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Audacity— A willingness to take bold risks. Examples might include becoming a wife after you’d desired to become a nun, baring nine children in a time when the infant mortality rate was sky high, or starting a business.
Basilica of Notre-Dame— A church in Alençon where Azélie-Marie Guérin married Louis Martin three months after meeting him.
Cancer— what would claim Zelie’s life only 19 years later.
Doctor of the church— A title given by the Catholic Church to saints recognized as having made a significant contribution to theology or doctrine. Examples include Saint Teresa of Avila, Saint Catherine of Siena, and Saint Thérèse of Lisieux—the youngest of Zelie’s surviving daughters.
Entrepreneur— A business founder. Centuries before #girlbossing was ridiculed on the internet, a woman in Alençon was manufacturing lace, and was so successful that her husband left his watchmaking shop to work for her. This work supported her family, created something beautiful, and apparently didn’t interfere with the entrepreneur’s ability to raise a literal doctor of the church (see above).
Feminist— A woman who believes in the equality of the dignity of men and women. Can be used in accompaniment with the word Catholic. Expanded definition, Catholic feminist: a woman who believes in discerning and following the unique calls God has placed on her heart, and a woman clothed with strength and dignity who laughs without fear of the future.
Gandelain Orne, France— Zelie’s birth place. In the small village there’s a statute of Therese, because sometimes the most important thing we do is raising another person. And sometimes the best way to honor a mother is to honor her child.
Home— The center of Zelie’s vocation and the place she cared about more than anything else. The abode where she discipled her children, tended to their souls, and acted as Jesus’ hands and feet.
Isidore— Zelie’s brother, to whom she wrote frequent letters. Her advice while he was on the prowl for a lady with what this writer’s mother calls cha-chinga: “You know all that glitters is not gold. The main thing is to look for a woman whose interests center on the home, who is not afraid of dirtying her hands with work, who devotes time to her appearance only as much as she has to, and who knows how to raise children to work and be holy. A woman like that would scare you; she would not be brilliant enough in the eyes of the world. But sensible people would love her better even if she had nothing, rather than another woman with a dowry of fifty thousand francs and who lacked these qualities.”
Just wages— According to Pope Leo 13 in Rerum Novarum, just wages are an amount needed to support a thrifty and upright worker plus his family, while also being sufficient enough to allow the worker to save and acquire property of his own. Also known as, something Zelie always provided to her employees, and something she fretted about and prioritized when finances were more lean.
Kin— One’s family and relations. The Martins: composed of three saints, one servant of God, and five total nuns. (That’s a lot of nuns.)
Louis— Zelie’s spouse and companion. A man who wasn’t afraid to suffer for Christ, to be a grieving father, and to support his wife’s endeavors. A man who stood by while his wife’s body was ravaged by disease and who found the strength to move forward raising five children without her.
Marriage— Zelie’s vocation. Also: hard and beautiful and mucky and awe-inspiring and courageous as shit.
Newborn— the age of Pietro Schiliro, who was miraculously cured by Zelie’s intercession. Pietro was born in May of 2002, where doctors said he would only be able to survive on a system of artificial respiration. After his mother begged fervently for Zelie and Louis’ intercession, he was completely and miraculously cured.
Our Lady— Mary, Mother of God, to whom Zelie had a great devotion. A statue of Mary in the Martin home is credited with yet another miraculous healing, and Zelie would often pray through Mary and ask her to protect her children.
Prayer— Constant. “I feel the need of quiet reflection to think of salvation.”
Quit— Never. "It is necessary that the heroic becomes daily and that the daily becomes heroic."
Rest— Elusive. “I long for rest. I have not even the courage to struggle on.”1
Suffering— As in, four children who died before the age of eight. As in, a husband with significant mental illness. As in, breast cancer. As in, life on this broken earth as a broken human surrounded by broken people.
Therese— mother of. One of the most important, influential human beings to have ever existed. Called “the greatest saint of modern times” by Pope Pius X and “my favorite Teresa” by this writer’s 7-year-old daughter. The first to pen what is often referred to as the “little way” of spirituality, a practical and tangible way for Catholics across the earth to accept the grace of Christ.
Undeterred-- What you have to be in order to practice the heroic virtue required for sainthood.
Virtue— the general quality of being morally good. See: a person who raises five daughters to love and serve the Lord while remaining faithful in her marriage and kind to her neighbors.
Working mother— Female humans with children who choose to utilize gifts God has given them in exchange for a paycheck. Alternative definitions from Catholic influencers: harlot, traitor, liberal, #girlboss, feminist.
X— The website Catholic influencers utilize to share their alternative definitions. Alternative definition from Claire: Elon2’s playground, to be avoided at all cost.
Yoke— A wooden crosspiece that is fastened over the necks of two animals and attached to the plow or cart that they are to pull. Metaphorically used by Jesus to demonstrate his leadership, and the difficulties we must receive that are perhaps not quite as difficult as they feel. Used in a sentence: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Zelie— She who took the yoke upon herself, and did it with valor.
This weekend is the feast of Saint Zelie Martin, who I love so much. Saint Zelie, pray for us!
"I want to become a saint; it will not be easy at all. I have a lot of wood to chop and it is as hard as stone. I should have started sooner, while it was not so difficult; but in any case 'better late than never.'" - Saint Zelie Martin
Inspired by the always-poignant
and her ABCs of Writing a Book.On My Nightstand
The Still Point by Tammy Greenwood: Obsessed with this novel about three dance moms during nutcracker season. Sort of thriller-y vibes, but not at all scary. Just super atmospheric and suspenseful. I finished it in about two days!
Grief is For People by Sloane Crosby: Wow. I love when a grief memoir manages to be funny and this short read about a book publicist mourning the loss of her best friend to suicide was witty and fantastic. It gets a little draggy at the end—we probably didn’t need the parts about COVID—but the writing is pitch perfect and I cried/laughed/cried/laughed.
How Fantasy Literature Lost Its Soul: A fantastic piece on the difference between Lewis’ work and that of Phillip Pullman and other more modern fantasy writers. Lots to chew on, especially if you’re interested in children’s literature. “Today we criticize authors like Tolkien and Lewis for refusing to tell us the modern lie: that we are self-made, that identity is everything, and that there is nothing beyond the self worth striving for. But this was the very worldview they were resisting. They dared to offer us a vision of humanity rooted in sacred dignity, that tells us we are made in the image of God and called to live with moral purpose. Their stories do not flatter, they awaken.”
In case you missed these Letters:
Like Zelie, I’m a workin’ mom.
By night, I write these letters, but by day, I write novels + children’s books. If you want to learn more, make sure to check out my website or my author newsletter! My next book, Each and Every Spark, is a historical fiction story set in 1943 Paris for ages 8-14. It’s available for preorder now.
All Zelie quotes from A Call to Deeper Love, a collection of letters written by Saint Zelie
Relax, I own a Tesla (…with a Ukraine bumper sticker ;) )
I am interested in learning more about Zelie to use in my graduate course of studies. Any favorites?