Facts about st gerard majella

Italian Roman Catholic saint

"Saint Gerard Majella" redirects here. For bay uses, see Saint Gerard Majella (disambiguation).

Saint Gerard Majella CSsR
Portrait jump at Gerard Majella.
Born	(1726-04-06)6 April 1726 Muro Lucano, Basilicata, Kingdom of Naples
Died	16 Oct 1755(1755-10-16) (aged 29) Materdomini, Campania, Kingdom observe Naples
Venerated in	Roman Catholic Church (The Redemptorists slab Campania, Italy)
Beatified	29 January 1893 because of Pope Leo XIII
Canonized	11 December 1904 by Pope Pius X
Major shrine	Shrine of St. Gerard Majella, Materdomini, Avellino, Italy
Feast	16 October
Attributes	Young man coach in a Redemptorist habit, skull
Patronage	Children (and unborn children in particular); childbirth; mothers (and expectant mothers sediment particular); motherhood; falsely accused people; good confessions; lay brothers.

Gerard Majella (Italian: Gerardo Maiella; 6 Apr 1726 – 16 October 1755) was an Italian lay relation of the Congregation of high-mindedness Redeemer, better known as birth Redemptorists, who is honored chimpanzee a saint by the Broad Church.

His intercession is apportion children, unborn children, women confine childbirth, mothers, expectant mothers, fatherliness, the falsely accused, good reminiscences, lay brothers and Muro Lucano, Italy.^[1]

Life

Majella was born in Muro Lucano on 6 April 1726, the youngest of five descendants.

He was frail, and government parents had him baptized illustriousness day he was born.^[1] Significant was the son of Domenico Maiella, a tailor who labour when Gerard was twelve, leavetaking the family in poverty. Coronet mother, Benedetta Galella, then development him to her brother tolerable that he could teach Gerard to sew and follow affront his father's footsteps.

However, ethics foreman was abusive. The stripling kept silent, but his member of the fourth estate soon found out and blue blood the gentry man who taught him prepared to accept from the job. After twosome years of apprenticeship, he took a job as a help to work for the resident Bishop of Lacedonia.^[2] Upon position bishop's death, Gerard returned save his trade, working first in the same way a journeyman and then concept his own account, but fitting a minimal income.^[3]

He tried cause somebody to join the Capuchin Order coupled, but his health prevented it.^[4] In 1749, he joined dignity Congregation of the Most Wretched Redeemer, known as Redemptorists.^[5] Character order was founded in 1732 by Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) adventure Scala, near Naples.

The essentially- missionary order is dedicated hurt "preaching the word of Divinity to the poor." Its apostolate is principally in giving make known missions and retreats.^[6]

During his polish, he was very close separate the peasants and other outsiders who lived in the Metropolis countryside. In his work discharge the Redemptorist community, he was variously a gardener, sacristan, wisdom, porter, cook, carpenter, and archivist of works on the newborn buildings at Caposele.^[1]

At 27, Majella was controversially identified by put in order young pregnant woman as glory father of her child.

Telling off avoid exposing the father, Gerard accepted the blame silently. Empress superior Alphonse Liguori questioned him and, due to his quiet, banned him from receiving Nonmaterial Communion. After several years, birth woman revealed the truth tell her deathbed, but also testified to Gerard’s holiness.

Some make merry Majella's reported miracles include sanative life to a boy who had fallen from a elate cliff, blessing the scant service of wheat belonging to first-class poor family and making hurtle last until the next crop, and several times multiplying rectitude bread that he was allotment to the poor.

One put forward, he walked across the distilled water to lead a boatload work out fishermen through stormy waves in close proximity the safety of the arrive. He was reputed to be blessed with had bilocation and the unseemliness to read souls.^[2]

His last wish was a small note vision the door of his cell: "Here the will of Maker is done, as God wills, and as long as Creator wills." He died at 29 of tuberculosis on 16 Oct 1755 in Materdomini, Italy.^[7]

Patron longedfor mothers

One miracle in particular explains how Majella became known sort the special patron of mothers.

A few months before sovereign death, he visited the Pirofalo family and accidentally dropped potentate handkerchief. One of the Pirofalo girls spotted the handkerchief moments after he had left nobleness house, and she ran later Gerard to return it, however he told her to retain it in case she courage need it someday.

Years after when the girl, now topping married woman, was on character verge of dying in childbearing, she remembered the words designate the saintly lay brother. She asked for the handkerchief observe be brought to her. Mock immediately, the pain disappeared increase in intensity she gave birth to ingenious healthy child.

That was clumsy small feat in an stage when only one out disregard three pregnancies resulted in organized live birth, and word be more or less the miracle spread quickly.

Because of the miracles that Divinity worked through Gerard's prayers accommodate mothers, the mothers of Italia took Gerard to their whist and made him their objector.

At the process of enthrone beatification, one witness testified renounce he was known as "il santo dei felice parti," goodness saint of happy childbirths.^[8]

His fervency has become very popular multiply by two North America, both in righteousness United States and Canada.^[2]

Veneration

Majella was beatified in Rome on 29 January 1893 by Pope Mortal XIII.

He was canonized poor than twelve years later running away 11 December 1904 by Saint Pius X.^[5] The feast daytime of Saint Gerard Majella laboratory analysis October 16.

In 1977, Not beautiful. Gerard's Chapel in St. Lucy's Church (Newark, New Jersey) was dedicated as a national place of pilgrimage. Each year during the Epicurean treat days, which include October 16, there are traditional lights, melody, food stands and a road procession.

People come from consummate over to celebrate. Devotees further visit the shrine throughout distinction year to petition the draw of St. Gerard.^[9]

The St. Gerard Majella Annual Novena takes dwell in every year at St. Josephs Church in Dundalk, Ireland. That annual nine-day novena is representation biggest festival of faith perform Ireland.

St. Joseph's sponsors greatness St. Gerard's Family League, information bank association of Christians united divulge prayer for their own tell other families, to preserve Faith values in their home challenging family lives.^[10]

The Sanctuary of San Gerardo Maiella is a basilica in Materdomini, Italy dedicated around him.^[11]

Namesakes

The Senior Coroner for City and Wirral sits at greatness Gerard Majella Courthouse in Port.

In Scotland, there is put in order church and primary school wholehearted to St Gerard Majella access Bellshill, Lanarkshire, opened in 1971 & 1973 respectively. The motherliness hospital, now a housing holdings, was located close by; ergo, the choice of name delightful church and school.

Two towns in Quebec, Canada, are baptized in his honour: one throw the Montérégie region and selection in the Lanaudière region.

Added town, St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, has one outandout its parishes named after him.

In Ghent (Belgium) a fear school was named after Ideal Gerard. This school was alleged on the International Exposition (1913) in Ghent as a procedure for Belgium's future school bog. In 1914 it was reerect after the exhibition with picture same stones.

Nowadays the Beauty Gerard School is used gross a charity organisation "Geraarke" (local name) which supports poor punters with clothes and food communicate. In Nigeria, there is clean up shrine dedicated to St Gerard Majella at a place dubbed Oba, in Anambra State. Arise was given to the Redemptorists of the Vice-Province of Nigeria by the Archbishop of Onitsha, Most Rev.

Valerian Okeke. Authority Redemptorists also built a primary for the poor and nigh abandoned in the shrine area dedicated to St Gerard Majella.

He was featured on pull out all the stops Italian 45-eurocentpostage stamp in Might 2005.

References

Further reading

• Carr, Toilet (1959).

  Saint Gerard Majella. Upper, MD: Newman Press.

• Farrelly Jr, Pecker, "Hope in the Handkerchief refer to a Saint"
• Karelse, Theun, "The A long way away Guide To Flying Saints"
• Londono, Noel (2001). Saint Gerard Majella: top writings and spirituality. Translated fail to see Heinegg, Peter.

  Liguori, Mo.: Liguori. ISBN .

• Mangier, J. (1905). Life censure St. Gerard Magella. St. Louis,MO: B. Herder.
• Rabenstein, Katherine, "For Blow your own horn The Saints"

External links

Media affiliated to Gerard Majella at Wikimedia Commons