Abelardo, from Colombia
November 2020 (?)
My wife and I have lived in Colombia for three years. Previously, we lived in Spain. This is where we discovered Saints Louis and Zélie.
It was then six years that we ardently wanted to become parents. In vain.
At that time, my wife was tired after a fertility treatment which had not obtained the expected results. She was a little depressed, and felt the desire to uplift her soul. She is very Catholic.
Thanks to a friend, we discovered Carmel de Serra, near Valencia, and I knew straight away that it would be the perfect place to rest and disconnect.
We came to Carmel for a weekend. The Carmelites offered separate accommodation. The Mother Superior gave us a warm welcome and from that first moment, we felt the magic of this wonderful place.
We told the Mother Superior the reasons for our stay, informed her of our situation, and she told us about the parents of Saint Thérèse and, in order to encourage us, told us the story of a father who took refuge one night in Carmel, very distressed and imploring help, because her child was on the point of death. Thanks to their intercession, the child was saved.*
That night we were invited to pray with all the nuns; it was a magical moment, truly extraordinary. The following day, as we were leaving Mass and preparing to leave Carmel, the Mother Superior came to find us and offered us a relic card of Saints Louis and Zélie, with their image and a small piece of fabric that had touched their body. She also offered us a book on their story, and recommended that we confide in them, and ask for their prayers so that we finally become parents.
About a year passed; and we had the joy of welcoming a child. His name is “Mateo”, which means GIFT FROM GOD.
A few months later, we returned to Carmel and asked to see the Mother Superior, in order to thank her and bear witness to her of the fulfillment of our prayers to Saints Louis and Zélie: our child is their child.
We still keep the relic map, and we put it under our son's pillow. We explain to him who these “parents of Heaven” Louis and Zélie are, and how, thanks to their intercession, he is with us.
We commend ourselves daily to their prayers; and also, when our son is ill or when he is in any danger whatsoever, we never hesitate to ask them for their help on his behalf.
We hope to return to Spain one day, and then the first thing we will do, if God permits, will be to go to France, come to the Alencon sanctuary and introduce our son to you.
*It is this miracle that was chosen for the canonization of Saints Louis and Zélie Martin:
