The reliquary of the Martin family, believed to be the only reliquary containing relics of a family of saints. In July 2024, it was received and placed in its new home, the baptistry of the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia. This reliquary contains significant relics of three saints: St. Thérèse of Lisieux (the Little Flower) (marked by the golden rose in the back) and her parents, St. Louis Martin (marked by the lily on the left) and St. Zélie Martin (marked by the lily on the right). A pair of wedding rings in the center unites the reliquaries of Sts. Louis and Zélie.

The relics of St. Thérèse are a gift from the Carmel of Lisieux. The relics of Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin were given by the Basilica of
St. Thérèse in Lisieux, France, where Sts. Louis and Zélie are buried in the crypt. The reliquary was commissioned by the Magnificat Foundation and created by Fleur Nabert, a French sculptor. The relics were presented to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia at the Magnificat Day of Faith in Philadelphia in 2013. They were entrusted to the Discalced Carmelite Monastery in Oak Lane. Thanks to the stewardship of Fr. Dennis Gill, the reliquary has found a new and permanent home in the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul.

In 1994, Pope Saint John Paul II declared Saints Louis and Zélie Martin venerable (that is, he declared they had practiced heroic virtue). In 2008, Pope Benedict XVI beatified them. In 2015, Pope Francis canonized them, the first saints canonized as a couple. Their feast day is observed on July 12.

 

Historical background

That the reliquary came to Philadelphia is a miracle. When it was presented to the Archdiocese in 2013, it appeared that Philadelphia ostensibly had been chosen because the next “Day of Faith” to be sponsored by the Magnificat Foundation was to be in Philadelphia. On Monday, November 11, 2013, during their visit to the Carmelite Monastery in Oak Lane, the outgoing and incoming rectors of the Shrine at Lisieux expressed surprise upon learning that the young foundresses of the monastery, dating back to 1902, had established it as the “depot” from which devotion to St. Thérèse spread across all fifty U.S. states. Their work began long before the Little Flower Society was founded in 1923.  The nuns laughingly gestured in the direction of the graves of the foundresses and said it was no doubt their prayers had brought this great blessing to our Archdiocese.  For more about the powerful bond between the Carmels of Philadelphia and Lisieux, see St. Thérèse of Lisieux and Sister Stanislaus of the Blessed Sacrament, “Philadelphia’s Little Flower”

The Reliquary

• For the earliest mention of the reliquary by the sculptor, visit Fleur Nabert, Sculpteur
• See a brief explanation in English of the symbolism  of the reliquary, taken from the sculptor’s site, at Saint Thérèse of Lisieux: A Gateway.
• See the text of the scroll presented by Monsignor Bernard Lagoutte, the outgoing rector of the Shrine at Lisieux, who contributed relics of Saints Louis and Zélie Martin for the reliquary, at Saint Thérèse of Lisieux: A Gateway.
• See a photo album of the veneration of the reliquary at the Cathedral, where it remained for a week after the Magnificat Day of Faith in 2013, at Saint Thérèse of Lisieux: A Gateway.
• See the first photo of the reliquary after it was transported from the Basilica and installed at the Philadelphia Carmel at Saint Thérèse of Lisieux: A Gateway.

Resources about the Martin family