5 Pillars of Blessed Luigi and Maria Quattrocchi’s family life

Blessed Luigi and Maria Quattrocchi were a devout Italian couple who lived an ordinary life in the early 20th century. They were the first married couple to be beatified together.

Yet, their ordinary life was lived with extraordinary love, cultivating a rich spiritual life in their marriage and among their children.

When St. John Paul II canonized them in 2001, he highlighted five pillars of their family life that had a profound impact on their children.

The Quattrocchis sought inspiration from the saints, as St. John Paul II pointed out, "Drawing on the word of God and the witness of the saints, the blessed couple lived an ordinary life in an extraordinary way. Among the joys and anxieties of a normal family, they knew how to live an extraordinarily rich spiritual life."

One of their most important daily habits was attending Mass as often as they could. St. John Paul II said, "At the centre of their life was the daily Eucharist."

In addition to Mass, the Rosary and devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary played a pivotal role in their spirituality. They, "prayed every evening [to the Virgin Mary] with the Rosary."

One of the unique aspects of their spiritual lives was their commitment to spiritual direction. This particular aspect helped them advise their own children, as St. John Paul II explains, "[they consulted] with wise spiritual directors. In this way they could accompany their children in vocational discernment, training them to appreciate everything 'from the roof up,' as they often, charmingly, liked to say."

The Quattrocchis did not always have it easy, yet they persevered and remained faithful to God, each other and to their children. St. John Paul II noted, "Even in those difficult years, the husband and wife, Luigi and Maria, kept the lamp of the faith burning - lumen Christi - and passed it on to their four children."