On January 15, 2023 in Le Puy was celebrated the 350th anniversary of the entry into Heaven of Anne Marie Martel.

Monsignor, representatives of the diocesan Church
Dear Sisters and lay friends

On this January 15, as at every Eucharist, we are all invited to believe and to participate in the communion of the saints, those witnesses of the faith who have gone before us on the path of the Lord.
With a look of faith, we contemplate today an event that took place 350 years ago: the birth in Heaven of Anne-Marie Martel, a young laywoman from the parish of Saint-Georges, a faithful member of this cathedral. The "Assembly" houses still visible in the villages, the presence of a Congregation and committed lay people here and elsewhere... bear witness to a beautiful heritage: that of a Christian life built on the rock: Jesus Christ; a life given to the end, in the service of awakening and deepening the faith.

Le Puy-en-Velay is a starting point for pilgrims of all times... To meet at the fountain, to go up the rue des Tables to the cathedral, to go down the narrow streets towards the old hospital of Aiguilhe or the peripheral suburbs... all this reminds us of the paths traveled by this pioneer of the new evangelization, called to leave a trace beyond time and geographical space.

Where did Anne-Marie draw this living faith, this untiring charity? In her daily encounter with the God of Love, source of all missionary dynamism.
" The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has consecrated me... to proclaim the Good News to the poor..." These prophetic words found an echo in the life of this young girl and encouraged her to respond to the calls of the Spirit, to go to meet the little ones, the sick, the women, the lacemakers; to help them stand up again as human beings, as children of God.

If the grain of wheat that falls to the ground dies, it produces much fruit. On this day when we remember this fruitful life, let us ask the Lord, through the intercession of Anne-Marie Martel, to awaken and make grow vocations of catechists, religious, priests, missionaries and committed lay people. May He give young people the audacity to become witnesses of the faith and tenderness of God in today's society and Church.

Our Lady of Le Puy, pray for us!
Anne Marie Martel, servant of God, pray for us!

Sister Patricia GIMENEZ
Superior General of the Sisters of the Child Jesus

A very beautiful homily was also given during the mass celebrated in the cathedral of Le Puy-en-Velay on January 15, 2023 by Bishop Baumgarten on the occasion of the 350th anniversary of the death of Anne-Marie Martel. Feel free to download the message and the homily available in reading below and pdf.