In case Filipino devotees of Saint Therese of Lisieux or Saint Therese of the Child Jesus do not know yet, the relics of her newly canonized parents, Saints Louis and Zelie Martin, have been in the Philippines since January and will be here until February 28.
Still a couple of weeks left to see and venerate the relics in various locations nationwide. Check the schedule below.
The couple’s relics have been touring various churches and dioceses in the country. The relics were welcomed through a mass at the Shrine of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus on January 2, which is the 144th birth anniversary of their daughter Saint Therese. The farewell mass on February 28, before the relics return to France, will also be held at the Shrine in Newport Area in Pasay City.
Saints Louis and Zelie Martin was the first couple to be canonized together in the history of the Catholic Church. They were beatified on October 19, 2008Â and canonized by Pope Francis on October 18, 2015 (their wedding anniversary). Their feast day is every July 12th.
The relics of Sts. Louis and Zelie Martin, which weighs 91 kilos, were welcomed through a mass at the Shrine of Saint Thérese of the Child Jesus in Pasay City, where a farewell mass will also be held on February 28
The Martin couple had nine children, but only five survived: Marie, Pauline, Leonie, Celine, and Therese who all became nuns. Therese was beatified on April 29, 1923 and canonized on May 17, 1925 (28 years after her death). Her feast day is celebrated every October 1st. Her sister, Caen, is also a candidate for sainthood.
Devotees of Saint Therese, also known as “Little Flower of  Jesus”, believe that if you pray through her intercession, she will send a flower (particularly a rose) or a shower of flowers to signify that your prayer has been heard or granted. Before her death, she was quoted as saying: “After my death, I will let fall a shower of roses. I will spend my heaven doing good upon earth. I will raise up a mighty host of little saints. My mission is to make God loved…”
The visit of the pilgrim relics of Saint Louis and Zelie Martin is organized by the Military Ordinariate of the Philippines led by Bishop Leopoldo Tumulak, D.D.
