A couple of weeks ago we celebrated for the first time the Feast of St. Zelie and St. Louis Martin. The Martin's!
This French couple is the first marriage ever to be canonized together by the Catholic Church.
St. Therese their daughter, always had a very special place in my life. The "little flower" was my absolute favorite saint in my former teenage years, not only for the impact of her autobiography: "Story of a soul", but also because I admired her beautiful family story. I always imagined the endearing relationships between Therese and her sisters. Nevertheless, I don't think I ever thought much about her parents until I became a mother of a large family. Somehow I began to bring to mind St Zelie and St Louis's struggles and joys and began to feel inspired by them and relate on a much deeper level.
St. Louis was a watchmaker while St. Zelie was a lace maker. Zelie gave birth to nine children, but only five of them survived childhood. Their daughters: Pauline, Marie, Celine, Leonie, and Therese all entered the religious life. Their household was filled with love and faith. The Martin's worked tirelessly to ensure a solid and rich foundation for their daughters because they were determined to raise them into saints! Especially their youngest, known to us as St. Therese, who later became, not only a saint but a Doctor of the Church! By her "Little Way", she made it possible for many simple souls to attempt the heights of perfection and virtue.
As I strive and hope to become a good wife and mother to my husband and children, I look up to their example and think of the serenity of their state. The skill St. Louis must have to be a clockmaker, the precision and discipline that it required. At the same time, I imagine St. Zelie's artistic ability to make lace; her patience and finesse, her delicate trait, her femininity, and her devotion to her home and to her loved ones... I also consider the piety, trust, and discernment they taught their children, They fostered the goodness and their love of God, and made their domestic church a preview of what communion in Heaven looked like. They raised saints and became saints... All through much love, devotion to God, and sacrifice.
As patrons of married couples and parenting, I decided to honor them in a lovely hour of tea and prayer to celebrate their life and legacy.
Tea time with the Martin's on their Feast Day! What a lovely afternoon it was! Between the lace, the clocks, and the french baked goods.
our tea time was the perfect reset for our spirit...
Now let's take a look at all the preparations and details surrounding our special gathering!
As usual, whenever I plan a feast, I always start with decorations, the ambiance, and the general theme. This time, it was such a joy to repurpose a couple of the printables I got in the past from "Shower of Roses" Blog HERE and from "be a heart" website HERE and use them on my favorite tea time banner design: Doilies! I absolutely love the delicate feel they give, almost perfect for our Parisian atmosphere.
*Banners were made with the "Be a Heart" printables HERE
For the centerpiece, I used a Dollar store easel where I displayed their portraits and adorned them with dollar store led flower lights (this particular set has a flicker effect).
My little Zelie Martin doll was a gift from my hubby from my favorite Catholic shop: Wool and Flax Shop HERE
*Portraits from "Shower of Roses" printables HERE
After the decorations were in place, next on the list was the cake to go with our tea.
For that, my daughter decided to bake us a Strawberry and Cream Victorian vanilla sponge cake or the equivalent of yellow cake, and to decorate, she used the dusting of confection sugar technique over a doily to give the cake a beautiful finish!
Dusting confection sugar is so satisfying!
We added madeleines and palmiers to our treats tray. Here my little man carefully displayed them. We also had a short selection of tea flavors to go along; peach, lemon-ginger, and blueberry were the top 3 picks.
In the meantime, a couple of the girls decided to wear something with lace, in honor of St. Zelie's feminine trade, while the little ones decided to color this beautiful page HERE
What a delightful moment it was! being able once again to gather and enjoy a sip of tea while living our faith to the fullest!
The Martins are an exemplar couple, their love for God was blessed with a beautiful family. Their only goal in life was Heaven, and they chose love to attain it. The secret of their unconditional love was due to their boundless faith in God which allowed them to face many challenges great and small through the heroic surrender to the Divine Providence.
Without a doubt, our tea time with the Martin's will be engraved in our hearts forever,
St. Zelie and St. Louis Martin, pray for us married couples and our children, and pray for the families of the world!
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