Each morning Zelie would make it a habit to rise early to attend morning Mass. Before participating in Mass she would light a candle and pray reverently before the statue of Our Lady. Humble at heart, Zelie petitioned Our Lady for the children that she and her husband were given by God, that one day they would become saints. She would also ask Our Lady for her children to be more reverence towards God then she was.
Sadly, four of the Martin children would never make it to adulthood. Zelie gave birth to her fourth child on October 13, 1864, Marie Helene who passed away on February 22, 1870 at the age of five. Louis and Zelie were given the blessing of receiving another child on September 20, 1866 with the birth of their first son, Joseph Louis Martin. It was with great sadness that he too passed away a year later on February 14, 1867. On December 19, 1867 the birth of their second son, Joseph Jean Baptiste was born. However, he too was taken away from them on August 25, 1868. The life of Louis and Zelie's sixth daughter, Marie Melanie Therese was very short from August 16, 1870 to October 8, 1870.
