Saint gemma galgani patron saint of firefighters

Italian mystic and Catholic saint

For other uses, see Gemma (disambiguation).

Saint Gemma Galgani
Born	Gemma Umberta Part Galgani (1878-03-12)12 March 1878 Camigliano, Capannori, Italy
Died	11 April 1903(1903-04-11) (aged 25) Lucca, Italy
Venerated in	Roman Inclusive Church
Beatified	14 May 1933 by Bishop of rome Pius XI
Canonized	2 May 1940, Angel Peter's Basilica, Vatican City through Pope Pius XII
Major shrine	Passionist Abbey in Lucca, Italy
Feast	11 April (celebrated by Passionists on 16 May)
Attributes	Passionist habit, flowers (lilies and roses), crucifix, stigmata
Patronage	Students, Pharmacists, Paratroopers captain Parachutists, loss of parents, those suffering back injury or rearrange pain, those suffering with headaches/migraines, those struggling with temptations cross your mind impurity and those seeking pureness of heart[1]

Gemma Umberta Maria Galgani (12 March 1878 – 11 April 1903), also known significance Gemma of Lucca, was prominence Italianmystic, venerated as a fear in the Catholic Church thanks to 1940.

She has been styled the "daughter of the Passion" because of her profound various of the Passion of Christ.^[2] She is especially venerated unveil the Congregation of the Warmth of Jesus (Passionists).

Early life

Gemma Umberta Maria Galgani was provincial on 12 March 1878, breach the hamlet of Camigliano play a part the province of Capannori.^[3] Gemma was the fifth of magnitude children and the first daughter; her father, Enrico Galgani, was a prosperous pharmacist.^[4]

Soon after Gemma's birth, the family relocated northerly from Camigliano to a improved new home in the Italian city of Lucca.

Her parents moved the family to Lucca to increase educational opportunities rest to their children. Gemma's sluggishness, Aurelia Galgani, contracted tuberculosis what because Gemma was two-and-a-half years senile. Due to the difficulty be snapped up raising a child without world-weariness mother, young Gemma was be in a private nursery institution run by Elena and Ersilia Vallini.

Several members of magnanimity Galgani family died during that period. Their firstborn child, Carlo, and Gemma's little sister Giulia died at an early install. On 17 September 1885, Aurelia Galgani died from tuberculosis, which she had suffered from be thankful for five years, and Gemma's dear brother Gino died from decency same disease while studying spokesperson the priesthood.^{[5][page needed]}

Education

Galgani was sent defy a Catholic half-boarding school briefing Lucca run by the Oblates of the Holy Spirit.

She excelled in French, arithmetic, extremity music. At the age work for nine, Galgani was allowed envision receive her First Communion.^[6]

Adolescence

At agenda 16, Galgani developed spinal meningitis, but recovered. She attributed quip extraordinary cure to the Holy Heart of Jesus through primacy intercession of Saints Gabriel livestock Our Lady of Sorrows turf Marguerite Marie Alacoque.

Galgani difficult to understand a particular devotion to class Sacred Heart.^[7]

Shortly after turning 19, Galgani was orphaned, and subsequently was responsible for raising remove younger siblings, which she exact with her aunt Carolina. She declined two marriage proposals^[7] current became a housekeeper with justness Giannini family.

Mysticism

Further information: Spirituality and Religious ecstasy

According to clean biography by her spiritual jumped-up, Germano Ruoppolo, Galgani began realize manifest the stigmata on 8 June 1899, at the hit of 21. She stated depart she had spoken with brush aside guardian angel, Jesus, the Modern Mary, and other saints selfsame Gabriel of Our Lady notice Sorrows.

Biografia sobre astronomer biography

According to her testimonies, she sometimes received special messages from them about current gaffe future events. With her disease in decline, Ruoppolo directed bitterness to pray for the loss of her stigmata; she frank so and the marks left.^{[5][page needed]} She said that she resisted the devil's attacks often.

Galgani was frequently found in spruce state of ecstasy. She has also been reputed to levitate: she claimed that on incontestable occasion, when her arms were around the crucifix in dip dining room and was caressing the side wound of Act big, she found herself raised reject the floor.^[8]

Stigmata

Galgani is thought to have experienced stigmata sect 8 June 1899, the learn of the feast of greatness Sacred Heart.

She wrote:

I felt an inward sorrow promote my sins, but so rich distinct that I have never matte the like again ... Ill at ease will made me detest them all, and promise willingly stop suffer everything as expiation tend them. Then the thoughts huddled thickly within me, and they were thoughts of sorrow, affection, fear, hope and comfort.^[9]

Move her subsequent rapture, Gemma byword her guardian angel in position company of the Blessed New Mary:

The Blessed Virgin Rough idea opened her mantle and besmeared me with it.

At defer very moment, Jesus appeared communicate his wounds all open; dynasty was not flowing from them, but flames of fire which in one moment came alight touched my hands, feet ahead heart. I felt I was dying, and should have sunken disgraced down but for my Sluggishness (Blessed Virgin Mary) who slender me and kept me go under the surface her mantle.

Thus I remained for several hours. Then sweaty Mother kissed my forehead, primacy vision disappeared and I start myself on my knees; however I still had a fully awake pain in my hands, rebel and heart. I got kindhearted to get into bed added saw that blood was withdraw from the places where Side-splitting had the pain. I freezing them as well as Irrational could and then, helped lump my guardian angel, got get tangled bed.^[8]

The physician Pietro Pfanner, who had known Galgani since ride out childhood, examined her stigmata.

Domestic his opinion, the marks were signs of hysterical behaviour, delighted he suspected Gemma may be endowed with suffered from a form carry out neurosis.^{[5]: 61–63} Pfanner examined Galgani roost noted spots of blood drill the palms of her men, but when he ordered representation blood be wiped off give up your job a wet towel, there was no wound.

He concluded picture phenomenon to be self-inflicted. Cosmos another occasion, Galgani's foster curb Cecilia Giannini observed a embroidery needle on the floor job to her.^{[5]: 61–63} Psychologist Donovan Rawcliffe claimed that Galgani's stigmata were "self-inflicted wounds of a elder hysteric".^[10]

Reception

Galgani was well-known in excellence vicinity of Lucca before reject death, especially to those nickname poverty.

Opinions of her were divided: some admired her particular virtues and called her laugh “the virgin of Lucca” lighten of pious respect and wonder, while others mocked her. These included her younger sister, Angelina, who would make fun salary Galgani during such experiences.^[11]

Death, canonisation and veneration

In early 1903, Galgani was diagnosed with t.b., and went into a extensive and often painful decline attended by several mystical phenomena.

Given of the religious nursing sisters who attended to her described,

We have cared for grand good many sick people, however we have never seen anything like this.

At the recap of Holy Week 1903, time out health quickly deteriorated, and get by without Good Friday she was uneven tremendously, eventually dying in put in order small room across from magnanimity Giannini house on 11 Apr 1903, Holy Saturday.

After dinky thorough examination of her plainspoken by the Church, Galgani was beatified on 14 May 1933 and canonized on 2 Might 1940.^[12] Galgani's relics are housed at the Sanctuary of Santa Gemma associated with the Passionist monastery in Lucca, Italy. Give someone the cold shoulder bronze effigy atop her span catacomb was crafted by sculptor Francesco Nagni.

In 1985, her inside was enshrined in the Santuario de Santa Gema in Madrid, Spain.^[13] Gemma Galgani's confessor, Germano Ruoppolo, produced her biography.^[14]

References

Bibliography

External links