Saint Gemma's birthday, website news & earthquake in Japan


St Gemma's birthday (Saturday, March 12) & some website news...

Earthquake in Japan:
Firstly I would like to offer prayers for those in Japan and elsewhere who have been affected by the devastating earthquake today, 3/11/11. May God help all those affected by natural disasters in our times. Such events call to mind Gemma's prayer, "My Jesus, mercy" as Gemma herself would often say.

St Gemma's birthday and also her upcoming feastday:
Saturday, March 12 marks 133 years since Gemma's birth. May God bless us as we honor her birth and holy life as we strive to follow in her holy example of love and devotion to God and others.

Upcoming also in a few short weeks is her feastday, Monday April 11th, which of course is the anniversary of her holy death.

Website news: 3/4 of a million page visits!
The St Gemmma Galgani website is now nearing 750,000 page visits since its inception in August, 2008. This website was created for the greater glory of God to spread devotion to His servant, St Gemma---to give glory and appreciation to God for all the extraordinary marvels and graces that He wrought in her holy life. And so it is with thanksgiving to God that He has blessed this website with so many visitors, for it is surely because He desires souls to follow in Gemma's shining example of complete devotion, loving Him with all of one's heart and soul.

Gemma's continued intercession in the world today
Gemma's life was spent as a victim soul in union with Jesus in reparation for the sins of humanity, offering herself completely to Jesus for the salvation of us sinners. And since her holy death in 1903, how many graces God has wrought through her intercession, only a small handful of which are in her biographies and on this website!

And without a doubt Gemma's intercession for souls has not ceased to the present day, even now that she is with her beloved Jesus and Mary in heaven. My email inbox alone attests to the continued intercession of St Gemma in the world today. And so we give thanks to God for His Saints such as Gemma, who continue to plead for us before Him, and who obtain countless graces and blessings for us. -Blessed be God in His angels and in His Saints!


A special thank you to donors

Thanks to those who have made donations for the St Gemma relic pouches over the past couple of months I have been able to send 3 donations totalling $250.00 to the Passionist nuns at the Monastery-Sanctuary of Saint Gemma in Lucca, Italy. For those who are unaware, Gemma's holy remains are kept beneath the main altar of the monastery Church (pictured in the photo to the left). Those interested can check out the St Gemma Monastery website here (in Italian). Holy Mass is celebrated each day upon this altar, beneath which the holy remains of Gemma are kept and venerated.

"...In your Mass tomorrow morning, please ask Jesus to hide me in His Sacred Heart, that I may see nothing, feel nothing, think of nothing, love no one, but Him...."
"...Jesus does not wish me to succeed in anything, because He wishes my mind to be totally occupied with Him alone...'
-St Gemma Galgani

8 comments:

Fr. Todd said...

Thank you for this reminder; I will remember St Gemma at my Mass tomorrow.

Castilo said...

Happy Birthday Dear St. Gemma!

Thank you Glenn for the update. I can never tire of thanking you for all the hard work you put into this site. I will continue to ask St. Gemma to pray for you and everyone that visits this site.

God bless.

r/
Castilo

Glenn Dallaire said...

Dear Father Todd,
I wish I could be there for your Mass! However I will join you in spiritual communion of prayer...

And thanks Father Todd for all the encoragement that you give this website in honor of St Gemma.

Union in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary,
Glenn Dallaire

Glenn Dallaire said...

Dear Castilo,
Thank you for your kind comments, and most especially for you prayers.

I pray that St Gemma may always be close to you, and may she lead you ever closer to Jesus.

Wishing you a blessed Lent,
-Glenn Dallaire

Anonymous said...

Glenn,

I cannot believe that I missed St. Gemma's birthday! Thank you for the reminder, though. I will be sure to remember St. Gemma's feast day!

In Jesu XPI Passio,
David

Unknown said...

i am offering little sacrifices in union with Jesus for the relief and hunger and thirst of the those victims in japan and flood victims in leyte and samar,philippines.

i give thanks to st.gemma whom my friend here in manila, fr.pio aclon introduced me to. Last year from 12-3 a.m. i surfed st.gemma's site and prayed all the prayers therein, discovering that she had suffered from a backache which i was having for almost nine years, especially painful was a pain in my mid-backbone. this pain i complained to st.gemma was excruciating, and could she please relieve me of it. next day it was gone and to date march 2011, it is gone,praise and thanks to GOD.

Glenn Dallaire said...

Hi "c",
Thank you for sharing the story of the healing that you received through the interecession of St Gemma. You are really blessed to have received such a grace---Thanks be to God!

I pray that St Gemma may always be very close to you, and may she lead you ever closer to Jesus.
-Glenn Dallaire

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday Gemma!!!

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