It's Nearly Time to Feast with Louis and Zélie Martin

Dear friends of Martin Saints,

The annual feast of Louis and Zélie Martin will be on July 12, nine days from today. Which means that today is the perfect day to begin a novena to the Martin family.

(And if you're reading this email a day or two late...that's ok! It's never too late to pray, eh?)

What better way to celebrate our patronal feast? If we can't all be together in the middle of summer, let's be together in prayer!

Check out this website. It's not run by Martin Saints, but it offers a solid, short novena for the days between now and the feast. If you give them your email, for just the next nine days, they'll send you a daily reminder and a different, very brief prayer for the day.

Pray for our families, and all the challenges they face, and for joyful time together over the summer. Pray for our students, that they might grow into their faith and have a personal encounter with Jesus. Pray for our teachers, that they might glory in their vocation to spread the splendor of truth. Pray for our school, that we would find the financial support we need, and that we might in all things remain faithful.

Here is another good website with background about the Martin family. When explaining our school's name to new people, I typically say that so far as we know, the Martins are the only family where mom, dad, and one of the children are all canonized. But let's remember the other Martin children too. For example, one of the other daughters, Servant of God Léonie Martin, lived a very difficult life, but her path may well yield another canonized Martin saint before all is said and done. The entire Martin family gave their all for the faith as a family, which is what each Martin Saints school family is trying to do too.

From our school's founding document:

"Louis and Zélie earned a living, faced challenges, and raised their children to know and love Jesus. Louis and Zélie raised children who knew that God was alive and active in their lives, that the created world is a sacramental world, a world of goodness, beauty and truth. If Louis and Zélie can do that for their children - if they found a way to become saints in the middle of the mess of family life - then with the help of God's grace, with the help of the Church and each other, then we can do it too."

God bless you! I am praying for you all this summer. Please pray for me too.

Pax vobiscum,
Deacon Roberts