Thanks to the Web site of the Archives of the Carmel of Lisieux and the generosity of the Washington Province of Discalced Carmelite Friars, please read St. Therese's first letter to her father from Carmel  Notice that in 1888 April 29 fell on Sunday.  Saturday, April 28 had been the nineteenth birthday of Therese's sister Celine, and it seems there was a celebration in the speakroom at Carmel.  Perhaps Therese's father was not present, so the postulant was allowed to send him this letter of thanks.  Louis Martin was extraordinarily generous to the Carmel: he gave generous dowries for each of his Carmelite daughters, made many gifts of money to the monastery, and often brought fish, fruit, vegetables, and other treats to the monastery.  The "bright little pearl" is Pauline, who was nicknamed "the pearl" by her father; the "brilliant diamond" is his oldest daughter Marie, who, in the month of May, will make her vows on the same day the monastery celebrates the 50th anniversary of its foundation. 

The parish of Sainte Therese in Metz received the reliquary of Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin in November 2011.  They planned and completed a powerful programme of conferences, prayer, and liturgies and created a marvelous Web site (in French) to prepare for and commemorate the visit and to educate persons about the Martin spouses.  Join them in a virtual veneration of Louis and Zelie by watching this two-minute photo show, with meditative music.  Find the right volume, turn on full screen, and enjoy praying with them. 

This parish is clearly a model for how to make the spirituality of the Martin spouses available to the pastoral needs of the people, and their superb work was blessed.  During the three days of prayer around the reliquary, many couples (mostly young couples with many children) were so touched by the exemplary Christian lives of the parents of St. Therese that the parish decided to offer them a place to confide themselves and their children to the intercession of the Martin spouses.  This chapel dedicated to Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin was opened on September 30, 2012.

 Louis and Zelie's marriage medallion; photo courtesy of Fr. Antonio Sangalli, O.C.D.Dr. Frances Renda, editor of A Call to a Deeper Love: The Family Correspondence of the Parents of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus, 1861-1885, wrote a brief and powerful reflection on the lives and marital spirituality of Louis and Zelie Martin as her introduction to that book. It reflects Dr. Renda's intimate and delicate understanding of the relationship and spirituality of Louis and Zelie and what it means not only for spouses but for all Christians.  I have seen no better short introduction in English.  If you have not yet treated yourself to the book, please read the introduction online courtesy of the Web site of the Archives of the Carmel of Lisieux.

The relics of Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin are venerated at Sainte-Therese Church in Metz, northeastern France.  The first two minutes of this film shows a priest speaking in French about the Martin spouses; the rest shows the music, the prayer, and the visit of the reliquary to a Carmelite monastery.