From October 4 to 25, while the Bishops are gathered for the Ordinary Synod on the family, urns containing the relics of St. Therese of the Child Jesus and of her blessed parents, Louis Martin and Zelie Guerin, will be exposed for the veneration of the faithful in the Chapel of Our Lady Salus Populi Romani in the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. This couple, to be canonized by Pope Francis on October 18th, is the first married couple of non martyrs that make this journey into the history of the Church, "showing—said Antonio Sangalli, OCD, the vice postulator of the cause for their canonization—with their lives that conjugal love is an instrument of sanctity, a path to holiness that two persons live together. This is, in my opinion, the most important element to assess the family today. There is a great need for a simple spirituality that can be lived in everyday life."
The miracle performed by the couple occurred in 2008, and it concerns the healing of a newborn baby from Spain, Carmen Lourdes Pérez-Pons. She was born prematurely, and her extremely poor health foreshadowed imminent death. Immediately after a novena to the newly beatified spouses was begun, the cerebral echography indicated marked improvement and her breathing became normal. This complete recovery, without any residual pathological consequences, is scientifically inexplicable. This healing can indeed be attributed to the parents of St. Therese and to another of their daughters, the Servant of God, Sister Frances Teresa (Leonia Martin), whose cause of canonization was opened on July 2nd, in Caen, France. The exhibition of the relics in the Marian basilica (which can be visited every day, from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm) has even greater value because the Pope is very devoted to Our Lady Salus Populi Romani and has asked the faithful to address their prays to Her for the fruits of the Synod's work and for all the world's families.
