Friendship, as has been said, consists in a full commitment of the will to another person with a view to that person's good.
-Pope Saint John Paul II
Friendships feed our souls in a very particular way. During these times of social distancing, fall out from a global pandemic, and the ensuring separation we've experienced from our friends and family, we have a special place to turn to for friendship.
The holy women of our Catholic Faith: the Saints, the venerables, the servants of God. We have reason to believe through the Church's guidance that these multitude of unique, relatable, remarkable women are worshipping before the throne of God, taking our intentions before Him. They want us to join them in Heaven, after all.
The Saints, Our Friends
We've assembled a grouping of a dozen women who fit this description, lived in the last century or so, and span all walks of life from vocation to nearly every continent, to a plethora of challenges they faced. Eleven are lay women!
The complete discussion of their lives and reflections on how they lived the Works of Mercy out is available in our Misericordia study.
Let's get to know our heavenly friends better and allow a beautiful friendship (or friendships!) to blossom.
Find more companionship with our sister Saints
and be inspired by their Works of Mercy in Misericordia!
Saint Zélie Martin
Zélie was born in France in 1831 and used her gifts to operate a highly successful lace-making business. When she married Louis, he assisted her in running the business and they were blessed with nine children, three of whom didn’t survive infancy and a fourth who died at age five. The remaining five all became nuns, most famous of all being the youngest, Saint Thérèse of Lisieux.
Zélie was a clever and hard working business owner who treated her employees with fairness. She was an attentive and loving mother who educated her girls and brought them up in the Faith. She wrote that her goal was to raise children up for Heaven. They started their days with a morning offering and ended them with an examination of conscience.
She died of breast cancer in 1877 when Thérèse was only four. She and her husband are the first married couple canonized together. Her ability to instruct her children and ultimately set them on a vocational path to holiness is a striking example for us all.
Friends with Saints Series // Zelie Martin #BISblog //Click to tweet
Saint Zélie Martin, pray for us!
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