Glass cases with the relics of Saint Therese of Lisieux and her parents, Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin, will be displayed in Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome for the entirety of the Synod on the Family, Oct. 4-25. Blessed Louis and Zelie will both be canonized Oct. 18. The relics will be available for veneration by the faithful from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., the normal hours the basilica is open. The relics of St. Therese will be displayed in the Borghese chapel of the basilica before the icon of the Salus Populi Romani. Through this devotion to Mary, Pope Francis has asked for her intercession for the fruits of the work of the Synod and for all the families of the world. Fr. Antonio Sangalli, vice postulator for the cause for the canonization of the St. Therese's parents, said, “Louis and Zélie demonstrated through their lives that conjugal love is an instrument of holiness, a way to holiness consummated by the two persons together.” He noted that this aspect today is “the most important aspect to value in the family. There is an enormous need for a simple spirituality lived out in daily life.” The cause for beatification of one of St. Therese's sisters, Fran√ßoise-Thérèse, was opened in France in July.
