Martin Sisters - Sister Genevieve of the Holy Face Page IV

On May 27, 1894, the seriousness of Louis’s health had taken yet again
another turn for the worst. While Céline was helping her cousin Jeanne,
in Caen, her father had another stroke. She immediately rushed to the
train station and headed back to Lisieux. On the way there, she prayed
to God asking him that her father still be alive when she returned. She
wanted the blessing to be there when her father took his last breath.
Once she arrived, he appeared to be getting better. Nine days later on
the 5th of June he suffered from a heart attack while Céline was at Mass.
The servants came and got her and she rushed with fear in her eyes as
she was running back to the house. As Céline reflected on this experience
when she wrote to her sisters about his heart attack, she said: “While
I was running the whole way home, I did not know whether I would
find him better or dead. Our Lord wished me not to be deprived of
assisting him in his last moments; help me, dearest Sisters, to thank
Our Lord for that grace. Oh! Pray for both of us. Papa and me…I
feel my heart so filled with emotion. (FL) Throughout the month of June,
Louis’s condition was slowly improving.

The decision was made for the family to go to La Musse; Louis’s condition
had improved enough for them to make the trip. It was the perfect place for
him and Céline to be together in his last days. There were so many fond memories that he had spent with her there that it was
befitting for him to be in a peaceful environment. Both Céline and the Guérins made every effort possible to keep Louis
comfortable, Céline especially took special care of him, her being the “guardian” of her beloved father.

On July 28, 1894, Louis suffered from another heart attack, this time it was to be his last. Céline stayed at his bedside until it
was time for her to go to sleep and the servant Desiré looked over him throughout the night. At five o’clock in the morning on
the 29th, Céline was awakened by Desiré to come and see her father, his condition was dire. At seven forty-five a.m. while she
was attending to him, she noticed that he was turning ice cold. As Céline’s aunt woke up her husband Isidore and retrieved some
hot water bottles, Céline was left alone with him. She was so distraught that she asked God what she should do. Without any
hesitation, she spoke aloud: “Jesus, Mary, Joseph, I give you my heart, my soul, and my life…Jesus, Mary Joseph, assist me in
my last agony…Jesus, Mary, Joseph, may I breathe forth my soul in peace with you.” (FL) He looked upon her with a loving
glance showing her that he understood everything without saying a word. By eight fifteen a.m. his breathing slowly came to an
end. Immediately after he passed away, Céline stood over him and placed her fingers over his eyes and closed them forever and
gave him her last loving kiss. The expression on his face after his death gave her the peace she needed. Céline’s prayers were
answered that she was able to witness her father’s last breath. Céline described in a letter to her sisters: “Papa is in Heaven…his
expression was that of happiness and profound peace. My heart burst at the last moment, and a flood of tears bathed his bed.
But underneath I was really glad for his happiness after the terrible martyrdom which he has undergone and which we have
shared with him.” (FL)

That night as Céline was having trouble sleeping; she got up and looked out of her window and looked into the night’s sky. As
she was gazing outwards, she saw a “luminous globe” disappearing into the Heavens. It was an affirmation for her that her
father had made it to Heaven.

The Guérins and Céline prepared Louis’s body for the journey home from La Musse. On the 2nd of August, his funeral took
place at the Cathedral of St. Pierre. There were many people in attendance for his funeral including the journey to the cemetery.
It was a great honor of his life for so many people to complete the journey with him and his family to his final resting place.
Immediately afterwards, Céline and the Guérins went to the Carmelite monastery for a service in honor of their father. It was to
honor a father that they loved so much and who all held dear to their hearts.

Now, it was time for Céline to fulfill her destiny and take her rightful place among her sisters at the Carmelite monastery. Initially
all of the nuns were not too happy about her entrance, for fear of four Martin sisters being in the same monastery, there was a
lot of hesitation to allow her in. However, the opposition would soon fade with the exception of Sr. Aimee of Jésus. Thérèse
decided to use prayer, as a weapon, to weaken her opposition to her sister’s entrance as she prayed: “Dearest Jesus, you know
how earnestly I desired that the trials my dear father endured should serve as his purgatory. I long, to know if my wish has been
granted. Since one of our community is strongly opposed to Céline’s entrance here, if she withdrew her opposition I shall
consider it as a sign from you that my father went straight to Heaven.” (WW) Thérèse’s prayers would soon be answered; Sr.
Aimee of Jésus, who was strongly opposed to Céline’s entrance came to Thérèse in tears and told her that she had changed her
mind and that she would gladly welcome Céline into the monastery with open arms. The final opposition to Céline’s entrance
was cleared. Thérèse writes to her sister Céline: “Come we will suffer together, and then the good God will take one of us, and
the others will remain a little while longer in exile. Now hearken to what I am going to say to you, never will God separate us. If
I die before you, do not think that I shall ever be separated from your soul; never shall we have been more united. Do not be
troubled by prophecy, it is but childishness. I am not ill; I am strong as iron; but God can break iron as easily as potter’s clay.”
(DBT)

The date was set for September 14, 1894. Celine took care of all of the things that needed to be done prior to her entrance with
the help of her aunt Céline and cousin Marie. The day of her entrance had come and Céline was escorted by her relatives to the
Carmelite monastery. In the chapel, the ceremony took place for her entrance and not without a bunch of tears flowing from her
uncle’s and aunt’s eyes. As she entered the door and looked back at her relatives, as her other sisters had previous done, she
gave them a loving tearful goodbye. As soon as the door closed, all peace resided in Céline’s heart as she describes that moment:
“The storm gave way to calm and the deepest serenity. I felt that at last I had found the place of my repose.” (C) Once she
entered, she knelled before her sister Pauline, who was then prioress, and submitted herself to her and was introduced to all of
the sisters.

Since Thérèse was the assistant novice mistress, Pauline handed over the responsibility, to Thérèse, of showing Céline around
the monastery. Later that evening, all of her sisters would meet Céline in her cell. Céline entered and saw a poem lying on her
bed and realized that it was once written by her father. In the poem, the verses from her father read: “Come to us, little girl! My
crown lacks one bright pearl. The Lord said to us, and we are all here. To pluck you from the world on our wings of white like
birds on the branches pluck a flower bright. Oh, come to us! Come to us, dear! (C) Céline reflected on reading the poem, she
stated: “I could not express my emotions when I read this poem and recognized that it was my father’s handwriting…It was he
who welcomed me to this dwelling where the love of Jesus had reserved a place for me…At the sight of this, waves of gratitude
pressed my heart, and the emotions made tears flow, something that grief and anguish had not been able to do. I cannot say
what took place in me at that first meeting with my dear sisters. We said hardly anything to each other. I sat down silently on the
edge of my straw mattress, like a tired traveler who, after a long absence and having gone through innumerable perils, now stops
to catch her breath upon arriving at her destination, not daring as yet to believe her good fortune.”(C) Thérèse honored Céline by
being the first to tell her that her new name would be Sr. Marie of the Holy Face.

The first lesson Thérèse taught her sister, in humility, was to kiss the floor every time she entered. Thérèse stated to her sister:
“Each time you enter your cell and each time you leave it, no matter whether it be ten or twenty or forty times a day, you must
always first kiss the floor as I showed you. What this exercise of humility will do for your soul, only years of unremitting
practice ¬¬¬- which I now have – will prove that our Carmel has all the secrets of perfection. This is something I have learned.”
(WW)

One of Céline’s first reprimands was when she said “Thank you” to her sister after she received a list of the daily routine that
everyone was expected to follow. Thérèse told her to say, “May God reward you” instead of “Thank you”. “Thank you” is
meaningless and when you say “May God reward you” you are asking for intercession from God on their behalf. Each time that
you do something for someone or someone does something for you, “its meaning is in relation to God and that alone is what
counts.” (WW) Thérèse went onto say: “God commands us to love each other. We prove this by being of service to one
another, and for this He will reward us eternally.” (WW) It was also taught to Céline that she should never refer to “my” or
“mine” when referring to material possessions. It is always “ours” for it is by every means of helping us detach ourselves from
all things material which is parallel to the vow of poverty which is taken by each nun. For in the end, after this life is over, the
original meaning of the possession will disappear and someone else will take on that same possession as their own without
having the same meaning. The need for acquiring possession only temporarily satisfies us and leads us to believe that it will make
us fulfilled within ourselves, for it is God who completes us and fulfills our needs and we must seek him and only him.

Once alone in her cell, Céline’s first glance at the list of her daily routines, for her, was content on memorizing and embracing
her new life at Carmel. While lying in bed, the realization of living an enclosed life came into reality. The reality of staying
stationary in one place, the unappetizing meals and the uncomfortable bed all proved to be obstacles which Céline had to embrace
while living the rest of her life at Carmel. As always, she willingly accepted this challenge and embraced it wholeheartedly.

Céline embraced her new surroundings with open arms. The physical character of the place was what she admired the most
both “simple and austere”. It was shocking to her sisters by how much her willingness to embrace her new life. With most
new sisters who have lived in the outside world for a longer time; they bring with them the “scars” that the world has placed
upon them. At twenty-five, Céline had none.

It was not long until several instances arose when Céline finally found her difficulties. As she settled into her new life, one of her
biggest obstacle was her straw mattress. Her mattress was very uncomfortable for her to sleep on, caused her to have many
sleepless nights. Periodically, during times of prayer, she struggled to stay awake. As with any new nun, many eyes fell upon her
during those times of group prayers, and she was caught many times and reprimanded for it. Next, it was food that was being
served, that caused her much heartache. It took her almost a year for her body to adjust to the new changes in her eating habits.
Even though she battled her physical difficulties, she survived her postulancy and welcomed the next step into becoming a
novice.

On February 5, 1895, Céline took the habit and became a novice. In the ceremony, she left the cloister and met her relatives.
Canon Ducellier presided over the ceremony. Céline’s uncle Isidore escorted her down the aisle in her beautiful bridal gown
while she held a bouquet of lilies as her aunt Céline and cousins’ Jeanne and Marie looked on in the Carmelite chapel. Even
though Céline’s father and mother were not there, their presence was felt throughout the ceremony. The homily was befitting
and dear to her because it was about her father, Louis, the one she was closest to and cared for up until his death. Céline recalled
the ceremony by stating: “I received a particular grace of intimate union with my Beloved; I saw nothing of what was going on
around me. The presence of the Bishop, the numerous clergy, the crowd of visitors, had all disappeared before my eyes; I was
alone with Jesus…when suddenly, I was awakened from my interior silence by the singing of Compline, which was vibrant and
full of spirit. The choir intoned the palm: Qui habitat in adjutorio Altissimi (He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High), and I
understood its meaning; each word fell on my soul like the pledge of a sacred promise made to me by the One to whom I had
united my life.” (C)

Prior to the ceremony, it was originally decided that Céline would receive the name of Sr. Marie of the Holy Face, but when Fr.
Delatroette heard what her new name would be, he objected plainly. He felt that it was more befitting an honor to use one of the
recently deceased founding members of the Carmelite monastery; he preferred to have her named Sr. Geneviève of St. Teresa.
His demands were granted. Thérèse was very distressed over the name change when she heard about Fr. Delatroette objections,
but Pauline reassured her that “of the Holy Face” would be added to her name. As a blessing, Céline received relics of the
deceased foundress whom the community revered as a holy nun.

As a part of the Carmelite rules, each postulant entering the monastery is allowed to bring with them a limited number of
belongings upon the approval of the prioress. Céline, herself, chose her camera and camera equipment. History has proven that
Céline’s choices were one of the most valuable assets for the community and for her sister Thérèse. With many saints prior to
St. Thérèse, very few of them ever had photographs taken of them, showing the true character of the saint. Even today, the
world is still captured by the images of St. Thérèse that were taken by Céline.

Céline was very detailed oriented in her work. Interruptions were her biggest obstacle when she was working on a task. She
strived every day to overcome them. One day when a sister chastises her for spending too much time on a particular task, she
lashed back at her and soon regretted it. As she reflected on the incident: “It is true, as one wise man put it, that you feel a
pinprick on yourself more than the broken arm of your neighbor.”(C) After Céline faced many similar situations between her and
her sisters, she began to realize her faults and saw them for herself. As she states: “In the world, my soul lived, so to speak, in a
strong fortress: it was quartered there and reveled in its riches. On the inside as on the outside, everything obeyed it. Praised and
applauded, it had no doubt that it was really something. Moreover, did it need to be praised from without when it felt itself so
alive with constantly renewed energy, when the good God set before it, so to speak, the gifts that he had so liberally accorded it?
But suddenly the picture changed. In place of the edifice, I no longer saw anything but ruins that allowed the hitherto ignored
chasms to be discovered. Then war was enkindled in me: my faults, which up till then had been slumbering, were awakened.
Was it to live with them that I had come to Carmel?” (C)

Céline had a preconceived notion of what life would be like at Carmel. She felt that since she gave up her family and what the
world had to offer, it would be easy for her to endure the many minor dramas that occur in monastic life. She proved herself
wrong. One day she spoke to her sister Pauline and complained to her about the obstacles she was facing with the other sisters
and Pauline said to her: “Are you finding it too hard? Do more” (C) The realization that the people around her were from many
different backgrounds. They would interpret what she said to them differently. This was an eye opening experience that she
had to come to terms with. She had to be more gentle and caring with some and with others she had to be much sterner.
Overall, she learned how to love each and every one of them.

***More to Come***