St. Gerard Majella, religious, is the patron of expectant mothers. He was born at Muro, Italy, in 1726 and joined the Redemptorists at the age of 23, becoming a professed lay brother in 1752.
He served as sacristan, gardener, porter, infirmarian, and tailor. However, because of his great piety, extraordinary wisdom, and his gift of reading consciences, he was permitted to counsel communities of religious women.
This humble servant of God also had the faculties of levitation and bi-location associated with certain mystics. His charity, obedience, and selfless service as well as his ceaseless mortification for Christ, made him the perfect model of lay brothers.
When falsely accused by a pregnant woman of being the father of her child, he retreated to silence; she later recanted and cleared him, and thus began his association as patron of all aspects of pregnancy. Reputed to bilocate and read consciences. His last will consisted of the following small note on the door of his cell: “Here the will of God is done, as God wills, and as long as God wills.”
He was afflicted with tuberculosis and died in 1755 at the age of twenty-nine.This great saint is invoked as a patron of expectant mothers as a result of a miracle effected through his prayers for a woman in labor.
He died on the 16 October 1755 at Caposele, Italy of tuberculosis. He was beatified on 29 January 1893 by Pope Leo XIII and was canonized on 11 December 1904 by Pope Saint Pius X.
SOURCES:
He served as sacristan, gardener, porter, infirmarian, and tailor. However, because of his great piety, extraordinary wisdom, and his gift of reading consciences, he was permitted to counsel communities of religious women.
This humble servant of God also had the faculties of levitation and bi-location associated with certain mystics. His charity, obedience, and selfless service as well as his ceaseless mortification for Christ, made him the perfect model of lay brothers.
When falsely accused by a pregnant woman of being the father of her child, he retreated to silence; she later recanted and cleared him, and thus began his association as patron of all aspects of pregnancy. Reputed to bilocate and read consciences. His last will consisted of the following small note on the door of his cell: “Here the will of God is done, as God wills, and as long as God wills.”
He was afflicted with tuberculosis and died in 1755 at the age of twenty-nine.This great saint is invoked as a patron of expectant mothers as a result of a miracle effected through his prayers for a woman in labor.
He died on the 16 October 1755 at Caposele, Italy of tuberculosis. He was beatified on 29 January 1893 by Pope Leo XIII and was canonized on 11 December 1904 by Pope Saint Pius X.
SOURCES:
- http://www.catholic.org/saints
- http://saints.sqpn.com
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