There tend to always be saints with whom we feel an intimate bond, as if they were part of our own group of friends and family.
We may feel very close to them and wish that we could be even closer, wishing we had grown up in their family.
The good news is that the saints in Heaven are closer to us than they ever were on earth! Previously they were bound by a particular space and time, but now they are accessible to everyone, everywhere around the world!
This reality is brought home by the formation of the "Family of Louis and Zelie Martin."
Join the family
"La Famille de Louis et Zélie" ("The Family of Louis and Zelie") was founded at the Shrine of Louis and Zelie at Alençon on March 25, 2017, with the blessing of Bishop Jacques Habert:
“When Christians are canonized, they are given to us as an example and a model. They are also given to us as intercessors. We know and believe that Louis and Zélie pray for all families. By accepting to become their friends, you enter into this chain of prayer, into this brotherhood with them. I encourage you in this process. May the Lord bless this project of forming “the family of Louis and Zélie.”
Alençon, France, is the location of the official shrine to Sts. Louis and Zelie Martin, commemorating the place where they met and entered into marriage.
The shrine began this spiritual initiative in response to one of Zelie's desires, "I wanted to have many children in order to raise them for Heaven."
Essentially it is a way in which Catholics everywhere can become "part" of their family, as they explain on their website:
It is the spiritual union of all the friends of Louis and Zélie Martin: of all those who recognize in them an example of Christian life. It is [to] join the Martin family, becoming their spiritual children. The members of “La Famille de Louis et Zélie” form a true spiritual family and support each other in prayer. They take each other's intentions to heart and commit to praying for families.
Masses are said at the shrine for members of this spiritual group, as well as for all of their intentions. Members also receive a special meditation each month on the 13th, recalling their midnight wedding ceremony.
Furthermore, "a register of members will be deposited in the marital chamber of Sts. Louis and Zélie, the birthplace of St. Thérèse."
If you want to feel even closer to the Martin family, consider joining their "family."
