By Joe Pisani

Louis and Zelie Martin were two small business owners in 19th century France. He made watches and she made lace. Eventually, her business became so successful that he went to work for her.

They also happen to be the parents of five nuns, and the youngest was the beloved St. Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower.

The Martins, who were the first married couple to be canonized, are the patrons of a new diocesan guild for business owners, formed in partnership with His Way At Work, an international apostolate that helps integrate faith into the workplace by consecrating businesses to the Sacred Heart of Jesus with the goal of placing God at the center of their companies.

“His Way At Work aligned perfectly with the guild system the bishop established, and naming it after a canonized man and woman, who were successful and faithful business owners, seemed a perfect fit, said Deacon Patrick Toole, Chancellor and Secretary of the Curia. “Our hope is that it creates a community of faith among business owners so they can support each other and grow closer spiritually and professionally. By consecrating their businesses to the Sacred Heart, their customers will realize there is something different and special about these businesses—something that sets them apart.”

The diocesan partnership with His Way At Work was conceived by Bishop Frank J. Caggiano with the goal of transforming the workplace. By joining an association of consecrated companies, the owners will share the same mission and adopt a Catholic framework to encourage “genuine care for employees, customers and the community.”

Bishop Caggiano will hold an informational session to introduce the new guild on October 22 at 7 pm at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Fairfield in conjunction with the His Way At Work team.

Business owners will receive a guidebook and be asked to pray a nine-day novena to the Sacred Heart, which will culminate in a Mass celebrated by the bishop at St. Augustine Cathedral on November 1 at 10 am. At that time, the new members will receive certificates of consecration and be encouraged to take part in monthly formation meetings offered by the guild with His Way At Work.

Deacon Toole said the guild is open to all businesses from solopreneurs to companies with more than 300 employees. Prospective members include family businesses, restaurants, landscapers, service and trade companies, professional practices and larger employers.

There will be no cost to participants and the HWAW license will be funded by the diocese, giving members free access to formation materials.

A business should be more than a source of income, Deacon Toole says. By consecrating it to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Christ will become the focus of the leadership, and the workplace will be transformed into a source of grace for employees, families and the community.

“When you do this, you are making a public statement that you are living an integrated life and that when you walk into the business you own, you’re not putting your Catholic faith on the shelf,” he said. “It consciously and overtly says the decisions you make in your business will be carefully discerned with your faith and what you believe. Christ will be at the center of how you operate, and customers will realize you’re striving for the highest level of virtue and ethics.”

The consecration does not mean adding religion to a company but rather “integrating faith into the way an owner leads, serves and grows,” according to Ryan Foley, International Executive Director of His Way At Work, an association of businesses worldwide

Foley says that in addition to building profitable companies “business owners have an opportunity to be a living witness of the Gospel in the marketplace through the care of their employees, families and communities.”

From “bakers to billionaires,” he believes businesses have a significant influence on the culture and a capacity to care for communities they serve—and that with God as the focus, good things will happen for the business, its employees and the wider community.

Consecrating a business to the Sacred Heart is the starting point of a grace-driven transformation of the individual owner, the key leaders and then the community, he says.

“The Church can only do so much, and each business can be a kind of apostolate, not to proselytize, but to care for people in an authentic way based on their human dignity,” Foley says.

The formation process with the monthly meetings will bring about the transformation.

“The businesses become more mission-oriented and in some ways more emotionally intelligent,” Foley says. “They become healthier because the ego of the owner and the ladder-climbing—all these behaviors that affect an organization—tend to change when people feel they’re all sharing a common mission with God at the center.”

For Deacon Toole, the new guild and the consecration brought back memories of his grandfather Sam, who ran a small business out of his garage in Pittstown, Penn. Dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, it was named Mary Ann’s News Shop after the oldest of his three daughters.

Sam, who worked full-time at the A&P grocery store, sold milk, soda and pies. After Sunday Mass, people regularly stopped there to buy newspapers and fresh Italian bread for their afternoon dinner. However, the great attraction for youngsters throughout the town was the wide selection of penny candy,

As a boy and later as a teenager, young Patrick Toole helped his grandfather with the business although, he confessed, there were occasions when the temptation of penny candy proved overwhelming, and he ate the merchandise.

“All around the store, my grandfather put up pictures of the Sacred Heart,” he recalled, “Without even knowing it, he consecrated his business to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.”

“His Way At Work fits perfectly with what we are trying to do with the diocesan guilds,” he said. “It will bring people together who have a common interest and a common work experience and have them grow together in faith and encounter Jesus Christ more fully and deeply, both individually and as a community.”

For more information, visit: Guilds – Diocese of Bridgeport