How the St Gemma Galgani relic lockets are made



How the St Gemma Galgani relic lockets and relic locket rosaries are made

The relics inside the St Gemma relic lockets and relic locket rosaries that I offer are wood fragments that come from two large pieces of wood from Saint Gemma's original coffin, called "ex capsa" in Latin. 

Gemma's original wooden coffin was exhumed as part of the official beatification/canonisation process, which began in 1907. 

I feel very blessed to have recieved these two large pieces of wood from her original coffin, and it is from these two large pieces of wood that the relics inside the St Gemma relic lockets come from.
Saint Gemma relics

As can be seen in the photos, these two pieces of wood came from the Postulator General of the Passionists in Rome back in 1952, and were originally sent to the Passionist nuns at the Chapel of Saint Gemma in Sittard, Netherlands. The relics have the official seal of the Postulator General of the Passionist Congregation, along with a signed document, attesting to their origin and authenticity.


The signed document of authenticity from the Postulator General of the Passionists in Rome, written in Latin states the following:
(Translated from Latin to English)

We give credit to the inspection of all letters of praise. We have taken from the authentic remains, which are preserved with us, two pieces from the wooden box in which the sacred body of Saint Gemma Galgani, the Virgin of Lucca, was first buried. In whose faith we have given these Letters, twice signed, and secured by our seal.

Given at Rome, SS. John and Paul: May 20, AD 1952

(Signed)
Aegidius Joseph a SS. Cordibus
Postulator General C.P.

Some examples of St Gemma Galgani relic holy prayer cards
As a side note, readers might also be interested to know that the Saint Gemma relic holy cards that the Passionist nuns at St Gemma's monatery in Lucca, Italy have been issuing for many decades also contain the "ex capsa" fragments of wood from Gemma's coffin. They too have the official seal of the Passionists.  

The relic locket rosaries that I offer in the St Gemma Gift Store are made of beautiful 7mm glass beads and each bead is "lock linked" into place with washers on both sides of the bead, and the rings that join the crucifix and the locket center to the rosary are triple looped, making these rosaries very sturdy.

As for the relic lockets, they are all 20mm (approx 3/4 of an inch) and are of very solid construction. They are not waterproof however, therefore if wearing them I recommend taking them off when bathing.

The relic locket rosaries and relic lockets are individually hand made and are not mass produced in a factory. Thus, each one is unique and special.

For those interested, more details concerning this Saint Gemma relic can be found here.

Click here to go to the St Gemma Gift Store where these items and others are being offered.

12 comments:

Petro Larkin said...

Where can I get a large statue of saint gemma galgani

Many thanks

Glenn Dallaire said...

Hi Petro,
To reply to your question, unfortunately I have not seen any distributors here in the USA that offer good quality statues of St Gemma . There are a couple of statuary makers in Italy and Spain that make some really nice ones, but to my knowledge they are not available here in the USA. So, unfortunately the only other statues I have seen available here in the USA are the used ones for sale on EBAY, and occasionally some nice ones do come up for auction there.

The Passionist nuns at St Gemma's monastery in Lucca, Italy have some and offer them at the monastery store, but you would need to call them and speak to them about purchasing and shipping.--their contact information is below.
Monastero-Santuario di Santa Gemma
Claustrali Passioniste
Fuori Porta Elisa
55100 - Lucca
Italy
Telephone: 0111-09-0583 91724

Unknown said...

How may I have one bro. ? Since, we're on lockdown we can't have much money to donate.

I wish to receive a blessed response from you.

Unknown said...

How I can get the relic of St Gemma for my devotion

Unknown said...

It is possible to reach out to the Passionist nuns at the St. Gemma Galgani shrine in Italy and request a relic from them directly for free. I recently contacted them through the email on their website to request a relic. They are happy to send out a small fragment from her coffin for free if you email them your address. You can write them in English or Italian (if you reach out in English, I suggest keeping it simple and direct.) It does take a long time. (I contacted them over 6 weeks ago and it still hasn't arrived.) Their email, from their website, is monastero@santagemma.eu. Their address is:

Via di Tiglio, 271,
55100 Lucca LU

Phone: +39 0583 48815
Website: https://www.santagemma.eu/

Hope this helps!

Anonymous said...

Hello, I was wondering if you could explain to me what the red is, surrounding the fragment from the coffin? I took a photo and enlarged it and it resembles blood- but then looking at some of your relic pictures there appears to be some red color too? What is this from? Thank you, in advance.

Glenn Dallaire said...

Hi Anonymous,
The red in some of the relic lockets is a red cloth backing. May God bless you and your loved ones. -Glenn

Anonymous said...

Where are all the rosaries made ? Who are the makers of these rosaries ? I like to know what items I have to the fullest extent so I can have a clear conscience of devotion towards the appreciation of such a loving creation. Certainly, with St Gemma Being My Patron Saint : I would like to know these things because it would alleviate my wondering and let’s say it’s much better than me trying to come up with it by myself . Please and thank you

Glenn Dallaire said...


Hi Anonymous,
All of the rosaries and lockets that I offer on this site are handmade with devotion by me. Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks for your questions. -Glenn

Anonymous said...

Is the red backing from the casket?

Do all of the lockets contain wood? My locket shows a small piece of the red backing, but it is difficult to appreciate any wood.

Glenn Dallaire said...

Hi Anonymous,
The fragment of wood "ex capsa" relic (from St Gemma's original casket) is in the center of the locket, that is in the center of the circle where it is identified. The red on the outer area is part of the ornamental design. Let me know if you have any other questions. -Glenn

Anonymous said...

Dear Glenn, I would love a Saint Gemma Rosary & Locket. If you can tell me how I can get the Rosary from you, I would be very thankful.
Sensibly,
Tina Marie DeMotto

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