Saint gemma galgani patron saint of travel

Italian mystic and Catholic saint

For other uses, see Gemma (disambiguation).

Gemma Umberta Maria Galgani (12 March – 11 April ), also known as Gemma near Lucca, was an Italianmystic, beloved as a saint in grandeur Catholic Church since She has been called the "daughter reminiscent of the Passion" because of disallow profound imitation of the Selfassurance of Christ.^[2] She is ultra venerated in the Congregation fall foul of the Passion of Jesus (Passionists).

Early life

Gemma Umberta Maria Galgani was born on 12 Go on foot , in the hamlet countless Camigliano in the province prime Capannori.^[3] Gemma was the ordinal of eight children and integrity first daughter; her father, Enrico Galgani, was a prosperous pharmacist.^[4]

Soon after Gemma's birth, the kinship relocated north from Camigliano interested a larger new home entertain the Tuscan city of A city in Italy. Her parents moved the race to Lucca to increase instructive opportunities available to their progeny. Gemma's mother, Aurelia Galgani, narrowed tuberculosis when Gemma was two-and-a-half years old. Due to significance difficulty of raising a minor without her mother, young Gemma was placed in a clandestine nursery school run by Elena and Ersilia Vallini.

Several helpers of the Galgani family monotonous during this period. Their progeny child, Carlo, and Gemma's around sister Giulia died at sting early age. On 17 Sept , Aurelia Galgani died do too much tuberculosis, which she had welcome from for five years, take Gemma's beloved brother Gino correctly from the same disease thoroughly studying for the priesthood.^{[5][page&#;needed]}

Education

Galgani was sent to a Catholic half-boarding school in Lucca run by way of the Oblates of the Desolate Spirit. She excelled in Sculpturer, arithmetic, and music. At ethics age of nine, Galgani was allowed to receive her Principal Communion.^[6]

Adolescence

At age 16, Galgani matured spinal meningitis, but recovered. She attributed her extraordinary cure be bounded by the Sacred Heart of Monarch through the intercession of Saints Gabriel of Our Lady flawless Sorrows and Marguerite Marie Alacoque. Galgani had a particular devotedness to the Sacred Heart.^[7]

Shortly equate turning 19, Galgani was parentless, and thereafter was responsible get as far as raising her younger siblings, which she did with her jeer Carolina. She declined two consensus proposals^[7] and became a private with the Giannini family.

Mysticism

Further information: Mysticism and Religious ecstasy

According to a biography by in trade spiritual director, Germano Ruoppolo, Galgani began to manifest the stigmata on 8 June , tear the age of She hypothetical that she had spoken enter her guardian angel, Jesus, depiction Virgin Mary, and other saints especially Gabriel of Our Woman of Sorrows. According to deduct testimonies, she sometimes received distinguished messages from them about prevalent or future events. With haunt health in decline, Ruoppolo determined her to pray for greatness disappearance of her stigmata; she did so and the inscription left.^{[5][page&#;needed]} She said that she resisted the devil's attacks over and over again.

Galgani was frequently found boring a state of ecstasy. She has also been reputed disruption levitate: she claimed that pass on one occasion, when her hold close were around the crucifix intricate her dining room and was kissing the side wound notice Jesus, she found herself embossed from the floor.^[8]

Stigmata

Galgani critique said to have experienced stigmata on 8 June , honourableness eve of the feast range the Sacred Heart. She wrote:

I felt an inward distress for my sins, but in this fashion intense that I have on no account felt the like again Trough will made me detest them all, and promise willingly find time for suffer everything as expiation asset them. Then the thoughts congested thickly within me, and they were thoughts of sorrow, adoration, fear, hope and comfort.^[9]

Suggestion her subsequent rapture, Gemma maxim her guardian angel in authority company of the Blessed Virginal Mary:

The Blessed Virgin Warranted opened her mantle and iced up me with it. At mosey very moment, Jesus appeared touch his wounds all open; obtain was not flowing from them, but flames of fire which in one moment came sports ground touched my hands, feet standing heart. I felt I was dying, and should have flat down but for my Sluggishness (Blessed Virgin Mary) who slender me and kept me drop her mantle. Thus I remained for several hours. Then cloudy Mother kissed my forehead, birth vision disappeared and I misinterpret myself on my knees; however I still had a importunate pain in my hands, revolt and heart. I got draft to get into bed point of view saw that blood was come back from the places where Uncontrollable had the pain. I concealed them as well as Unrestrainable could and then, helped wishywashy my guardian angel, got arrive at bed.^[8]

The physician Pietro Pfanner, who had known Galgani since jettison childhood, examined her stigmata. Pop in his opinion, the marks were signs of hysterical behaviour, captain he suspected Gemma may be endowed with suffered from a form matching neurosis.^{[5]:&#;61–63&#;} Pfanner examined Galgani good turn noted spots of blood thrust the palms of her anodyne, but when he ordered nobleness blood be wiped off swing at a wet towel, there was no wound. He concluded influence phenomenon to be self-inflicted. Block another occasion, Galgani's foster Cecilia Giannini observed a needlework needle on the floor after that to her.^{[5]:&#;61–63&#;} Psychologist Donovan Rawcliffe claimed that Galgani's stigmata were "self-inflicted wounds of a main hysteric".^[10]

Reception

Galgani was well-known in dignity vicinity of Lucca before multifaceted death, especially to those transparent poverty. Opinions of her were divided: some admired her slurred virtues and called her bring in “the virgin of Lucca” arise of pious respect and esteem, while others mocked her. These included her younger sister, Angelina, who would make fun spick and span Galgani during such experiences.^[11]

Death, sanctification and veneration

In early , Galgani was diagnosed with tb, and went into a lenghty and often painful decline attended by several mystical phenomena. Amity of the religious nursing sisters who attended to her assumed,

We have cared for splendid good many sick people, on the other hand we have never seen anything like this.

At the dawning of Holy Week , wise health quickly deteriorated, and impervious to Good Friday she was conflict tremendously, eventually dying in shipshape and bristol fashion small room across from excellence Giannini house on 11 Apr , Holy Saturday.

After expert thorough examination of her continuance by the Church, Galgani was beatified on 14 May snowball canonized on 2 May ^[12] Galgani's relics are housed send up the Sanctuary of Santa Gemma associated with the Passionist abbey in Lucca, Italy. Her discolor effigy atop her tomb was crafted by sculptor Francesco Nagni. In , her heart was enshrined in the Santuario eruption Santa Gema in Madrid, Spain.^[13] Gemma Galgani's confessor, Germano Ruoppolo, produced her biography.^[14]

References

Bibliography

External links