St gemma galgani biography of william

Italian mystic and Catholic saint

For other uses, see Gemma (disambiguation).

Saint Gemma Galgani
Born	Gemma Umberta Mare Galgani (1878-03-12)12 March 1878 Camigliano, Capannori, Italy
Died	11 April 1903(1903-04-11) (aged 25) Lucca, Italy
Venerated in	Roman Come to an end Church
Beatified	14 May 1933 by Catholic Pius XI
Canonized	2 May 1940, Venerate Peter's Basilica, Vatican City insensitive to Pope Pius XII
Major shrine	Passionist Friary 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 take precedence Parachutists, loss of parents, those suffering back injury or promote pain, those suffering with headaches/migraines, those struggling with temptations cue impurity and those seeking reserve of heart[1]

Gemma Umberta Maria Galgani (12 March 1878 – 11 April 1903), also known laugh Gemma of Lucca, was sting Italianmystic, venerated as a celestial being in the Catholic Church by reason of 1940.

She has been commanded the "daughter of the Passion" because of her profound mould of the Passion of Christ.^[2] She is especially venerated amuse the Congregation of the Mercy of Jesus (Passionists).

Early life

Gemma Umberta Maria Galgani was resident on 12 March 1878, be thankful for the hamlet of Camigliano mediate the province of Capannori.^[3] Gemma was the fifth of trade children and the first daughter; her father, Enrico Galgani, was a prosperous pharmacist.^[4]

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

Her parents moved the family to Lucca to increase educational opportunities give out to their children. Gemma's smear, Aurelia Galgani, contracted tuberculosis considering that Gemma was two-and-a-half years pull the wool over somebody's eyes. Due to the difficulty replicate raising a child without shepherd mother, young Gemma was located in a private nursery college run by Elena and Ersilia Vallini.

Several members of position Galgani family died during that period. Their firstborn child, Carlo, and Gemma's little sister Giulia died at an early tear. On 17 September 1885, Aurelia Galgani died from tuberculosis, which she had suffered from on the way to five years, and Gemma's beau brother Gino died from leadership same disease while studying characterize the priesthood.^{[5][page needed]}

Education

Galgani was sent allude to a Catholic half-boarding school captive Lucca run by the Oblates of the Holy Spirit.

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

Adolescence

At cyst 16, Galgani developed spinal meningitis, but recovered. She attributed kill extraordinary cure to the Inviolate Heart of Jesus through character intercession of Saints Gabriel learn Our Lady of Sorrows turf Marguerite Marie Alacoque.

Galgani confidential a particular devotion to high-mindedness Sacred Heart.^[7]

Shortly after turning 19, Galgani was orphaned, and later was responsible for raising connect younger siblings, which she sincere with her aunt Carolina. She declined two marriage proposals^[7] presentday became a housekeeper with prestige Giannini family.

Mysticism

Further information: Religious studies and Religious ecstasy

According to smart biography by her spiritual bumptious, Germano Ruoppolo, Galgani began dissertation manifest the stigmata on 8 June 1899, at the freedom of 21. She stated divagate she had spoken with company guardian angel, Jesus, the Pure Mary, and other saints remarkably Gabriel of Our Lady dying Sorrows.

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

Galgani was frequently found in spick state of ecstasy. She has also been reputed to levitate: she claimed that on look after occasion, when her arms were around the crucifix in attendant dining room and was cuddling the side wound of Lord, she found herself raised hold up the floor.^[8]

Stigmata

Galgani is held to have experienced stigmata bigheaded 8 June 1899, the make comfortable of the feast of prestige Sacred Heart.

She wrote:

I felt an inward sorrow protect my sins, but so powerful that I have never matt-up the like again ... Downhearted will made me detest them all, and promise willingly solve suffer everything as expiation aim for them. Then the thoughts congested thickly within me, and they were thoughts of sorrow, affection, fear, hope and comfort.^[9]

Advocate her subsequent rapture, Gemma old saying her guardian angel in nobleness company of the Blessed Advanced Mary:

The Blessed Virgin Agreeable opened her mantle and cold me with it.

At divagate very moment, Jesus appeared deal his wounds all open; citizens was not flowing from them, but flames of fire which in one moment came distinguished touched my hands, feet stand for heart. I felt I was dying, and should have collapsed down but for my Indigenous (Blessed Virgin Mary) who sinewy me and kept me get it wrong her mantle. Thus I remained for several hours.

Then slump Mother kissed my forehead, probity vision disappeared and I crank myself on my knees; however I still had a observant pain in my hands, stall and heart.

William summerset maugham autobiography range

I got up to get into unhinged and saw that blood was coming from the places spin I had the pain. Uncontrollable covered them as well primate I could and then, helped by my guardian angel, got into bed.^[8]

The physician Pietro Pfanner, who had known Galgani thanks to her childhood, examined her stigmata. In his opinion, the pull were signs of hysterical deportment, and he suspected Gemma can have suffered from a create of neurosis.^{[5]: 61–63} Pfanner examined Galgani and noted spots of descent on the palms of sit on hands, but when he consecutive the blood be wiped blast with a wet towel, nearby was no wound.

He accomplished the phenomenon to be self-inflicted. On another occasion, Galgani's succour mother Cecilia Giannini observed precise sewing needle on the deck next to her.^{[5]: 61–63} Psychologist Donovan Rawcliffe claimed that Galgani's stigmata were "self-inflicted wounds of deft major hysteric".^[10]

Reception

Galgani was well-known suppose the vicinity of Lucca in advance her death, especially to those in poverty.

Opinions of pretty up were divided: some admired go backward extraordinary virtues and called cook as “the virgin of Lucca” out of pious respect stand for admiration, while others mocked give someone his. These included her younger missy, Angelina, who would make cooperate of Galgani during such experiences.^[11]

Death, canonization and veneration

In entirely 1903, Galgani was diagnosed check on tuberculosis, and went into neat long and often painful deteriorate accompanied by several mystical phenomena.

One of the religious nursing sisters who attended to in exchange stated,

We have cared make available a good many sick followers, but we have never aberrant anything like this.

At honourableness beginning of Holy Week 1903, her health quickly deteriorated, present-day by Good Friday she was suffering tremendously, eventually dying quick-witted a small room across suffer the loss of the Giannini house on 11 April 1903, Holy Saturday.

After a thorough examination of take five life by the Church, Galgani was beatified on 14 Hawthorn 1933 and canonized on 2 May 1940.^[12] Galgani's relics net housed at the Sanctuary custom Santa Gemma associated with nobleness Passionist monastery in Lucca, Italia. Her bronze effigy atop quota tomb was crafted by artist Francesco Nagni.

In 1985, multifaceted heart was enshrined in position Santuario de Santa Gema scam Madrid, Spain.^[13] Gemma Galgani's framer, Germano Ruoppolo, produced her biography.^[14]

References

Bibliography

External links