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Pope Leo XIV paid tribute to the "shining and inspiring example" of Louis and Zélie Martin in a letter sent on October 18, 2025, on the 10th anniversary of their canonization.
He emphasized how much the parents of St. Thérèse of Lisieux can be a source of inspiration today "in these troubled and confused times, when so many counter-models of unions, often fleeting, individualistic and selfish, with bitter and disappointing results, are presented to young people."
The Pope's letter was addressed to Archbishop Bruno Feillet of Sées, the Norman diocese where the town of Alençon is located, where Louis (1823–1894) and Zélie (1831–1877) Martin lived — their family home is now a shrine.
These pious spouses were the parents of nine children, including St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, a Carmelite nun in Lisieux, now considered a Doctor of the Church.
In his letter, the Pope welcomes the organization of a commemoration in Alençon on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the canonization of the Martin couple by Pope Francis on October 18, 2015.
"How could Thérèse have loved Jesus and Mary so much — and then passed on such a beautiful doctrine to us — if she had not learned it from her saintly parents from an early age?" he said.
For the Pope, the parents of little Thérèse offer a "great lesson" that the world "so badly needs": a "bright and inspiring model" for those who are married or considering marriage. Their "apparently 'ordinary' life," he emphasized, was in fact "filled with the 'extraordinary' presence of God, who was its absolute center."
The Pope points to the Martins as a model couple for "young people who wish — perhaps hesitantly — to embark on such a beautiful adventure."
He paid tribute to their fervor, their attention to each other, their faith, their charity, and their trust in the face of trials.
"But above all, this exemplary couple bears witness to the ineffable happiness and profound joy that God grants […] to those who commit themselves to this path of fidelity and fruitfulness," he reflected.
"In these troubled and confused times, when so many counter-models of unions, often fleeting, individualistic, and selfish, with bitter and disappointing results, are presented to young people, the family as the Creator intended it may seem outdated and boring," laments the head of the Church. However, he notes, "Louis and Zélie Martin testify that this is not the case: They were happy — deeply happy! — giving life, radiating and transmitting the faith, seeing their children grow and flourish under the gaze of the Lord."
The Pope urged young couples today "to persevere courageously on the path of marriage, which is sometimes difficult and laborious, but luminous," asking them to put Jesus "at the center" of their family.
"Help your children discover his boundless love and tenderness," he exhorts them.
