October 18, 2015

Dear brothers and sisters,      

This Sunday, Pope Francis will rise to the thrones of sainthood a holy couple; Loius and Zelie Martin. They are well known as the parents of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, the little flower. The French couple was married in 1858. “For almost a year the couple lived as celibates, but the advice of a confessor changed their minds and they decided to raise as many children as possible for the glory of God. Zelie gave birth to nine children, five of whom entered religious life.”

“The family lived a comfortable lifestyle, but they also suffered the loss of four children at an early age and had to deal with a rebellious daughter. Their devotion never wavered, however.  The couple lived modestly, reached out to the poor and the needy, and led daily prayers in the household. St. Therese would later write:  ‘God gave me a father and a mother who were more worthy of heaven than of earth.’”

“In 1877, at age 45, Zelie Martin died of breast cancer. Louis and his daughters moved to Lisieux. Gradually his daughters left to enter the convent. Despite his loneliness he said: ‘It is a great, great honor for me that the Good Lord desires to take all of my children. If I had anything better, I would not hesitate to offer it to him.’ Louis died in 1894 after suffering greatly.” (www.foryourmarriage.org).
Pope Francis declaring a married couple as saints is truly a blessing for the church. It is at the same time recognition and encouragement to all married couples as they seek happiness and holiness in their marriages. I encourage you to learn more about the Martin’s life and pray that you will find in them a model to learn from. Louis and Zelie’s feast day is July 12.            
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I would like to share with you more good news. We have an active Pastoral Council at our Parish. We met on October 6th and our next meeting will be February of next year. The members of St. Patrick’s Pastoral Council are Deacon George Schramm, Bobby Chadwick, Fermin Garcia, Jeremy Good, Geri Hayden, Dionne Horner, Doug Kroupa, Idalia Marin, Kathy Pfeiffer, Javi Salinas and Zach Vowels. I am very grateful for their willingness to work with me on matters concerning pastoral ministry. I am confident that their advice will be for the best of the community. God bless St. Patrick.