Jitka Trmalová
On Sunday, October 19, 2008, the beatification of Louis and Zélie Martin took place, the parents of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. They became the second blessed married couple in the entire history of the Church. (The first were the Italian couple Luigi and Maria Beltrame Quattrocchi, beatified on October 21, 2001.) We have already discussed the lives of the Martins in the journal Karmel, and it is now also possible to read more about them in the newly published book The Parents of Thérèse of Lisieux.1 Their holy life, their example, and their spirituality shaped the life, holiness, and spirituality of their daughter Thérèse. I dare say that this Doctor of the Church (she was declared such in 1997) learned more from them than anywhere else.
However, the theme of this article is something else: the miracle that occurred through the intercession of the Martins. It is by no means the only miracle they have interceded for, but this one was officially recognized as a miracle within the beatification process. It concerns the miraculous healing of a small child. Louis and Zélie, who themselves lost four small children, prayed for a seriously ill child from an Italian family.
Pietro Schiliro was born on May 25, 2002, in Monza in the Milan Diocese to parents Adele and Valter Schiliro as their sixth child. He came into the world with severe pulmonary dysfunction, had to be hospitalized, and was completely dependent on a respirator. On June 3, his parents baptized him, aware of the danger of death. Two days later, doctors confirmed that little Pietro would likely not survive even with the help of the respirator. Father Antonio Sangalli, a Carmelite friar and family friend, brought images of Louis and Zélie Martin, narrated their story to the Schiliros, and suggested they pray a novena to the parents of St. Thérèse. The entire parish, friends, and coworkers joined in praying for the healing of the boy; images with the novena traveled all the way to Cambodia, where another family friend – a missionary – was working. After the first novena, they prayed the same novena a second time, to which doctors and nurses also joined.
Meanwhile, Ms. Adela’s sister also asked St. Thérèse to help her sister's family. She opened the book of Thérèse's letters to a passage where she writes about the missionary vocation of small children. This passage helped the Schiliros understand and accept that their child's suffering was his share in the redemptive mission of Christ.
On June 29, the feast of St. Peter – the patron of the sick child – the nurse noticed a sudden improvement in Pietro's health. Within a few days, he began to breathe without the help of the respirator, and in less than a month, on July 26, he was discharged from the hospital completely healthy. This unexpected healing has many witnesses, including seven doctors who declared it inexplicable.
The healing of Pietro Schiliro, now seven years old, was officially recognized as a miracle through the intercession of the Martins, necessary for their beatification, by the Archbishop of Milan Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi. This took place ceremonially on June 10, 2003, in the presence of many witnesses of the miracle: Pietro's doctors, family, and Pietro himself, who was toddling around the chapel and around the table on which the cardinal was signing the decree of the miracle.
Louis and Zélie experienced many difficult life situations in trust in a good God; they passed this trust on to their daughter, and she continues to teach people around the world this trust. Through her loving relationship with the good Father, Thérèse wins new hearts. The Martins want to teach us such a relationship with God – not at all naive, but tested by reality. This is also echoed by the parents of the miraculously healed Pietro. His healing was a sign of God's love and God's interest in their ordinary life: "We continually thank God for His grace. He accepted the intercession of Louis and Zélie and healed our Pietro. He showed His love through the miracle to help us recognize His loving presence in our ordinary lives. Louis and Zélie accepted the circumstances of their lives with trust in the goodness of the Father, and that helps us in our daily existence."
