Below is the message Pope Leo XIV sent to His Excellency Bishop Bruno Feillet, Bishop of Séez (France), on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the canonization of the parents of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus.
Message of the Holy Father
To His Excellency Bishop Bruno Feillet
Bishop of Séez
I am pleased to join you in thought and prayer, together with all the clergy and faithful gathered, as you celebrate the 10th anniversary of the canonization of Louis and Zélie Martin in the very places where they became holy through their married life. As the first married couple to be canonized as such, this event is particularly significant because it highlights marriage as a path to holiness. Among the vocations to which men and women are called by God, marriage is one of the noblest and highest. “Louis and Zélie understood that they could become holy not despite marriage, but through, in and by marriage, and that their wedding was to be regarded as the starting point of an ascent undertaken together” (Cardinal Martins, Homily for their Beatification). The holy couple of Alençon is therefore a radiant and inspiring model for generous souls who have embarked upon this path, or who intend to do so, with the sincere desire to lead a beautiful and good life under the Lord’s gaze, in joy as in trial.
I therefore hope that this anniversary will provide an opportunity to make the lives and merits of these incomparable spouses and parents better known, so that families, so dear to the heart of God yet sometimes so fragile and sorely tried, may find in them, in every circumstance, the support and graces they need to continue on their way.
Louis and Zélie did not pursue their desire to become saints and to raise their children in holiness by withdrawing from the world. They fulfilled the duties of their state in the ordinary circumstances of daily life; they belong to that great multitude of “saints next door” of whom Pope Francis so often spoke. Pilgrims visiting Alençon, where their moving memory is preserved, can readily grasp the concrete, everyday setting in which the Martin parents lived. They were engaged in the Norman society of their time through their parish, their professional activities, their charitable works, their circle of friends and, of course, their family life. Yet we must not be mistaken: this apparently “ordinary” life was inhabited by an altogether “extraordinary” presence of God, who was its absolute centre. “God served first” was the motto on which they built their entire existence.
This, then, is the model of married life that Holy Mother Church presents to young people who wish — perhaps with some hesitation — to embark upon such a beautiful adventure: a model of fidelity and attentiveness to one another; a model of fervour and perseverance in faith, of the Christian education of children, of generosity in the exercise of charity and social justice; and also a model of trust in times of trial. Above all, this exemplary couple bears witness to the ineffable happiness and profound joy that God grants, here below and for eternity, to those who set out on this path of fidelity and fruitfulness. In these troubled and disoriented times, when so many counter-models of unions — often fleeting, individualistic and selfish, with bitter and disappointing fruits — are presented to young people, the family as the Creator intended it might appear outdated and dull. Louis and Zélie Martin testify that this is not so: they were happy — deeply happy! — in giving life, radiating and passing on the faith, and watching their daughters grow and flourish under the Lord’s gaze. What happiness there is in gathering on Sunday after Mass around the table, where Jesus is the first guest and shares each person’s joys, sorrows, plans and hopes! What happiness there is in moments of prayer together, feast days and family events that mark the passage of time! And what comfort there is in remaining together in trial, united to the Cross of Christ when it appears; and finally, what hope of being reunited one day in the glory of heaven!
Dear married couples, I invite you to persevere courageously along the path you have undertaken, a path that is sometimes difficult and demanding, yet filled with light. Above all, place Jesus at the centre of your families, your activities and your choices. Help your children discover his boundless love and tenderness, and strive to make them love him in return as he deserves. This is the great lesson that Louis and Zélie offer us today, and one which the Church and the world so greatly need. How could Thérèse have loved Jesus and Mary so deeply — and later handed on to us such beautiful teaching — if she had not learned to do so from her holy parents from her earliest years?
Dear families, I entrust all of you to the protection of Louis and Zélie Martin, Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face. Imploring the intercession of the Virgin Mary for you, I cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing to you, to Your Excellency and to all those present.
From the Vatican, 1 October 2025,
Memorial of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face
Leo XIV
