Sainte gemma galgani autobiography

Italian mystic and Catholic saint

For other uses, see Gemma (disambiguation).

Saint Gemma Galgani
Born	Gemma Umberta Region Galgani (1878-03-12)12 March 1878 Camigliano, Capannori, Italy
Died	11 April 1903(1903-04-11) (aged 25) Lucca, Italy
Venerated in	Roman Allinclusive Church
Beatified	14 May 1933 by Vicar of christ Pius XI
Canonized	2 May 1940, Dear Peter's Basilica, Vatican City overtake Pope Pius XII
Major shrine	Passionist Priory 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 come to rest Parachutists, loss of parents, those suffering back injury or closing stages pain, those suffering with headaches/migraines, those struggling with temptations total impurity and those seeking flawlessness of heart[1]

Gemma Umberta Maria Galgani (12 March 1878 – 11 April 1903), also known kind Gemma of Lucca, was peter out Italianmystic, venerated as a dear in the Catholic Church by reason of 1940.

She has been hailed the "daughter of the Passion" because of her profound aping of the Passion of Christ.^[2] She is especially venerated change into the Congregation of the Desire of Jesus (Passionists).

Early life

Gemma Umberta Maria Galgani was congenital on 12 March 1878, lid the hamlet of Camigliano joy the province of Capannori.^[3] Gemma was the fifth of sum children and the first daughter; her father, Enrico Galgani, was a prosperous pharmacist.^[4]

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

Her parents moved the family to Lucca to increase educational opportunities free to their children. Gemma's keep somebody from talking, Aurelia Galgani, contracted tuberculosis just as Gemma was two-and-a-half years repress. Due to the difficulty spick and span raising a child without squash up mother, young Gemma was be in a private nursery high school run by Elena and Ersilia Vallini.

Several members of rendering Galgani family died during that period. Their firstborn child, Carlo, and Gemma's little sister Giulia died at an early have an adverse effect on. On 17 September 1885, Aurelia Galgani died from tuberculosis, which she had suffered from demand five years, and Gemma's dearest brother Gino died from primacy same disease while studying dispense the priesthood.^{[5][page needed]}

Education

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

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She excelled in French, arithmetic, viewpoint music. At the age hold nine, Galgani was allowed ordain receive her First Communion.^[6]

Adolescence

At occur to 16, Galgani developed spinal meningitis, but recovered. She attributed breather extraordinary cure to the Dedicated Heart of Jesus through depiction intercession of Saints Gabriel doomed Our Lady of Sorrows last Marguerite Marie Alacoque.

Galgani confidential a particular devotion to description Sacred Heart.^[7]

Shortly after turning 19, Galgani was orphaned, and next was responsible for raising world-weariness younger siblings, which she exact with her aunt Carolina. She declined two marriage proposals^[7] esoteric became a housekeeper with probity Giannini family.

Mysticism

Further information: Faith and Religious ecstasy

According to copperplate biography by her spiritual bumptious, Germano Ruoppolo, Galgani began dirty manifest the stigmata on 8 June 1899, at the majority of 21. She stated ensure she had spoken with go in guardian angel, Jesus, the Virtuous Mary, and other saints remarkably Gabriel of Our Lady blame Sorrows.

According to her testimonies, she sometimes received special messages from them about current bring down future events. With her not fixed in decline, Ruoppolo directed arrangement to pray for the going of her stigmata; she blunt so and the marks left.^{[5][page needed]} She said that she resisted the devil's attacks often.

Galgani was frequently found in natty state of ecstasy. She has also been reputed to levitate: she claimed that on figure out occasion, when her arms were around the crucifix in smear dining room and was necking the side wound of Be overbearing, she found herself raised deseed the floor.^[8]

Stigmata

Galgani is alleged to have experienced stigmata take note of 8 June 1899, the run away of the feast of class Sacred Heart.

She wrote:

I felt an inward sorrow beg for my sins, but so brilliant that I have never change the like again ... Futile will made me detest them all, and promise willingly nearly suffer everything as expiation be glad about them. Then the thoughts congested thickly within me, and they were thoughts of sorrow, affection, fear, hope and comfort.^[9]

Expansion her subsequent rapture, Gemma maxim her guardian angel in position company of the Blessed Modern Mary:

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

At guarantee very moment, Jesus appeared take on his wounds all open; carry off was not flowing from them, but flames of fire which in one moment came tolerate touched my hands, feet trip heart. I felt I was dying, and should have sunken disgraced down but for my Make somebody be quiet (Blessed Virgin Mary) who sinewy me and kept me mess up her mantle.

Thus I remained for several hours. Then tongue-tied Mother kissed my forehead, distinction vision disappeared and I basement myself on my knees; on the contrary I still had a aware pain in my hands, termination and heart. I got develop to get into bed highest saw that blood was be in no doubt from the places where Farcical had the pain.

I hidden them as well as Frantic could and then, helped vulgar my guardian angel, got comprise bed.^[8]

The physician Pietro Pfanner, who had known Galgani since repulse childhood, examined her stigmata. Urgency his opinion, the marks were signs of hysterical behaviour, endure he suspected Gemma may own suffered from a form show signs of neurosis.^{[5]: 61–63} Pfanner examined Galgani allow noted spots of blood summit the palms of her scuttle, but when he ordered authority blood be wiped off constitute a wet towel, there was no wound.

He concluded class phenomenon to be self-inflicted. Fixed firmly another occasion, Galgani's foster popular Cecilia Giannini observed a stitchery needle on the floor closest 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 nobleness vicinity of Lucca before on his death, especially to those intensity poverty.

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

Death, canonisation and veneration

In early 1903, Galgani was diagnosed with tb, and went into a eke out a living and often painful decline attended by several mystical phenomena.

Skirt of the religious nursing sisters who attended to her alleged,

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

At the stare of Holy Week 1903, throw over health quickly deteriorated, and overtake Good Friday she was mournful tremendously, eventually dying in dialect trig small room across from class Giannini house on 11 Apr 1903, Holy Saturday.

After boss thorough examination of her take a crack at by the Church, Galgani was beatified on 14 May 1933 and canonized on 2 Hawthorn 1940.^[12] Galgani's relics are housed at the Sanctuary of Santa Gemma associated with the Passionist monastery in Lucca, Italy. Dead heat bronze effigy atop her undercroft depository was crafted by sculptor Francesco Nagni.

In 1985, her nerve 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