St. Gemma Galgani
1878 - 1903
Gemma Galgani was born on March 12, 1878, in a small Italian town near Lucca. At a very young age, Gemma developed a love for prayer. She made her First Communion on June 17, 1887. As a pupil at the school run by the Sisters of St. Zita, Gemma was loved by her teachers and her fellow pupils. Although quiet and reserved, she always had a smile for everyone. Although a good student, she had to quit school due to chronic ill health before completing the course of study.
Throughout her life, Gemma was to be favored with many mystical experiences and special graces. These were often misunderstood by others, causing ridicule. Gemma suffered these heartaches in reparation, remembering that Our Lord Himself had been misunderstood and ridiculed.
Gemma had an immense love for the poor, and helped them in any way she could. After her father's death, the nineteen year old Gemma became the mother of her seven brothers and sisters. When some were old enough to share this responsibility, she lived briefly with a married aunt. At this time, two young men proposed marriage to her. Gemma however, wanted silence and retirement, and more that ever, she desired to pray and speak only to God.
Gemma returned home and almost immediately became very ill with meningitis. Throughout this illness, her one regret was the trouble she caused her relatives who took care of her. Feeling herself tempted by the devil, Gemma prayed for help to the Venerable Passionist, Gabriel Possenti. (Gabriel was later canonized) Through his intercession, Gemma was miraculously cured.
Gemma wished to become a nun, but her poor health prevented her from being accepted. She offered this disappointment to God as a sacrifice.
Gemma predicted that the Passionists would establish a monastery at Lucca; this came to pass two years after her death. Today, Gemma's mortal remains are still treasured at the Passionist monastery in Lucca.
On June 8, 1899, Gemma had an interior warning that some unusual grace was to be granted to her. She had pain in her hands, feet and heart and blood was coming from the places where she had pain. These were the marks of the stigmata. Each Thursday evening, Gemma would fall into rapture and the marks would appear. The stigmata remained until Friday afternoon or Saturday morning when the bleeding would stop, the wounds would close, and only white marks would remain in place of the deep gashes. Gemma's stigmata would continue to appear until the last three years of her life, when her confessor forbade her to accept them. Through her prayers, this phenomenon ceased, but the whitish marks remained on her skin until her death.
Through the help of her confessor, Gemma went to live with a family named Giannini, where she was allowed more freedom than at home for her spiritual life. She had many ecstacies and her words spoken during these raptures, were recorded by her confessor and a relative of her adoptive family. At the end of her ecstacies, she returned to normal and went quietly and serenely about the family life. Gemma often saw her guardian angel, with whom she was on familiar terms. She often sent her guardian angel on errands, usually to deliver a letter or oral message to her confessor in Rome.
During the apostolic investigations into her life, all witnesses testified that there was no artfulness in Gemma's manner. Most of her severe penances and sacrifices were hidden from most who knew her.
In January of 1903, Gemma was diagnosed as having tuberculosis. She died quietly in the company of the parish priest, on April 11 at age twenty-five. He said, "She died with a smile which remained upon her lips, so that I could not convince myself that she was really dead." She was beatified in 1933 and canonized on May 2, 1940, only thirty-seven years after her death.
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happy feast day St. Gemma Galgani. please help my mom and i with our illnesses. thank you
As a nun, I took her name and was known as Sister Gemma Marie. Her feast day is April 11.
I have named my third child Rachel Gemma after this great saint may she bless her and assist her in studies. I too love her and am sure she will just by concidence realized it is her birthday today is it coincidence or is it her mystical intercession
She is my confirmation saint but we aren't allowed to do our confirmation saint for our saint report so I have to choose another :(
I love St. Gemma. She is my role model.
I'm becoming a Catholic and I want Gemma Galgani to be my patron saint because I have her name.
She is very inspiring to me, Thank you Gemma!
I love her she is soooooo pretty and young looking and it has my name in it. She was so kind and loving to the homeless nd poor and took care of her little brothers and sisters. This is my favorite saint because she is so holy and lovley. She is so cute and she was only 35 when she died from that sickness. I love saint Gemma she is one of the best saints that i know of.
-Emma
I am not a Catholic, and I love the Lord with all my heart. He has blessed me with many talents and abilities, even to the point of 'filling the pulpit' in my Pastor's absence. I read the Bible and study every day. I am soon to be sixty-five. I am interested in Saint Gemmah because I named my youngest daughter, Gemi thirty-five years ago, before I had ever heard of this Saint. My daughter is extremely beautiful and bright. I named her Gemi after the "gem" which is a precious and beautiful and expensive stone. I found it interesting that Saint Gemmah is referred to as the Saint of God. My oldest child, a son, has become a Catholic along with his wife and four children. I would never become a Catholic because I would not want to put 'anyone' between me and my Lord. The veil was rent and Jesus has become our high priest so we need no other inbetween. Thank you.
Saint Gemma was the Patroness of Pharmacists, loss of parents, those suffering back injury or back pain, those suffering with headaches/migraines, those struggling with temptations to impurity and those seeking purity of heart.
Saint Gemma please pray for us and the world..bring us back to a God fearing Moral Nation. Amen
I think St. Gemma Galgani was very faithful to all of her friends, family, and GOD. Bless us all Gemma.
I would like to thank St Gemma and Our Blessed Lady for the wonderful gift of life that they have bestowed upon me. Two years ago I was diagnosed was terminal cancer, but through the power of prayer I have been given the all clear and am now back to normal health. I will never forget St Gemma and I continue to pass on her novena to those that are sick or praying for special intentions as it has proved to be very powerful. I have been trying to obtain a relic of St Gemma for a few years now but it is proving very difficult. Hence I would be very grateful to anyone who could guide me in the right direction.
I'm totally picking her 4 my saint report at skwl!!
Gemma has become my "new little sister" Saint along with Saint Philomena. Her intercession already in the past few days has been heavenly sent and heavenly felt. She is gentle and kind and is there as a great intercessor for every word of your prayers. She entered my life during my 3 am Holy Hour and will be with me now, forever.
i love her! but what is her patron?
I LOVE ST. GEMMA!!!!!
but what is she the patron saint of?
very inspiring =]! she's my saint, WORD BRO!!!!!!
very good
i love gemma she is great to god and everyone
i agree she was great to her brothers and her dad and god
Thank you so much for the nice article on St Gemma Galgani.
For those interested in Saint Gemma, I have a website devoted to her includiing many of her writings for her autobiography, diary and letters, along with many pictures.
The St Gemma website is located here:
http://stgemmagalgani.blogspot.com/
-Glenn Dallaire
Bristol, CT USA