Marriage, a sacrament to be renewed
On July 11th and 12th, the Sanctuary celebrated its patronal feast day, commemorating the anniversary of the marriage of Saints Martin and his wife. The event was presided over by Bishop Olivier de Cagny of Evreux, the diocese where Saint Louis Martin died.
"Marriage, a sacrament to be renewed" This was the magnificent program shared by the couples gathered in Alençon on July 11th and 12th. While about ten couples participated throughout the entire weekend—alternating between teachings, a prayer vigil, a procession of relics, and the symbolic separate walk leading to the epistolary reunion on the Bridge of Encounter—the event culminated on Sunday. Around fifty couples joined them for the parish mass to renew their wedding vows. We are pleased to share with you the most beautiful moments of this radiant celebration.
Teaching by Bishop de Cagny – Sunday, July 12, 2026
"The sacraments are God's acts of love that reach us personally." On the Feast of Saints Louis and Zélie, during a teaching by Bishop de Cagny, we were invited to rediscover marriage not as a mere blessing, but as a true force flowing from Christ to strengthen couples. A look back at this illuminating teaching, which reminds us that divine grace is woven into the very heart of our daily lives.
"Is your family holy?" Homily of Bishop de Cagny
"Is your family holy?" It was with this thought-provoking question that Bishop de Cagny opened his homily on July 12th. Far from presenting an unattainable ideal, he reminds us that holiness unfolds at the very heart of our ordinary lives, with their joys and their frailties. Like the biblical couple Tobias and Sarah, or even more so like Louis and Zélie, every family is called to renew its covenant with God and to become, through its love, a path of conversion and profound joy. Discover this message of hope, sustained by the intercession of our holy spouses.
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