Fr. James Kubicki on his pilgrimage visit to Leonie Martin's tomb: February 7, 2015

The tomb of leonie martin in the crypt of the monastery of the visitation at caen, photographed when a group of american pilgrims visited as part of an apostleship of prayer pilgrimage in 2014

Continuing our series of responses by American Catholic figures to the news that Bishop Boulanger has asked permission to open a diocesan inquiry into the sainthood of Leonie Martin, we received these thoughts from Fr. James Kubicki, S.J., national director of the Apostleship of Prayer, who led a pilgrimage that prayed by  Leonie's tomb in 2014:

jesuit father james kubicki

“I’ve heard it said that, of the four sisters of St. Therese, Leonie was the one who understood most clearly the spirituality of Therese’s little way, the “way of confidence and love.” Therese joined the Apostleship of Prayer at age 12, in October 1885 (the organization was founded in 1844). I believe that, as a member of the Apostleship of Prayer, Therese grew in the knowledge of the value of apostolic prayer and sacrifice. No doubt Leonie did as well. So, when I led an Apostleship of Prayer pilgrimage to France in 2014, it was no afterthought for us to visit the Monastery of the Visitation at Caen and to pray a rosary in the crypt where Leonie’s body is interred. For all of us, it was a prayerful moment. Our group knew the story of Leonie’s difficult life and of her struggles to persevere in the consecrated life. In the crypt we shared our own struggles, asking the intercession of one who understood clearly that growth in holiness demands a daily dying to self and that life’s daily challenges are really opportunities for that growth.”