St. Louis Martin: A Model of Spirit-led Business Management
St. Louis Martin is remembered most for being the father of St. Thérèse of Lisieux and the husband of St. Zélie Martin. In addition to being a holy father and husband, Louis was a spirit-driven entrepreneur who was serious about his faith and serious about his business.
Born in 1823 in Bordeaux, France, Louis was denied entry into religious life and pursued a career in watchmaking instead. In 1858, he opened a watch and jewelry shop at his family home in Alençon. That same year, Louis met Zélie Guérin, a lacemaker and the proprietor of a Point d’Alençon lace enterprise.
They married following a three-month courtship and had nine children together—including a daughter who would go on to become one the most popular and influential Catholic saints of the 20th and 21st centuries, St. Therese of Lisieux.
Louis ran his watch shop until 1870, when he sold it to his nephew to help Zélie run her business.
Though Louis made a small fortune through his shop and Zélie’s lace enterprise, amassing wealth wasn’t his goal. “I feel that I could easily acquire a taste of investing, but I do not want to be carried away by that current,” he once told his daughter Céline Martin, “It is such a dangerous incline and leads to speculating.” In all his financial decisions, Louis entrusted the profits and success of his ventures to God.
Once, Louis’ lawyer convinced him to go on a business trip to finalize a deal for a financial transaction that seemed advantageous to his business. But, on the morning of his trip, Louis injured himself.
He saw this as a sign from God that this transaction was not His will for him. Louis refused to make the trip despite his lawyer’s insistence. Soon after, he learned the enterprise he would have made that deal with had collapsed.
Louis understood that pursuing great wealth for its own sake could lead him astray from his primary goals of doing God’s will and providing for his daughters’ care, education, and futures through diligence and hard work.
There can be a temptation in business to lose focus on business and wealth as a service. However, St. Louis Martin’s story shows us that aligning our business endeavors with God’s will equips us with the wisdom to pursue and lead transformative ventures and be sanctified in the process.
SENT is filled with business founders and leaders who strive to be holy, entrepreneurial, and a force for good through their ventures. So that, with the help of God we can grow in all our endeavors.
Today, consider asking St. Louis Martin for his intercession for the grace that you might align your vision to make a lasting impact with God’s will.
St. Louis Martin, pray for us!
