin/ Below is a picture of a piece of lace that was created by Bl. Zelie and presented to Pope Leo XIII for his Jubilee as a present from the Diocese of Bayeux. I had heard before that her work was exceptional... but this is truly magnificent. I cannot imagine the hours of work it represents.... the video (above) shows how each little detail is picked out from plain thread. I have heard the figure that a single cuff on a dress could take 300 hours.... imagine how long this must have taken! If you click on the picture below you can see an enlargement of the lace piece. The detail is AMAZING! I love that it was Pope Leo XIII that Therese visited during her trip to Rome, and of whom she asked the favor of entering Carmel at age 15! (I wonder if he had any idea of the connection!) 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.
CatherineM Posted July 16, 2014 Posted July 16, 2014 Wow. I wonder how much of their stuff has been saved.
Spem in alium Posted July 16, 2014 Posted July 16, 2014 Praying. And goodness, that lace is just exquisite. I don't think I've really seen anything like it.
maximillion Posted July 16, 2014 Posted July 16, 2014 Amazing vid....the National Lace Workshop is housed in a former Jesuit College. The thing she is using at the end to press on the lace is a Lobster pincer.
AnneLine Posted July 16, 2014 Author Posted July 16, 2014 Max! I didn't think... you must speak fluent French! If there is anything in that video that would be especially useful for us to know could you explain it to us? My understanding is that Zelie employed a bunch of women who did the work in their own homes, and that she did the final, most complex work, of joining all the little pieces of lace together. I cannot imagine how exacting that work must have been! Also, perhaps you can explain a bit what they were saying about the 'pricking out' of the designs because that a the part of the work that Louis did for Zelie -- because it used similar skills to his watchmaking skills. Can you explain this a bit more for those who couldn't follow the video? It would be gratefully appreciated! I'm hoping to get today's novena up in an hour or so!
AnneLine Posted July 16, 2014 Author Posted July 16, 2014 I am terribly sorry, but for some reason NONE of the photos I would like to use will post. It makes for a kind of boring entry, but it's like that some days! Day 5 Novena Louis and Zelie created a loving, faith-filled home that fostered the human gifts and religious vocations of all of their daughters. Today, we will look at the two eldest daughters, Marie and Pauline. Marie Louise Martin - Sister Marie of the Sacred Heart, OCD Marie was the eldest child of Louis and Zelie. She was named for her godmother, Zelie's sister Marie Louise, known as Elise. Zelie was very close to Elise, who served as Zelie's surrogate mother, whom she called her 'little mother' because their own mother was very remote and strict. Elise was the sister who started the lacemaking work with Zelie! Elise eventually became a nun (Sr. Marie Dosithee) in the Visitation Monastery at Caen. That is why Marie and Pauline were sent there to be educated! Marie was nicknamed 'the Gypsy' by the family, and was called 'the Diamond' by her father. She was St. Therese's godmother! Marie followed her younger sister, Pauline, into the Carmelite monastery at Lisieux. She was a very practical woman, and served the sisters as the procurator (buyer) for the monastery. After Therese's beatification and canonization, she was in charge of sending out all the 'Therese' materials (holy cards, medals pamphlets, etc.) for the monastery for many years. We owe to Marie the section in St. Therese' Story of a Soul where she talks about love and her vocation to be love in the heart of the Church. Marie had complained to Therese that while she had written extensively for Pauline and Mother Gonzaga about her life as a girl and as a Carmelite nun, she hadn't written anything for her! Therese dashed off her thoughts on love for Marie while she was on her last retreat... and they form the 'heart' of St. Therese' autobiography. You can read more about Marie / Sr. Marie of the Sacred Heart here, and view some pictures that I am unable to post: http://martinsisters.org/sister_marie_of_the_sacred_heart.html Marie Pauline Martin - Mother Agnes of Jesus, OCD Pauline was second child of Louis and Zelie. Her godfather was Zelie's brother, Isidore, and she was named for her godmother, a close friend of the family. Like her older sister Marie, she was educated at the boarding school run by the Visitation Nuns in Caen, where her godmother was a nun. Pauline was especially close to her mother, and there are a number of letters from Zelie to Pauline in existence. Zelie shared many confidences with her, and felt that this daughter was an especially blessed soul and an excellent confidante, and that she possessed exceptional wisdom for her age. Her father called her the Pearl. After Zelie's death (when Therese was only 4 and Celine only 7), the two youngest daughters reached out to their older sisters to fill the void. Celine, who was three years older than Therese, ran to Marie and threw herself into her arms, saying, 'You will be my little mother now.' Therese wanted to do the same, but didn't want to hurt Pauline by leaving her out. Therese went to Pauline and told her that she chose Pauline to be her 'little mother'. They developed a very close relationship that spanned the rest of Therese's life. Pauline was the first of the Martin daughters to enter the Carmelite monastery of Lisieux. She eventually became the Mother Prioress (superior) of the community, and served in that role for part of the time that Therese was a nun, and for many years after St. Therese' death. She was the one who first encouraged Therese to write the story of her childhood, and she also was the one who persuaded Mother Marie de Gonzague (the prioress who took her place just before Therese' death), to have Therese write the story of her time in the Carmel as well. Those two sections, along with the section on love, comprise the book that we know as The Story of A Soul. Mother Agnes edited the manuscript at Therese' request; unedited 'facsimile' copies only became available after the death of St. Therese's last living sister in 1959. While some people may criticize the extensive editing that Pauline made to the manuscript, it is almost certain that had she not done so, the book would never have been published after Therese's death. Pauline also appears to have been a very good superior who was not afraid of modern things. When the last of the Martin sisters, Celine, entered the Carmel, she allowed Celine to bring her photography equipment with her -- which is why we have so many photos of St. Therese and her sisters! You can read more about Pauline/Mother Agnes here, and view some pictures that I am unable to post: http://martinsisters.org/mother_agnes_of_jesus.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.
AnneLine Posted July 17, 2014 Author Posted July 17, 2014 (edited) 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 19th and early 20th 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 Posted July 17, 2014 Posted July 17, 2014 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 Posted July 17, 2014 Posted July 17, 2014 Doing business taxes today. I will offer up this difficulty for your son.
Archaeology cat Posted July 17, 2014 Posted July 17, 2014 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 Posted July 18, 2014 Author Posted July 18, 2014 (edited) 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 Posted July 18, 2014 Author Posted July 18, 2014 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 Posted July 18, 2014 Posted July 18, 2014 You are welcome - my pleasure. Praying the novena today and offering some little frustrations.
Archaeology cat Posted July 19, 2014 Posted July 19, 2014 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 Posted July 19, 2014 Posted July 19, 2014 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!
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now