Examples of holiness in the life of St Gemma

More little stories in the holy life of St Gemma

This article is a continuation of little stories in the life of Saint Gemma. The source of these stories is the book "The Gem of Christ- The Story of St Gemma of Lucca" by Father Francis C.P (Passionist), Published in 1949 by the Catholic Book Publishing Co.

Gemma declines offers of marriage giving herself in love to Jesus alone
When Gemma’s father died, relatives soon came to the assistance of the poverty-stricken family and Gemma, then age 20, was invited to stay with her aunt Carolina at Camaiore. This aunt was her father's sister, who had mar­ried a rich widower, Dominic Lencioni. Gemma usually spent her vacation with them and was held in such high esteem by her uncle Dominic that he once said to her: "If you remain with us I will leave you as much money as I shall leave to my other niece who lives here."
"Oh, no!" said Gemma. "I am going to be a nun, but if you give me something for my dowry, I willl be very grateful."
The comforts, even luxuries, to be had in her new home made no appeal to Gemma. Her daily life was one of great regularity. Each morning she went with her cousin Rose to the Collegiate Church to hear Mass and receive Holy Com­munion. On their return they took care of house­hold duties, and then went to serve the customers in their uncle's store, the kind usual in the country, with hardware, kitchen utensils, cloth, and ready-made clothes. They worked until noon and, after lunch, they walked the half mile to the Abbey Church, where there was a famous shrine of the Pieta, Before this image of the Sorrowful Mother, Gemma experienced, as she once confided to a friend of hers, "…a very strong, almost irre­sistible love for the Passion of Our Lord and the Sorrows of His most holy Mother, together with a detachment from all that life can offer to a young person."
The two girls then returned to the store and worked until 6:00pm. Then, a visit to the Blessed Sacrament was followed by supper, Ro­sary and night prayers together, general family conversation, and then a well-earned sleep. This routine she followed for the ten months of her stay.

In the country, as well as in the city, life has much to offer youth. Gemma was possessed of no ordinary beauty at sixteen. Now, at the age of twenty, without ornament, dressed simply in black, dignified but graceful, governed by piety and modesty in every gesture, possessed of all womanly accomplishments, she was understandably admired by the young men of the place. One of them went with his father, a physician, to see Gemma's uncle and made a formal proposal of marriage. To the worldly-minded a refusal would have all the marks of folly, but Gemma had chosen "the fool­ishness of the Cross" ; she had no eyes for anyone but the Beloved and passed, unseeing, all earthly love in search for the only One.

In spite of this, another young man, who bore the most fitting name of Romeo, made an attempt at a proposal. He worked in a pharmacy across the street in the rear of the Lencioni house. Standing there in the doorway he asked one of the servants at work in the kitchen to declare his intentions to Gemma. "When I refused to do so," says the good woman, "he had the effrontery to write a letter and made me the bearer of it. Gemma took the letter, opened it quickly and read it out loud: it was a declaration of affection. She made a gesture of disgust, exclaiming: 'Look what the silly fellow did! Wait. I'll write him a few lines and you take it to him.' I refused to do this and, even though the letter was written, Gemma said: 'I think I will go and see him myself.' And she tore up the letter."

Together they went to the young man. The servant was not present at the interview but Gemma later came back and exclaimed: "Now you will see that I will not be bothered again. Do you know what I told him? I said that he must not think of me or even look at me because I belong to Jesus, and that all my thoughts and affections are for Him alone, and for Him always."
This one-sided romance did not escape the no­tice of the usual small-boy tormentor. Her cousin, Aloysius Bartelloni, in 1922, as a witness in the Processes of Canonisation, took an impish delight in recalling how he teased Gemma on that occasion. "On the kitchen door I wrote this sentence: 'Gemma and Romeo are going down to the Abbey bridge to make love.' And to vex her all the more, I used to walk behind her chanting the same words. It wasn't worth the trouble I took. Gemma abso­lutely avoided all such things, and was hurt by my provoking conduct, yet it was my sister and my aunt, and not Gemma, who scolded me and made me cease annoying her."

To avoid such importunities Gemma, like the virgin-martyrs of the early Church, had recourse to God in prayer and the answer came in the form of a serious sickness. She began to feel pain in the head and the back and, with this excuse, returned to Lucca - to a home poor and desolate, devoid of every comfort. There she grew worse; her headaches became violent; she lost her hearing; all her hair fell out and paralysis seized her whole body. The doctor looked at the abscesses on her back and after consultation, he pronounced her disease, tuberculosis of the spine [or perhaps spinal meningitis]. They cauterized the abscesses and later fitted her into a heavy iron brace, which she wore day and night, with only her hands free. And thus she remained helpless, crucified for a whole year.

During this time she received Holy Communion on the 15 Saturdays in honor of our Lady of Pompei - a popular devotion in Italy. The priest who brought Communion to her had only a short time before returned from a pilgrimage to Paray­le-Monial. He mentioned the fact to the suffering girl who was immediately interested and asked about the Sanctuary, about the devotions to the Sacred Heart and to Saint Margaret Mary prac­ticed there.

Her aunt at Camaiore used to send her some money every month but, instead of using it for herself, Gemma bought a soul; for the saints are always direct and practical. Why pray for the conversion of sinners and refuse them the help to get away from their sin? She had been told that the water-carrier was living in sin with a certain man. The family were all for discontinu­ing her services, but Gemma said: "Let me speak to her. Why send her away without giving her time to reflect? Jesus did not send Magdalene away but received her kindly."

The next day Gemma spoke to the woman about her evil life. The woman admitted the truth, but declared she was living with the man only be­cause he paid the rent. "In that case," said Gem­ma, "I will pay the rent, provided you leave him. Now go to confession, tell everything, and return to the friendship of God." The woman did so, and Gemma, out of her little money, kept her promise as long as she lived. And with a final little touch of practical charity so lovely in the Saints - Gemma insisted that the woman should have a cup of coffee each morning when she came, exhorting the others: "Let us each take a little less so that we may have a cup for her."
Her humility and simplicity
A young priest, professor of Hebrew in the seminary and also Monsignor Volpi's secretary, was sent by the Monsignor to verify for him a reported recurrence of the stig­mata. Bristling with importance, he entered Gemma's room along with Cecilia Giannini. The poor girl was in bed suffering, the day being a Friday on which she had also endured the mystic Scourging. To report this was his errand, but he fancied himself as a clever inquisitor and made many demands on Gemma to test her hu­mility, and to find out if she had the knowledge of hidden things. He knew French. Would Gemma talk in French with him? He had received some alms for Masses but had forgotten the number. Would Gemma please tell him the number? To all this nonsense the suffering girl made no reply until at last she said: "Speak to me about Jesus." The learned professor left in haste - to become ever after her bitterest critic, even as a witness in the Processes of Canonization.

In the midst of so many Divine favors, she was as natural and as much at ease as a child in her father's house. While enjoying the visible presence of her Guardian Angel, she dealt with him on terms of friendly affection, leaving him without ceremony when duty called. At night she begged him to sign her with the Holy Cross and to watch by her and then she calmly turned over and went to sleep. In the morning with her mind on Holy Communion, she scarcely noticed him, saying: "I have what is much better in my thoughts; I am going to Jesus."
When he took leave of her, she merely said in her simple way: "Good-bye, dear Angel: offer my salutations to Jesus." After her ecstasies, she washed off the stains of blood on her face, drew the sleeves of her dress over the wounds in her hands and returned to the family circle with as much unconcern as though nothing had happened. She, who a moment before was face to face with her Crucified Jesus, contemplating the Mystery of Redemption and sharing in His Sufferings, could be found engaged in amusing the younger children of the house. An instance - the time she said to Cecilia Giannini:
"Dina and I get along fine, because I am always willing to play the games she likes, especially hide-and-seek."

This was a treasured memory for the little girl who grew up to become a Poor Clare. Charles, the youngest, was one of her favorites of the Giannini children, though at times he was a little bundle of mischief. If he became boisterous at table, he would steal a glance at her and be restored to good behavior by a simple look. As soon as these two youngsters were finished eating, she took them up to the play room, while she went to her own room to pray. The children, going to see what delayed her, would find her in ecstasy. Once Gemma said to her good benefactor Cecilia: "We must watch that Charles; he is a little rascal. Do you know what he said to me: 'Why do you always go to sleep?'

She was at ease with the innocent and simple, and sought the means to give them pleasure. Whenever Joseph Giannini (one of the older Giannini children) got ready to return, after his weekend visit, to the Univer­sity of Pisa to continue his law studies, she would remind his aunt to ask him to bring back a box of candy so that she might have a supply on hand for the children.

Her generous offerings of self
Like a dove, Gemma flew above the perishable things of time, spurning them in her eagerness to return to the Heart of God. The contempt she felt for earth inspired her favorite form of peti­tion - that of offering a certain number of the years of life for special favors. "There are about seven years of life still before me," she wrote to Father Germano. "I would like to offer three of them for Seraphina," a friend who was very sick. "I would like to be near you so that I could ask this favor on my knees." Before receiving an answer to this, she had another case - Mrs. Giannini, the mother of the large Giannini family, became seriously ill and it was thought to be cancer of the stomach. Again a letter went off to Rome, in which Gemma pleaded for per­mission to show her gratitude for the lady's kindness. 'This morning I spoke to my Confessor and said: 'I would like to offer my life for the poor mother.'

His answer was an absolute No. Then I said: 'Could I then give two years?'‘He gave in and said 'Yes', but only on condition that the Father [Germanus] approves also. . . . Father, you won't deny this to me, will you? Two for Seraphina, and two for the mother, and more if they are needed."

Both ladies recovered and, in the time specified as she had foreseen it, Gemma died. She went in the flower of youth - a victim to a childlike love of her neighbor and to the ardor of her longing for God.
"Many waters cannot quench charity, neither can the floods drown it ; if a man should give all the substance of his house for love, he shall despise it as nothing.” (Cant. 8, 7.)

A little example of Gemma's devotion to the Blessed Mother
Gemma loved the following popular prayer-
"My Queen! My Mother! I give myself entirely to Thee: and to show my devotion to Thee, I consecrate to You this day, my eyes, my ears, my mouth, my heart, my whole being without reserve. Wherefore, good Mother, keep me, guard me as Thy property and possession."
She once wrote out this prayer from memory and gave it to a friend, which can lead us to assume that she must have said it often.

Click here to go to Part 1 of "Little stories in the Life of St Gemma"

St Gemma's reaction to unkindness -forgiveness

Little Stories in the Life of St Gemma -Part 2 of 2

This article is a continuation of little stories in the life of Saint Gemma. The source of these stories is the book "The Gem of Christ- The Story of St Gemma of Lucca" by Father Francis C.P.., Published in 1949 by the Catholic Book Publishing Co. Part 1 of this article can be found here.

Saint Gemma’s reaction to the unkindness of others
There are times when the truth hurts. And there was a time when poor Gemma, the desti¬tute orphan, sick and dependent on charity, was cruelly lacerated in her sensitive heart by one who knew better. First, for the setting of this account we should recall that after Gemma’s father died (and Gemma’s mother had died when she was only 8 years old), she was taken in by the large Giannini family in Lucca. A Passionist Father on the way to the Giannini house met a religious, who accompanied him there. Gemma was the first person they met at the door, but before she could offer them her usual kind welcome, this religious broke out into a very passion of vituperation. Among other injurious epithets, he exclaimed: "You worthless consumptive, you rotten thing, when will you die and cease to defile this house by your presence?"

Poor Gemma went white with humiliation, and having admitted the visitors with her customary calmness, she withdrew. After a while, when the religious had gone, the Passionist looked for Gemma to offer a word of apology and comfort. "I found her," he says, "in the dining room where there was a large beautiful Crucifix ... There she was on her knees wrapped in prayer. Later I saw her at dinner serving the table in her usual simple, modest, unaffected manner."
Gemma had already found her comfort from the blow in prayer at the feet of her Jesus crucified.
(Photo to the left is the actual Crucifix in the Giannini home that Gemma often prayed to)

Her brother Ettore and her sister Angela
In the Scriptures we have our Lord saying: “A man’s enemies will be those of his own household” (Matt 10:36) and also “Where did He get all this Wisdom and these Miracles? Is not this the carpenters Son? Is not His Mother called Mary and His brethren, James and Joseph and Simon and Jude: and His sisters, are they not all with us? Then where did He get all this?" (Matt. 13, 54-56.) Hence, many of those who knew Jesus, and even some in His own extended family and in the town of Nazereth were simply bewildered by the transition from the ordinary to the extraordinary in His Life.

And the disciple is not above the Master. It was not always outsiders who were unkind to Gemma, but at times even the members of her own family. This is a trial common also in the lives of the Saints, and Gemma, too, had to endure it at the hands of her relatives. At first she was simply the victim of the overbearing ones toward the meek, which the impatient feel toward those who practice virtue with tranquillity and fortitude. Once her brother Ettore wished to go to the theatre and was quite peeved over the lack of money for a ticket. Gemma tried to calm him, saying with her gentle smile: "Don't be upset about it." Whereupon his anger became so great that he struck her in the eye with his fist with the result that in the morning she appeared with a black eye. Yet when asked how she came by it, she blamed no one, saying simply:
"I certainly deserved it."
Another time he [Ettore] gave her such a blow that the mark could be seen for many days.

Her sister Angela (Angelina), three years younger than Gemma, was no lover of piety or virtue, and she had the disposition of a wildcat. "You are all bigots and hypocrites" she would say to Gemma and her aunts. Once Gemma reproved her for her habit of standing at the window - a rather serious fault against the modesty and reserve expected of a young girl at that time. She turned away from the window indeed, but only to rush upon Gemma in anger, and to dig her fingers into her hair and pull her about until the commotion brought the aunt on the scene. Later this unruly girl, unable to endure the piety and examples of virtue at home, went to board outside. But before she left, she was the cause of great suffering to her holy sister.

When the stigmata appeared, Gemma was even in a worse state at home, as we see from a letter written to her Confessor:
"Monsignor, listen: I am almost in despair. Angela knows everything about me. This morning she spoke about my affairs as if they were nothing and my brother along with her made fun of them. I am not the least afraid of their ridicule, you know. But from eleven o'clock this morning until this hour, which is three o'clock, she has not left me alone. She says that she wants to see everything. She seems almost like a little devil. My aunts laugh at these things and I have a great desire to weep. She has even brought her companions from school into the house saying to them in order to make fun of me: 'Come, let us go and see Gemma in ecstasy.' And yesterday evening in front of the house she repeated these words in a loud voice."
Concerning these matters in her Diary she writes:

"Today I was not able to collect myself at all; I was bad, I got angry, but
only by myself, no one else saw me: I cried so, so much, because my sister Angelina did not want to leave my room. Yesterday evening, Sunday, for spite, she stayed in my room until 11:00pm, making fun of me, saying that she wanted to see me go in ecstasy; today again the same thing. She wrote a letter yesterday to Bagni di S. Giuliano and spoke a lot about me and my experi¬ences. These things, which I should be accepting happily and with thanks to Jesus, instead upset me, and I almost have moments of despair.

While I was in that state, my guardian angel who was watching me, said:
"Why are you so upset, my daughter? You have to suffer something, you know, for Jesus." (In truth, what displeased me most were certain words that my sister had said out loud to me), and to this my angel responded: "You are worthy only to be scorned because you have offended Jesus."
Then he calmed me, sat at my side, and said gently, very gently: "Oh daughter, don't you know that you must conform in every way to the life of Jesus? He suffered so much for you, don't you know that you must on every occasion suffer for Him? Furthermore, why do you give this displeasure to Jesus, of neglecting to meditate on his Passion every day?
" It was true: I recalled that I did a meditation on the Passion only on Fridays and Thursdays. "You must do it every day, remember that." Finally he said to me: "Be brave, be brave! This world is not a place for rest: rest will come after death; for now you must suffer, and suffer all things, to save some soul from eternal death." I begged him urgently to ask my Mother to come to me a little, because I had so many things to tell Her, and he said yes. But this evening She did not come."

All of this was very painful to Gemma who was very reserved concerning the supernatural gifts that she was given, and she always wished to hide when she was drawn into ecstasy and hide also the Stigmata -these marks of Divine favor.

In 1923, two Redemptorist Fathers were sent to give a mission at Acquerara in the rich coffee country of Brazil. At first the mission was not very successful but on the 4th or 5th day something happened which exercised a decisive influence for good. One of the missionaries by request called on a sick man and found him in bed half paralyzed. He heard his confes¬sion and, afterwards, pointing to a picture of Gemma that was at the head of the bed, exhorted him to bear his sufferings with the same patience as did the holy Gemma in her sufferings. The poor man began to sob, and his wife, coming into the room, told the Father that he was the brother of Gemma Galgani. The astonishment of the missionary can well be imagined. Indeed Ettore Galgani must have been a sorry sight, for the Redemptorist in telling the story, describes him as an old man, whereas he was only fifty years of age.

During the years since he had left Italy, witnesses before the Ecclesiastical Tribunals were describing the virtues of his saintly sister. There was a frequent mention of a brother - unnamed - whose blasphemies on several occasions caused her to sweat blood, who had twice struck her leaving the mark of his fist on cheek and eye, who along with Angela made fun of her ecstasies. One would not then be rash in supposing that this was Ettore, for now in far off Brazil his soul was in a more pitiful state than his ravaged body.

A Passionist Brother says: "He was imbued with socialistic ideas and worse" - which may mean that he was a Communist or an Anarchist. He had lost his faith and had married at a civil ceremony only. He had two children – Henry and Gerard, aged 8 and 3 years respectively. Once when Henry was gravely ill, the father was on the point of committing suicide through grief when he seemed to hear the voice of Gemma saying: "Do not add that to so many sins. Don't do it and I will take care of the child." In fact, the boy recovered. And now through poverty, suffering and most certainly the intercession of Gemma, Ettore Galgani made his return to God.
There was rejoicing in the little town over his conversion, for he had been a scandal for so long and through his influence had brought harm to many souls. But when it became known that he was the brother of Gemma Galgani, so well known and venerated there, especially among the Children of Mary, all the people began to attend the mission with great enthusiasm.

Ettore, now a repentant man, persevered in his good resolutions, spent long hours in prayer and along with his family, received the Sacraments every First Friday until his death, four years later. All this time he was aided by the good Redemptorist Fathers who even supplied him in his poverty with the necessities of life. In 1934, the two boys, Henry and Gerard, were started upon a course of Catholic education given by the Passionist Fathers. Perhaps they saw the vast difference between their father and their aunt. The one, living in rebellion against God, the Church and society, was forced to endure poverty and pain until at the last, the very things he had shunned and the persons he had disliked were, through the Mercy of God, the means of his salvation. And we see how Gemma, now a Saint in heaven, did not forget her brother who was certainly unkind at times to her, nevertheless of whom was the object of her love and intercession and forgiveness in God. It was certainly in part her sufferings and trials that later obtained mercy from God on his behalf. Oh, the adorable Mercy of God and the loving intercession of the Saints!

I will close this article with an extraordinary account of a heroic love and devotion that was inspired through the reading of the Life of St Gemma.
When Gemma died on Holy Saturday, April 11, 1903, there was little likelihood that this victim would be long remembered except among her relatives and the Giannini family and a few other intimate friends. These indeed would cherish her memory and fondly recall the virtues she practiced and the marvels of divine Grace so abundantly manifest in her soul. But her life had passed too quickly; she had lived in such seclu¬sion that others were scarcely aware of her presence. She went the whole way of the Cross, simple, humble, modest, and mortified. Crucified with Jesus, she suffered awhile and then went quietly to the hoped-for reward. However, God willed otherwise, and thus “the humble shall be exalted” as Scripture reminds us.

There was one who remembered her most vividly, who rejoiced on hearing that the story of her life was going from mouth to mouth, that people were reporting favors granted through her intercession. This was her Spiritual Director, Father Germano Ruoppolo C.P. Such interest gladdened his heart and moved him to set about the writing of her Life. He alone was fully qualified to place before the world the beauty of her soul, so resplendent with supernatural virtues and gifts. From September 1, 1900 to April 11, 1903, he had observed and studied her with the greatest care, first to find out of what spirit she was, and then to labor at the work of bring¬ing to greater perfection and lustre this precious gem entrusted to him by the Will of Our Lord. She had revealed to him in word and writing every secret depth of her soul. He had at hand her Diary, her Autobiography and many of her Letters. Certainly everyone would agree that it is impossible to read her writings and not be touched by the fire of her love for God. As an example, in her writings we find the adorable Name of Jesus, whom she loved with all her heart, occurs 1,982 times in her Ecstasies and 1475 times in her Letters, as her devoted Biographers point out. Additionally, Cecilia Giannini, the kind lady who cared for her, along with the grown daughters of the family, took down in writing the utterances of Gemma while in ecstasy and carefully described all they saw in the mystic sufferings. With such abundant and accurate materials at hand, Father Germano began what was for him a labor of love.

Lacking money for its publication, he found a generous helper in the parish priest who had baptized Gemma-Don Pietro Quilichi. The book was first published in 1907 and in two months the first edition was exhausted. Within two years there were six printings, and the fame of the saintly Gem of Lucca spread throughout the world. “The Life of Gemma Galgani” was soon translated into English, German, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, French and Russian.

One missionary reports that 5,000 copies of her Life were sold in Japan in less than two months. And from the same country comes a story that may well lift the hearts of the devout to pray for the conversion of the Japanese:

A pagan, the headmaster of a high school in the city of Okegawa, Japan expressed the astonishment of himself, the other teachers, and the pupils, at the holy death of a young girl, fourteen years of age, named Toriuni Kei:

"There was only one Catholic girl at the High School," he said, "and she won the esteem and affection of all by her goodness and keen intelligence. But alas, she died. She died last July (1914) after a month's sickness during which she had read continually a book entitled, 'Life of Gemma.' She breathed her last clasping this book in her hands, while on her face there was a smile more beautiful, purer than any I have ever seen. We who are more or less without any religion, understood for the first time the admirable strength religious faith can inspire in a soul, and we attribute that to the reading of the Life of Gemma. We desire all our pupils to read it and therefore we ask you to forward us copies of that book."

In seeking her intercession devout clients of Gemma have come to know her power with God. Innumerable miracles have been wrought through her intercession, some of which are found in “The Life of St Gemma” and in her many published biographies of her holy life.

~St Gemma, pray for us!

"You are great, oh Jesus, but my soul -permit me to say it- my soul will enable Thee to appear greater, because Your mercy will achieve such great victories in me."
-St Gemma Galgani

Little stories in the life of St Gemma -Part 1

Little stories in the life of St Gemma from “The Gem of Christ” (Part 1 of 2)

I recently received a treasure of a book entitled “The Gem of Christ” by Father Francis C.P (Passionist) , Catholic Book Publishing, 1949. The book has some interesting and inspiring stories about Saint Gemma that I have not read elsewhere, and that are not currently on this website. And so, because I think that part of the mission of this website is to be a repository of information on the Saint, I would like to post a number of these stories here, in two parts. Below is Part 1 of 2. -Glenn Dallaire

St Gemma and Father Cajetan C.P.
Those who have read Gemma’s Autobiography will recall how in the summer of 1899, only a few months after her miraculous cure and right after she had just received the holy Stigmata, Gemma took part in a Mission that was being preached by three Passionist Priests in the Cathedral of St Martin. During this time, she went to Confession to one of the Priests, named Father Cajetan. While prayer a few moments before her confession, Jesus in an interior locution, ordered her to reveal everything in Confession –“everything” meaning the Stigmata and the other mystical experiences and graces, along with her faults.

Father Cajetan, of course, sought to be prudent and did not make any rash judgments or statements, however afterwards he arranged to meet Gemma at the Giannini family home (the home where Gemma later lived) to discuss and discern her spiritual and mystical life in greater detail. He and Gemma became friends, however soon after he turned against her. Here is what Father Francis relates in the “Gem of Christ”:

“…He [Father Cajetan] was an excellent missionary, an esteemed religious but not well-read or ex­perienced in the ways of the mystical life. Ac­knowledging Gemma's virtue and sincerity, he had strangely come to believe that some of the extraordinary phenomena in her life was the work of the devil. He was convinced of this when she foretold that he would leave the Congrega­tion. Young and indiscreet, he had expressed his opinion in places and to persons in a way that made many enemies for Gemma.”

Thus, Father Cajetan, once a friend, now turned into a painful source of suffering for Gemma by spreading untruths and misunderstandings about her to those about him. To continue the narrative-

“After the example of Jesus on the Cross, she prayed with special fervor for those who had injured her in any way. In one instance of this, she carefully introduced an prayer from obedience because Our Lord had always blessed what she did through obedience:
‘Jesus, by order of my Confessor, I recommend to Thee my great­est enemy, my greatest adversary. Guide him and if Thy hand must be laid heavily on him, press it on me instead. Give him every grace, Jesus. Do not abandon, but console him. What does it matter if you leave me in pain? But do not let him suffer. I recommend him to Thee now and always. Confer on him many blessings, twice as many as the harm he would like to do me. And to show that I love Thee, I will offer Holy Com­munion for him tomorrow. He will perhaps be thinking of doing us some harm, but We desire to do him every possible good’.

The charity in this prayer is all the more ad­mirable when we know that it was offered for Father Cajetan who, from a friend, had turned into an enemy.”

And history reveals that Gemma’s prediction that Father Cajetan would leave the Passionists did in fact come true-
“...he did leave the Congregation for one of the older Orders of the Church. Not succeeding there, he humbly sought admission again among his former breth­ren where he was kindly received; no doubt through the prayers of Gemma. He bitterly re­gretted his incredulity and mistaken zeal. He died November 12th, 1925 with the peace and con­fidence of one who had been the object of heroic prayer from the heart of a Saint.”

Later in life Father Cajetan deeply regretted his poor judgment concerning Gemma, and in evidence of this he gave an excellent eye witness testimony in favor of Gemma which we have in writing here:
http://www.stgemmagalgani.com/2009/01/stigmata-scourgings-crown-of-thorns.html

Statements of Palmira Valentini, Elissena, Tecla Natali- friends of Gemma
“The life of retirement led by Gemma in pur­suit of contemplation and Union with God pre­cluded the making of many friends. Those she had were girls, older than herself, who had visited her when she lay sick so long in her father's house. Because they, too, were charitable and devout, of one mind and soul with her, Gemma gave them a sincere and loyal friendship. The case of Palmira Valentini was typical:
'I had heard about Gemma and the desire came to me to meet and know her personally, and without any introduction I presented myself at her home. She welcomed me kindly; she asked if I went to Holy Communion every day, and, when I said 'yes', she gave me a look and a smile of pleasure and praise. In taking leave of her, she asked me to come soon again to see her and from that moment began our friendship. From that day on, I knew that I was in the presence of a great and beautiful soul.'
When Gemma was restored to health, she returned these visits of her friend, who, though pleased to engage in holy conversation with the saintly girl, declared that she always felt unworthy of receiving her.

More warmhearted in feeling and exuberant in language is the letter written to a certain Elissena in Rome, like herself an invalid. The two had never met; their friendship had begun and was continued by letter. Elissena had written to condole with and comfort Gemma in her sad­ness at being forbidden to attend the Holy Week services on account of her health and the dis­traction caused in others by her ecstasies. Gemma's answer makes us realize that the charity of God diffused in her heart by the Holy Spirit now possessed her completely. Love had cast out fear; chastity had ennobled love, and detachment from self had conferred on her an immense ca­pacity for the spontaneous, pure love which be­gins and ends in God. In the lives of the Saints it would be difficult to find a better example of the way grace perfects nature, or a more touch­ing illustration of the freedom which perfect virtue confers on the soul. Lover of God, she was the sister of all souls. The letter reads in part:
'...Having received your letter and read those words dictated by true, religious feeling, I am consoled and peace has returned to my heart. I am happy and I shall always be grateful to you, to your generous heart which knew so well how to inspire the same in me. I should prefer a thousand times that you might be cured instead of me, for what joy could I have in health if you were sick? I pray God to give health to both of us; if not, to choose me to suffer. Permit me to speak in all sincerity - for a long time I have had a great affection for you, a genuine love. A thousand times I have desired to make your ac­quaintance; a thousand times I have taken up my pen to write these simple words - I love you ­but I never attempted it because I did not know whether you felt the same toward me. I ardently desire the moment when you can come to see me. How happy I should be if it were today! Promise that you will come when you get well. Tell me that you will always love me and I will be happy.'
'You will please me very much if you grant two favors: the first is never to talk about being grateful to me, because I have done nothing at all for you; only believe that if my strength equalled my desires, oh, how much I would do! The other favor I ask is that you consent to treat me as a simple friend, no longer using that formal language of past letters. I hasten to wish you a happy Easter and to offer my congratulations on your expected recovery.'
-Gemma

To love one's friend in God and to find in that love an incentive to greater holiness is Christian friendship. To pray for sinners, to wrestle with God for their salvation is Christian zeal. To forgive injuries, to pray for those who persecute and calumniate is Christian charity. But to re­ceive a sinner into intimate friendship is Christ­like, for only the innocent, the humble, the loving can do it. In the voluminous pages of the Pro­cesses there is a little story told by a witness who was Gemma's friend. It had nothing to do with ecstasies or the size and shape of the Stig­mata; nor is it an impressive prophecy of an important event. What did she care for matters that took Gemma away from her, for things that enemies scoffed at, for questions that theo­logians disputed?

"Next, reading Tecla Natali's testimony, one is immediately apprised of her own enthusiastic love for her holy friend [Gemma] but at the same time one may detect a certain holy envy for another, quite different from herself, who was more favored by the Saint. Tecla Natali states-"
'I have read letters of hers in which she gave good advice to a young girl who was on the way to becoming bad. In these she appealed to the girl to lead a good life. She exhorted her most earnestly and told her that she would pray very much to ob­tain for her the grace to be restored to virtue. She is dead now, and a good death she had, this young girl, who would have had so many letters to present here and so many things to say because she went every day to Gemma where I myself saw her on one occasion. Gemma was sick, unable to move and she said to the girl, she herself was crying: 'Do me this favor - go to confession and you will be happier and you will obtain also the graces you need.'

“A good death, indeed, she deserved, did this young girl whose feet strayed not so far as to keep her from a daily visit to her holy friend Gemma, one who fought with her against the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life with an invincible love and an all­conquering humility, with such simple weapons as a daily, loving welcome; frequent, earnest letters and tears.”

"A faithful friend is a strong defense; and he that hath found him hath found a treasure. No weight of gold and silver is able to countervail the goodness of his fidelity. A faithful friend is the medicine of life and im­mortality; and they that fear the Lord shall find him. He that feareth the Lord shall likewise have good friendship, because according to him shall his friend be." (Ecclus. 6, 14-17.)

Gemma’s childlike purity and innocence
“She possessed such childlike purity that it never entered her mind to think of the sinister or impure interpretations people might read into her inno­cent actions. A Passionist lay brother enjoyed telling of the time she asked to accompany him to the Mission at Santo Concordio. When he ob­served that it would not look right for him, dressed as he was in the religious habit, to walk on the public streets with her, she exclaimed: "Oh cursed human respect!" [Gemma it seems, thought that because of his statement, the good brother was embarassed to be seen with her, when in reality the Brother was referring to a situation that could mistakingly be a cause for scandal amongst those who may see them innocently walking together] Another time she asked if she might walk to the monastery with him ­six miles out in the country. The good brother found an ancient excuse the only escape from her naive request: "What will the Provincial say to me!"

Her brother Guido’s wedding
“One day she surprised her aunt by asking her to come with her to the milliner's shop; she was going to have a hat made. Arrived there, Gemma described in word and gesture what she wanted - a hat of black straw with a wide flexible brim to come down around her face. The milliner pointed out that such a hat was not in style, that it was not becoming to a girl like her. "She meant," says her aunt proudly, "a girl as beautiful as Gemma." Gemma was not so foolish as to be unaware of the fact, for she had planned the hat to avoid the admiring looks she often en­countered in public. And so she answered with emphasis: 'Please make it exactly as I have described it because I want it that way.' This was the finishing touch to the famous costume which made the rising young lawyer, Joseph Giannini remark: ‘I would not be seen outside with her.’
[Joseph was one of the Giannini family children around the same age as Gemma with whom Gemma lived] he further states:
“Summer and winter she wore a black woolen dress reach­ing to the ground, a black mantle of the same stuff that came to the waist and - the unstylish hat.”

In this outfit she went to her brother's wed­ding. This brother, Guido, left home in 1897 and, after his term in the army, became, like his father, a pharmacist, and now lived in a town near Pisa. Gemma had never seen her future sister-in-law and, evidently, Guido had forgotten to tell his bride what to expect. Consequently, when she saw Gemma in her ridiculous costume, she was furious; she told her to go away and never come back. The meek and placid Gemma returned home, not resentful nor even apologetic, for there is no reference to the incident in the affectionate letter of felicitation she wrote shortly after:

‘Dearest Assuntina: It was a great pleasure for me to see your wedding day come at last and I write to tell you a thousand times: May you both be happy. It is not duty that moves me to say this but rather a pleasure which delights me in doing so. I will say it again now and always:
‘May you both be happy. This expression of my most ardent desire I will offer to God for you each evening, for you should know that I have nothing more at heart than your happiness and this will always remain fixed in my thoughts.’
‘I ought to have written sooner but I am sure that you will excuse my negligence. In the name of my aunts, then, I wish you great happiness; all of us will pray to Jesus that He may pre­serve you for long years in the affections of Guido and for the greater good of the family . . . Before ending I want to tell you something. From the moment of your marriage I have had this thought constantly; Papa was so pleased that you two were to be married. If only he had been there! Then afterwards I realized that all my adversities have made me resigned to the Will of God.
"Good-bye to both of you; live joyfully and happily. Believe me to be always, as I now sign myself with all my heart,
Your sister and sister-in-law,
Gemma."

Her brother Guido and his wife later visited Gemma, and Gemma having the stigmata, was obliged to wear gloves even at table, where she was subjected to some good-natured banter from her unsuspecting brother: "How stylish, eating with gloves on!" His wife seems to have taken for granted that Gemma was protecting a bad case of chapped hands and, after dinner, drew her aside and said: "I have some rose water and I will bathe your hands." And not waiting for Gemma's consent, she stripped off the gloves, and recognising the wounds ran weeping to Aunt Elisa: "Oh Aunt, why didn't you tell me! Gemma has wounds on her hands just like Our Lord's!"

Perhaps the young bride finally got around to the reading of the little book which Gemma brought to her as a present on her wedding day: “The Introduction to a Devout Life” by St. Francis de Sales. If so, Assunta then realized that one with nails through the palms can neither grasp nor hold anything else on this earth. Gemma had sold all to gain a Pearl of great price, a Treasure of infinite worth. And Jesus kept her strictly to the bargain.

The relic tooth of Venerable Gabriel Possenti
Once in prayer she said to Jesus:
‘Jesus, the Father [her spiritual director, Fr. Germano] is always talking about de­tachment . . . but I have nothing and I don't know from what to detach myself.'
To which He replied: ‘What about the relic of St. Gabriel? Are you not too much attached to that?’
‘I was thunderstruck and was about to com­plain, 'but, Jesus, it is a precious relic' - and I was almost crying.’
And Jesus said rather severely : "My child, it is Your Jesus that says this and that should be enough."
The relic of a Saint so dear to her was a large one and a gift from Father Germano. When some nuns had asked to borrow it, she had cried on parting with it. For this Our Lord had rebuked her and, recognizing her attachment, she gave it to Cecilia Giannini.

The portrait of St Gemma
This detachment from self led her on one oc­casion to commit an act of mischief, which though impulsive and rather comic, brought down on her Father Germano's severity. The Giannini family had had an oil painting done representing the holy girl in an attitude of prayer. Her letter tells the story:
'Father, Pardon me! I have been acting fool­ishly as usual. The portrait which you had sent from Rome is in my hands, hidden in the house. When it came they concealed the fact from me. I looked everywhere for it, but couldn't find it. Finally, after asking a thousand questions of my good aunt, I discovered that it was in Euphemia's room. I could hardly believe it. When I was sure no one was watching me, I ran to that room, took the picture, and hid it in the little parlor behind the sofa. Noone knew for an entire day that it was gone; but when they looked for it, they saw that it was missing. I was questioned. (Jesus helped me, Father, so that I did not lie about it.) 'Gemma,' they said, 'could you have taken it?'
''Why bother about it?' I answered. 'What would you want with it, anyway? Jesus does all things well. If this picture was a source of edifica­tion to you, He would certainly have allowed you to keep it. But the picture of a wretched and scan­dalous person whom you have known only too well - it is only fitting that when the body passes from sight, every recollection should go also.'
"Thus I passed it off when my aunt questioned me, which happened twice. I went to confession and with a great effort revealed absolutely every­thing. It is he, the Confessor, who has ordered me to write at once to find out what is to be done. Command me, Father; forgive me. I will put the picture back. In this matter, Father, I have no wish to displease God, nor you nor anyone else. You won't doubt this? Please write soon.
Bless me
- I remain, Poor Gemma.’

All pranks and roguish impulses are strictly forbidden in Saints, it would seem. People com­plain that Saints don't laugh enough and are scandalized when they do. Gemma's happy letter met with a stony silence, for another followed:

‘Father, I have wanted to write to you for some time. But I have hesitated, because I can­not write without reminding you of all my bad and faulty conduct. The last displeasure I caused Jesus and you, Jesus has forgiven; but you, not yet! Why? Grant me this forgiveness. That famous picture which disappeared for several days is back where it belongs. Forgive me; it is the last time I will do such a thing. '
I am,
Poor Gemma.’

"Like a dove, Gemma flew above the perishable things of time, spurning them in her eagerness to return to the Heart of God. The contempt she felt for earth inspired her favorite form of peti­tion - that of offering a certain number of the years of life for special favors. 'There are about seven years of life still before me,' she wrote to Father Germano. 'I would like to offer three of them for Seraphina," a friend who was very sick. 'I would like to be near you so that I could ask this favor on my knees.' Before receiving an answer to this, she had another case - Mrs. Giannini [the mother of the large Giannini family] became seriously ill and it was thought to be cancer of the stomach. Again a letter went off to Rome, in which Gemma pleaded for per­mission to show her gratitude for the lady's kindness. 'This morning I spoke to my Confessor [Monsignor Volpi] and said: 'I would like to offer my life for the poor mother.' His answer was an absolute No. Then I said: 'Could I give two years?' He gave in and said Yes, but only on condition that the Father approves also[Father Germanus]. . . . 'Father, you won't deny this to me, will you? Two for Seraphina and two for the mother and more if they are needed.' Both ladies recovered and, in the time specified as she had foreseen it, Gemma died. She went in the flower of youth - a victim to a childlike love of her neighbor and to the ardor of her longing for God. "Many waters cannot quench charity, neither can the floods drown it; if a man should give all the substance of his house for love, he shall despise it as nothing." (Cant. 8, 7.)


Click here to go to Part 2 of the "Little stories in the life of St Gemma".

“I would rather become blind forever than to offend Jesus in the least against purity” –St Gemma Galgani

The Gem of Christ -New articles forthcoming

New Articles are coming!

Thanks be to God, I recently received an excellent new book on Saint Gemma entitled "The Gem of Christ", by Father Francis C.P.
This book has some interesting information about St Gemma that has not yet been published on this website, so those devoted to Gemma should be on the lookout for a few new articles.

Additionally, the book was signed by the Author, the Passionist Father Francis C.P.

On the inside cover of the book, Father Francis writes-

"You will always find consolation and strength in the Holy Wounds of Jesus." -Father Francis C.P.

....Amen Father.

~St Gemma, pray for us!

Patron Saint for children & First Communion

St Gemma Galgani -A Patron Saint for children and First Communion

Although it is not required, it is certainly a good and holy practice in the Catholic faith for a person to select a special Patron Saint to guide, protect and intercede in one's life, along with the one that was chosen at Baptism by one's parents. Preparation for a child's First Holy Communion is certainly a great time for the child to select a special patron and friend from heaven as a holy example for them to imitate and model their spiritual life after. In seeking a patron Saint, especially for children, perhaps some may find the holy life of St Gemma Galgani to be an inspiration and example to imitate.

At the time when Gemma was a child in the late 1880's, children normally did not receieve Jesus for the first time in Holy Commuinion until around the age 12. It was Pope Pius X who some thirty years later lowered the age from age 12 years to 7 years.

Ever since Gemma could remember, she longed to unite with Jesus, especially in the Eucharist in Holy Communion. As her childhood years progressed, her desire to receive Jesus grew and grew. She fervently longed to unite with him in the Blessed Sacrament. By age 8, she kept asking to receieve Jesus, but her Priest-Confessor kept telling her she was too young. Let us read Gemma's own words from her Autobiography to find out how God in His infinite Goodness answered the desire of His little Gemma:
_________________________________________________________

Gemma prepares for her First Communion at the Sisters of ST. Zita School -1887
(Gemma is writing to her Spirtual Director, Venerable Father Germanus Ruoppolo C.P.)

"I started to school at the Nun's school and it was heaven for me. I immediately expressed my desire to make my first Communion but they found me so bad and so ignorant that they discouraged me from it. They began, however, to instruct me and to give me much good advice. But I only became worse. Nevertheless, my only desire was to make my first Communion soon and they, knowing how strong was my desire, granted my request before long.

The nuns used to have the children make their first Communion in the month of June. The time had come and I had to ask my father's permission to enter the convent for a short time. My father, who was indisposed, did not grant me permission. But I knew a very clever way to make him let me do anything, so I used it and got the permission at once. (Every time my father saw me weeping he would grant me whatever I wanted.) I cried, otherwise I would not have received the permission. In the evening he gave it and early the next morning I went into the convent where I remained for fifteen days. During this time I saw none of my family. But how happy I was! What a heaven it was, dear Father!

Once inside the convent, I found it to my liking and ran to the chapel to thank Jesus. I begged him fervently to prepare me for Holy Communion.

But I had also another desire besides this. When I was a little girl my mother used to show me the crucifix and tell me that Christ died on the cross for men. Later on, my teachers taught me the same thing but I had never understood it. Now I wanted to know all about the life and Passion of Jesus. I told my teacher of this desire and she began, day by day, to explain these things to me, choosing for this a time when the other children were in bed. She did this, I believe, without the Mother Superior knowing of it.

One evening when she was explaining something to me about the crucifixion, the crowning with thorns, and all the sufferings of Jesus, she explained it so very well that a great sorrow and compassion came over me. So much so that I was seized immediately with fever so intense that I was forced to remain in bed all the next day. From that day on the teacher explained such things only briefly.

These nuns caused me some disquiet. They wanted to inform my father that I had contracted the fever. But it did cause a lot of trouble, not only for me but for them and for the whole convent. This happened especially during the ten days of the retreat.

With eleven other children I began the retreat on the 9th day of June. Father Raphael Cianetti preached the retreat. All the children devoted themselves eagerly to prepare well to receive Jesus. Among so many, only I was very negligent and distracted. I gave no thought to changing my life. I listened to the sermons but very soon forgot what I heard.

Often, even every day, that good Father said: "He who eats of Jesus will live of His life." These words filled me with much consolation and I reasoned with myself: Therefore when Jesus comes to me I will no longer live of myself because Jesus will live in me. And I nearly died of the desire to be able to say these words soon (Jesus lives in me). Sometimes I would spend whole nights meditating on these words, being consumed with desire.

Finally the day I wanted so much arrived. The day before I wrote these few lines to my father:

Dear Papa,

Today is the vigil of my first Holy Communion, a day of great joy for me. I write these lines to assure you of my affection and to beg you to pray to Jesus that the first time he comes to me he may find me disposed to receive all those graces that he has prepared for me.

I beg your pardon for all the displeasures and all the disobedience that I have been guilty of, and I beg you this evening to forget all these things. Asking your blessing, I am
Your affectionate daughter,
GEMMA

I prepared myself, with much work on the part of those good nuns, for my general confession. I made it in three sessions to Msgr. Volpi. I finished it on Saturday, the vigil of that happy day.

Finally, Sunday morning came. I arose early and ran to Jesus for the first time. At last my desires were realized. I understood for the first time the promise of Jesus: "He who eats of me shall live of my life."

Dear Father, I do not know how to tell what passed between Jesus and me at that moment. Jesus made himself felt very strongly by my poor soul. I understood at that moment that the delights of heaven are not like those of the earth. I felt myself overcome by the desire to render that union with my God continual. I felt weary of the world more and more, and more disposed to recollection. It was that same morning that Jesus gave me the great desire to be a religious.

FIRST COMMUNION RESOLUTIONS

Before leaving the convent I made certain resolutions regarding the conduct of my life:

1. I will receive Confession and Communion each time as though it were my last.

2. I will visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament often, especially when I am afflicted.

3. I will prepare myself for every feast of our Blessed Mother by some mortification, and every
evening I will ask my heavenly Mother's blessing.

4. I want to remain always in the presence of God.

5. Every time the clock strikes I will repeat three times: My Jesus, mercy.

I would have liked to add other resolutions to these but my teacher would not permit it. And she had good reason, for within a year after I returned to my family I had forgotten these resolutions as well as the good advice I had received and I became worse than before. I continued to go to school to the nuns and they were fairly satisfied with me. I went to Communion two or three times a week and Jesus made himself felt ever stronger. Several times he made me feel very great consolation. But as soon as I left him, I began to be proud, more disobedient than before, a bad example to my companions and a scandal to all.

At school, not a day passed on which I was not punished. I did not know my lessons and I was almost expelled. At home I would not let anyone have peace. Every day I wanted to go for a walk, always wearing new clothes which my poor father provided me for a long time. I ceased to say my usual prayers morning and evening. But while I was committing all these sins I never forgot to recite every day three Hail Marys with my hands under my knees (a practice my mother had taught me that Jesus might protect me every day from sins against holy purity)."
_____________________________________________________________

St Gemma receieved her First Holy Communion on June 17, 1887 which was the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus that year. And, so we see that Jesus answered the desire of His little Gemma by giving her Himself in the Eucharist, and that on the Feast of His most Sacred Heart, which is in reality the Eucharist Itself!
~St Gemma, pray for us!

Here are some words of St Gemma on Holy Communion

"Today I have recieved Jesus, and now I posess Him entirely in my miserable soul. In such moments my heart and the Heart of Jesus are one. Oh, if only I could make it remain so always! It would mean that I would not commit anymore sins. Oh, what precious moments are those at Holy Communion! Communion is a happiness, Father, that seems to me cannot be equalled even by the beatitude of the Saints and Angels" -St Gemma Galgani

A Prayer to Saint Gemma Galgani

A friend in St Gemma named Joseph composed this nice prayer to Saint Gemma from "The Life of St Gemma Galgani" and other sources. I gladly post it here for the benefit of all, and I thank Joseph for sharing it. -webmaster
________________________________
Novena Prayer to Saint Gemma Galgani
(by: E. Joseph Eaggleston III, on January 15, 2006)

O purest Saint Gemma Galgani, you once said: “I would wish to bathe with my blood all those places where Jesus is outraged. I would wish all sinners to be saved, because they have been redeemed by the Precious Blood of Jesus.”*

Therefore, O most pure and humble Virgin Saint Gemma, I (say name,) a wretched sinner of weak faith, do now beg you to eternally obtain for me, from the Sacred Heart of Jesus, your Mystical Spouse, this request [here name request(s)]:

Dearest Saint Gemma, I have absolute confidence in your intercession –for during your short life on earth- Christ Jesus, did allow you to share in His Salvific Passion; hence, the thought of a lost soul filled you with consternation. Therefore, O most docile Saint Gemma, you spent your time on earth embracing the cross so our Lord Jesus would not have to suffer alone the pain of our sins; while pleading with Him for the salvation of all sinners. So alarmed were you, Saint Gemma, at the thought of a lost soul being eternally damned; that you invoked and begged Mary, the Eternal Virgin Mother of God, to help you plead for the most wretched of souls: Thus ensuring mercy from her Son Jesus for even the most horrific of sinners!

Now that you are in Heaven, Saint Gemma, and have absolute favor with Christ Jesus; there is no doubt that your help, for sinners, is immeasurable and to the Glory of the Holy Trinity God!!! It is therefore, impossible for your help Saint Gemma, to fail those of us still in exile from Heaven, who call on your intersession. -Amen and Ave Maria.

V. Pray for us, Saint Gemma Galgani.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ Jesus.

Let us Pray: Lord hear the prayers of those who recall the devoted life of the Virgin and
Spiritual Martyr Saint Gemma Galgani, whom You gave victory over pain
and suffering. Guide us on our way and help us to live by Your Grace and remain a temple of Your Holy Spirit. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.**

*(THE LIFE OF ST. GEMMA GALGANI, pg. 284)
**(closing prayer is combined from one prayer on pg. 1416
and two prayers on pg. 1443 of “Christian Prayer.”)

See also the Prayers to St Gemma page

Mystics of the Catholic Church

New website devoted to the lesser known Mystics of the Church -By Glenn Dallaire (webmaster)

Although I was raised a Catholic, by age 16 I stopped going to Mass, and I had no interest in God or my Catholic faith. This religious indifference continued throughout my teenage years and into my early twenties. Then, thanks be to God for His mercy and kindness, I met my wife-to-be, who through her holy and faithful example, awakened in me a desire to know God. I began reading the life of a certain mystic (I will not mention her name, because she is still living) and I was immediately enraptured by her extraordinary faith, and the remarkable graces that God gave to her. Through the reading of the life of this mystic, faith in God was awakened in me; I had a deep longing for God for the first time in my life.

Inspired and edified by her exceptional love for God, I continued reading the lives of other Mystics of the Church, including the life of St Gemma, the subject of this website (who by the way is, and has always been my favorite Saint!) For me, it was without a doubt the heroic example of the mystics that led me to God and the practice of the Catholic faith. And so, I am deeply indebted to the Mystics of the Church for their loving witness and their heroic lives of sacrifice and virtue that penetrated into my little world of self-centeredness and religious indifference.

And so, it is in a spirit of deep gratitude and thanksgiving that I am creating a website in honor of the extraordinary Mystics of the Church, especially the lesser known mystics that inspired me the most.

For those interested, the Mystics of the Church website is located here: http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com

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"Jesus I love thee! Open Your heart to me; I open mine to You. By why do You act towards me with so much love, while I offend You with countless ingratitudes? This thought alone, if I could but comprehend it, should be enough to turn me into a furnace of love." -St Gemma Galgani

Patron Saint of the poor and unemployed

St Gemma- Patron Saint for the poor and the unemployed

Poor and destitute- The death of her father
On Sept 17, 1886, St Gemma's saintly mother Aurelia died, leaving her Father Enrico to raise the family alone. Gemma was only 8 years old when her mother died. Gemma’s father Enrico had been carrying on a very successful business as a Chemist (Pharmacist) when, suddenly, his affairs took a bad turn. He had always been generous, most free in giving away money, and had allowed his daughter to become a mother to the poor. It was a common saying that all he had slipped through his fingers like sand. Himself a perfect pattern of moral integrity in business transactions, he trusted implicitly in the honesty of others. He lent money to various people and unwisely stood security for others. The failure of rents from his lands, the long sickness and death of his wife and two children had greatly reduced his resources. One by one the bills which he had signed fell due and all his property, movable and immovable, was seized by the creditors, so that both he and his family were thrown into utter destitution. Soon after, he fell seriously ill with cancer of the throat. Gemma, who had just gotten over her own sickness which included painful foot surgery (without an anaesthetic), was frequently by his bedside, animating, consoling, and preparing him to receive the last Sacra­ments. He died at the age of 57 on November 11, 1897, leaving her a penniless orphan.

The death of her father and the poverty of the family in Gemma's own words
Gemma writes in her Autobiography"
"We entered on the year 1897, I alone, without heart [she used these words to hide what in her was heroic virtue], remained unmoved by so many misfortunes. That which most grieved the others [note: the others, not herself] after Papa's fatal illness, was to be left without means. I understood one morning the greatness of the sacrifice that Jesus required at once, and I shed many tears. But Jesus, during those days of sorrow, made Himself all the more sensibly present in my soul; and even from seeing Papa so resigned to die, I drew such strength that I bore this bitter separation with great tranquillity. The day he died, Jesus forbade me to give way to useless grief, and I spent it in prayer, fully resigned to the most Holy Will of God, who then became my earthly and heavenly Father.

After Papa's death on November 11, 1897, we were left without anything, and had not even the means of supporting life. We had only enough to live on. One of my aunts, realizing this, helped us a great deal. She was unwilling that I should remain with my family. So the day after my father's death she sent for me and had me stay with her for several months."

In the many writings of Gemma, we usually find her opening her heart, and sharing her thoughts and difficulties in a most tender and beautiful sincerity. But, in speaking of the death of her father, she does not lay open to us the secret feelings of her heart. He was only fifty-seven when he died, and left behind him three sons and three daughters, penniless and orphaned. But a scene occurred which even Gemma could never forget. Scarcely had her father closed his eyes when the creditors in large numbers rushed in upon the little group to close the pharmacy, to seize what little furniture still remained, and to search even Gemma's own pockets, taking away the few small coins they found in her purse. The scene made such a lasting and painful impression upon her mind that, during the mental agonies and wanderings of her last illness, she saw over again these pitiless oppressors of the poor searching her home, and laying hands on all they could find, regardless of the death that was within those walls.

Thus, the Galgani children were now reduced to the extreme of poverty and destitution. They had to depend on their relatives for the means of subsistence and oftener than not even for their daily bread. And so it was that Gemma's family was in the literal sense of the word thrown out on the roadside, with nothing left except their tears. To crown their misfortune their aunts, who had signed over their property to their brother, also lost all they possessed. This family of nine was therefore reduced to absolute poverty. The sad story is told by two witnesses. Cecilia Giannini deposed:

‘The family was ruined and at times reduced to such straits that it was necessary to solicit help from others: in other words, to beg. Elisa Galgani told me that it was she who went out to try and get something for a family that was dying of hunger, and how she met a man who gave her a franc with which she bought a loaf of bread and a few things to bring home. During the months in which Gemma came to us and returned home in the evening, she used not to stay for dinner, because we dined late, and I usually accompanied her home after Benediction. Once I said to her: "You won't be offended if I buy you a couple of eggs? You can eat them when you get home." She answered that she certainly would not be offended, so I bought them and gave them to her. I afterwards learned that she had used them to make an omelette on which the family dined. But she told me this only when I insisted, and on condition that I would not divulge it. Having thus come to know of their poverty, I used to give things to the aunts, who willingly accepted what I gave. When about to set out to accompany Gemma home in the evening, I sometimes said to her: "Do you want anything? Have you something to eat when you get home?" And sometimes she would say: "Let me have a little wine and that will do for my supper." And that was all she wanted; she used to say even that it was too much. When she reached home she would say that she had already had her supper.'

Justina Giannini on her side deposed that the Galgani family was so badly off that often they had nothing to eat, and that it was said that collections were made throughout the city for these poor people who had once known ease and comfort, and who in consequence were ashamed to beg and thus make their poverty known.

According to Elisa Galgani this state of affairs lasted a long time. 'We had nothing. The Court and the creditors took all. In the beginning we depended upon the charity of the good, but afterwards Guido got a position as chemist at the City Hospital.' Gemma, however, was not appalled by the poverty to which she and her family were reduced, because she considered poverty and the sorrows of life as precious gifts from God-as an ignored inheritance reserved by Him for the elect.

‘This is the state of life God desired for us,' she often said to the family, and was content thus to fulfil the will of God. 'And not only did she love to be poor,' continued her aunt, ' but she encouraged us to love it also. And at this time we were in want even of necessaries!' According to her own account she tried to bear the heaviest burdens that arose from this state of affairs and to alleviate the sufferings which the others endured as a result of their poverty. 'No matter how small it was,' said Elisa Galgani, ' Gemma always reserved the smallest portion for herself.' And another witness declared that she ate very little in order to have more to give to her brothers.

Gemma knew how to inspire others with her own confidence in God. A domestic servant from her uncle's home at Camaiore, deposed:

‘In these sad circumstances Gemma found a means of exciting even myself to have confidence in the Providence of God. She used to say to me: "Say the Rosary of five decades with these words: 'Providence of God, have mercy on me.' When you have said that ten times, add: 'Providence of God, You have provided for me,' or, 'Providence of God, You will provide.' "

Gemma also expressed the same sentiments to her Aunt Elisa, ' Have patience, have patience, God will provide.' And God always did provide.

To one of a character different from Gemma's own this sudden fall of the family into utter poverty, at an age when she most needed the help of its reputation and support, might well have been a source of discouragement. Was this the reward of her virtues, her prayers and Communions? But Gemma had trained herself to see in all things the Divine Will, and courageously faced the future trusting in God's Providence that was to her "an anchor of the soul sure and firm." Nor did she trust in the kindness of Providence in vain. Carolina Lencioni, an aunt who was in relatively good financial circumstances, invited Gemma to reside with her in Camaiore, a village not far from Lucca. And Jesus, who had chosen this child for Himself, was knocking at the door of her soul filling it with an ever increasing abundance of graces and extraordinary favors.

St Gemma's great love and concern for the poor

"Whenever I went out," she says in her autobiography, "I asked papa to give me some money, and if, as sometimes was the case, he refused, I had at least bread and clothes to give away. It was God's will I should meet these poor people, and every time I went out I encountered some three or four of them. To those who called at the house I gave clothing or whatever I could lay my hands on, until I was forbidden by the confessor to do so. But a day came when papa gave me no more money, nor was I allowed to take anything from the house, yet every time I went out I seemed to meet none but those who were in distress. They all ran to me and I had nothing to give. I wept with grief and resolved to go out no more."

And so the poor and unemployed have in St Gemma a most compassionate and understanding friend and Saint who can certainly sympathise with their sufferings, having experienced such sufferings and trials herself.

For those interested, there is another article here which goes into more detail about the time in Gemma's life when she and her family were very poor, even to the extent of having no food whatsoever to eat. -St Gemma, pray for us!
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".......Love, Jesus, is that not the best reward for all of your generosities? And then, too, I love you. Yet, it is not for your benefits alone, but because you are my Jesus. I love You because You are the sole object worthy of my love. I love You because You are Goodness itself. I love You because You have promised, You have sworn never to abandon me ... I love You, oh Lord, for an infinity of reasons. " -St Gemma Galgani

Marie Rose Ferron -Little Rose Part 2

The extraordinary life of Marie Rose Ferron, American Mystic and Stigmatic (Part 2)

In part one of this article(click here), I outlined a little of the life of the extraordinary American mystic Marie Rose Ferron. Because of the numerous emails and comments that I have received, (I received 3 comments on the 1st article in the past 2 days, for example) I have decided to create this second article, to provide a greater insight into the heroic life of Little Rose. I humbly submit this information on the life of Marie Rose Ferron with complete obedience to the authority of the Catholic Church, who alone has the power to judge the sanctity and holiness of individuals. Since Marie Rose Ferron has not thusfar been Beatified or Canonised, this information rests on human authority alone, and this writer humbly submits himself, without reserve, to the supreme authority and judgement of the Catholic Church.

The source for this information is from Rev O.A. Boyer S.T.L excellent book “She Wears a Crown of Thorns”, Benzinger Brothers, 1949.


HER COUNTENANCE
There was something noble in Rose that expressed the beauty of her soul. Nature had provided her with a beautiful face, full of grace and purity. At times, these seemed to radiate. I cannot conceive anything more attractive, more soothing. It affected me as if something divine was escaping from her. Rose was always beautiful; but on some occasions, beauty seemed to radiate from her, it was no longer human. The word transfiguration could be used without exaggeration. After her death, Mr. A. Desaulniers wrote an editorial in the "New Bedford Messager." I quote: "There are things that one can never forget; for us it is the radiant face of Rose Ferron. She was beautiful, but hers was not a natural beauty, but rather a mystifying one: a slight luminous emanation seemed to escape continually, from that angelic face."

HER CONVERSATION
Her conversation was no less impressive, whether it bore on religious topics or on secular subjects. The word of God is holy, even in the mouth of a sinner; but when Rose spoke, it was from the abundance of a heart continually burning with God's love; her words filtered through a soul transformed into the temple of the Holy-Ghost; when she pronounced the Name of Jesus, it made you feel He Was near by; and when, ravished in ecstasy, she prayed to her Jesus, no words could express the beauty of her prayer any more than the emotions you felt. Those who saw and heard her, on such occasions, felt it Was something extraordinary, even unique. No books, however beautiful, could convey that impression. We felt in touch with the invisible and like St. Peter on Mount Thabor, we were loath to leave for we felt that it was good for us to be there (Matt., XVII, 4) .

When Rose spoke on secular matters, it was not in an extravagant or frivolous manner, and all were surprised by the serenity and power of her mind. Mr. A. Desaulniers spoke of this in the same editorial:
"Without education, having left school before she was thirteen, her speech was more astonishing for us, than the blood that flowed from her stigmata or the phenomenon of Weight which accompanied her ecstasies. She knew how to express her thoughts with words that were simple and proper. Her intelligence and her reasoning powers were beyond that of many educated persons."

HER CHARACTER
Humility and generosity mingled with a sense of humor made Rose one of the most charming and beautiful characters you could meet. Her modesty and her deep humility, together with a fear of vanity, kept her from making a show of herself. Although, she pretended not to believe in her ecstasies, and would speak of them as dreams, nevertheless, her parents were told to keep everybody away, when she was in that state. And she used still more prudence in the case of her stigmata. She was constantly holding back the curiosity of visitors, who were at times ruthless, vulgar, and boorish in their demands, and it was a most painful task for this delicate soul.

Rose had a noble heart and a most generous one, especially towards her enemies; for Rose had enemies, no mystic is ever without them, not even those who lived in the city of Rome. "I think, I would fail," said Rose, "if I tried to hate and blame those who work against me. It seems, I love them still more; 1 am rather prompted to pray for them!" At times, she seemed to be in a caldron of trouble, she was the object of the silliest and meanest calumnies you could imagine; but Rose's resignation to her own misery made her exceedingly tender to the failings of others.

Instead of blaming them, I would hear her say, while tears were rolling down her cheeks: "I am sorry for them, they are losing their merits."
While Rose was suffering and receiving the sick and the afflicted, she always had a smile and was always ready to laugh. She was keen in seeing the funny side of things. When she laughed, an acute pain would generally pierce her heart. Although she watched herself, she was often taken by surprise and would burst out laughing. Then she would faint, and as her head fell on the pillow, her hand would rise to drop on her heart. At other times, she would try in vain to refrain from laughing and then burst out and laugh most heartily. We were all pleased when she escaped the penalty of fainting, but the pain generally followed. Rose was so fond of laughing, that even while in ecstasy, when she wept over her miseries, she found it possible to smile. With Our Lord, Rose was like a child; she cried, she sang and she laughed. And that seemed to please Jesus who makes his delights to be with the children of men.

From midnight to 1 A.M., Rose made her "Hour of Reparation." From 1 A.M. to 4 A.M., she kept busy doing whatever she could. She had but one hand to use, and that was tied to a metal splinter. The tip of her thumb and that of her index finger, with the help of her mouth were the only instruments she could work with. "I cannot remain idle, my little Jesus wants me to work," said Rose to Father Leonard ... and when the priest marvelled over the work she could do with a hand like hers, she replied: "My Little Jesus comes and helps me."

I have seen some of her work. In itself, it was not extraordinary; but it was marvelous that she was able to do it, when we know to what extent she was crippled. She made bookmarks with pictures and ribbons, she braided palms, fixed broken beads and made paper crosses and stars. I have one of those stars before me; the star is octagon; it was made from a strip of paper one inch wide and woven together. In the center of the star the strip bulges out in four places about an inch high and is twisted in spiral form, in the fashion of a rose bud. The strip shows no traces that it was crumpled or creased. I cannot see how the star was made; but even if I did, I could not do it with my two hands, with as much symmetry. Father Leonard rightly marvelled on seeing it.

At 4 A.M., she dozed until 6 A.M. Rose told me she did not sleep. During her dozing hours she heard all that was going on. Except Fridays, the day on which she suffered the Passion of Our Lord, the door was open to visitors: they came from everywhere and went home fully re¬warded or empty handed, according to their dispositions. Some were simple callers, but the greater number were afflicted with diseases, sickness, family troubles, and what not. Amongst them were priests, nuns, men of every station of life, rich and poor; all felt at ease with her. They opened their hearts and spoke freely of their faults; and at times, to their surprise, she told them their innermost thoughts. Before parting with them, Rose gave them medals and religious articles which followed them with her memory, a memory so unique that it filled the mind and heart and stayed forever with them.

RELIGIOUS ARTICLES
The practice of giving religious articles became with Rose a sort of self-supporting institution. She had been thinking of doing something in that line, when two ladies gave her $10.00: with which she purchased some religious articles to distribute to visitors. Some were charitable enough to reimburse her, but by far, the greater number merely thanked her very agreeably for them. Rose always gave, she never refused, for she felt that God would give her the means, if she was to continue; she did continue for the supply never failed. On Friday noon, the articles were placed on her bed. After the drama of the Passion, while in ecstasy, she asked Our Lord to impart special favors on them, together with his blessing. After the ecstasy, the first priest that came along blessed them. Then, they were freely given, as freely as they had come; charity had brought them and charity gave them out; but after they came and before they went, they rested on her stigmatized body, as on an altar, and from her ecstatic hands, she begged Our Lord to bless them.

Those who witnessed the scene, and who afterwards had one of those objects given to them, looked upon it as a relic and cherished it most dearly. Dr. Gendron of New Bedford writes: "I have a rose which was blessed in that way, on Good Friday. Rose told me to put its petals into a reliquary. I did it at her request, for she said they would be miraculous."

Continuing from Father Boyer’s book “She Wears a Crown of Thorns”, I offer the information below on Marie Rose’s ecstacies:

THE ECSTASIES OF “LITTLE ROSE"
On August 31, 1934, I visited Albertine Lafontaine; she was then living in Foucher St., Montreal. When I called she was in ecstasy; she was seated in a wheel chair, and completely covered with a blanket which was tucked up behind her head. It required some effort to remove the blanket; as I pulled it down from her face, something seemed to hold it back. I tried to move her, but nothing would move, not even the chair. Her eyes were closed and she seemed asleep. She did not seem to have any feeling nor to be breathing; her body was cold and as hard as a stone. Nothing could give you a better impression that you were handling a statue; all this was coupled with the phenomenon of Weight, a supernatural force that seemed to nail her to the floor.


After covering her face with the blanket, I hurried out to usher in others of my party. When we returned, the blanket was just as I had found it when I first entered. It was firmly tucked up behind her head. I did not attempt to remove it again. In the party, there was a man, his wife and her mother; all of my parish.
After telling them that Albertine was a mystic and that she was actually in ecstasy and that she had been so for two weeks, I pulled on her, with all my strength, to see if she would yield, but neither she nor the chair moved. My companion, strong and robust, tried it also, but in vain; his wife and her mother made the same experiment, with like result. Then bending one knee, I took the wheel and turned it, with the intention of moving the chair. With great effort I managed to make it turn about thirty degrees, but on releasing it, the wheel sprang back into place. Then, taking the same position in front of the chair, and grasping the two wheels, I pulled in my direction until the wheels squeaked and threatened to break. The only thing that moved was the old linoleum that curled and twisted in front of the wheels. My companion tried the same experiment, but also did not succeed. The two women refused to try. They were looking on with surprise.

This is a classical case of ecstasy. I have mentioned it to make you understand the ecstasies of «Little Rose," which were of the same kind. Both had the muscular rigidity which is an habitual phenomenon of ecstasy and when accompanied by that of Weight, it becomes one of the distinguishing features between divine and natural ecstasy.

On October 15, 1935, one of my correspondents writes:
"About two weeks ago, while I was talking with Rose, she fell into ecstasy. At that very moment, her head slipped off the pillow and remained in a rather awkward position, so I tried to get her back in place, but I could not move her, she was as heavy as lead. When she swooned away, she was in the act of bringing her hand to her head, and her arm remained lifted. I felt uneasy for her, so I tried to straighten out the arm: but it would not move. She was like a marble statue. I did not dare pull, for fear of breaking her arm. She remained in that position for half an hour. Then she came to herself and raised her head and went right back into ecstasy, as though she had a shock. The ecstasy lasted for about one more hour."

On December 10, 1935, the author spent the after¬noon with Rose; she swooned into ecstasy, remained so for a few minutes, revived and swooned back again. Whenever she fell into ecstasy, the phenomenon of Weight immediately manifested itself and increased in proportion with the depth of that state.

The frequency of her ecstasies made it a fine occasion to experiment. When she entered into one of these I would place my left hand on her upper right arm, the only one she could use, and with the other hold her own. Then I could feel the rigidity coming down her arm like a wave. As it came down the sensation of coldness followed. The wave movement reached in succession the hand, the fingers, and last of all the thumb. Then, one could no longer lift her, and the deeper she went into that state, the tighter she was fixed to her bed. Rigidity and Weight seemed to come and go simultaneously.
When she was coming out of ecstasy, the flexibility began at the extremities, starting with the thumb and working its way back, in the direction whence it had come.

With regard to the phenomenon of Weight, I once asked Rose if she felt the Weight, as she was coming back to her senses. The answer was that her head was both heavy and hard to move; but that sensation was felt only in the very act of recovering, when her soul seemed to come back to its own.

After experimenting for a while, I placed myself at the foot of the bed and without looking at her, I moved it very slowly left and right. It was harder to move when she entered into ecstasy and moved more freely as she came out of it. The mother was sitting at her bedside, facing me, she was expert in reading the expression of her daughter. She could tell at a glance, whether Rose had fallen into ecstasy or into a fainting spell. But I soon realized that by moving the bed, I could detect the "ins" and "outs" of ecstasy sooner than the mother. The bed conveyed the power of Weight sooner than it could be expressed in Rose's face. As I repeated the experiments, over and over again, I soon noticed not only that the bed was hard to move, but that it reacted in the opposite direction. If I moved it eight or ten inches and released it, the bed rolled back into place, of its own accord. I repeated this experiment many times, before calling Mrs. Ferron's attention to it. When the experiment proved a certainty, I told the mother to watch my hands; I moved the bed and loosened my hold suddenly; then the bed, like a faithful soldier who returns to the ranks, rolled back in an even speed to the very spot where it had been. I looked at the mother sternly and said: "Did you move that bed?" The mother was two feet away from it and facing me. She looked at me and with a half choked, "No"; she arose, hurried into the kitchen and was heard whispering the marvels she had seen. The phenomenon of Albertine's wheel chair had been repeated by Rose's rolling bed.

When these experiments were made, the phenomenon of Weight was nothing new. All those familiar with the life of Rose knew about it. Three years earlier, the author had written to the Bishop and called his attention to it in the following words: "Fri¬day, November 25, 1932, I spent the afternoon with Rose Ferron. At 3: 30 P.M., I asked the lady who was there if Rose was still heavy while in ecstasy. As she answered in the affirmative, I tried to lift :'er. First, I placed my hands under her neck, so both hands would overlap. When I tried to lift her, she stiffened, and I felt that if I pulled too hard, her neck would break, rather than yield. Then I placed my hands on each side of her shoulders and tried to lift her, using enough strength to realize that she could not be moved."


"Fifteen minutes later, I felt I should try again and see if I could not succeed, so I passed my hands under her shoulders, and tried again to lift her, but in vain. I said to the lady who was there, 'I believe she cannot be moved: She smiled and replied: 'Two of us tried and it was impossible: Meanwhile, Mrs. Ferron had come into the room and she added: 'She is simply nailed there!' If such was the case, I felt I should try again and put all my strength, so that I could say: 'I have tried my level best and failed,' so, I pushed my hands under her shoulder blades with great difficulty (my hands could not get any further than the wrist) and after bracing myself against the bed, I pulled with all my strength. Had I tried to lift a five ton truck, I would have been more successful. Not a move was experienced by Rose. She simply couldn't be lifted when in ecstasy. And yet the girl surely does not weigh more than seventy-five pounds. This beautiful mystical phenomenon of Weight is not something exceptional produced for my benefit. It takes place every Friday afternoon and therefore can easily be verified by anybody."

On October 24, 1934, during the afternoon, while Rose was in ecstasy, her father and I tried to lift her in bed. He stood on one side and I on the other. On a given signal, we tried to raise the bed. We tried repeatedly, and used all our strength, all to no avail. Rose could not be lifted. Still, the bed was not completely immovable, for one side raised about an inch more than the other. Apparently, we did not use the same strength at the same time. There was nothing that tied the bed to the floor, save that mysterious power which seemed to be under Rose. But the feeling I experienced would not have been different, had Rose's bed been tied to the floor, with a rope under her.

So far, we have been dealing with the phenomenon of Weight. As we have said in the beginning, it is one of the distinguishing features between divine and natural ecstasy. It corresponds to the phenomenon of Levitation, by which ecstatics are seen rising and floating in the air, or to that by which ecstatics give out sweet scenting odor of an unknown origin or last of all, that by which they are transfigured with light, as though God wished to glorify them on earth, as he did formerly in the case of his beloved Son.

All the above observations on Rose's ecstasies show them to be marked by the phenomenon of Weight. Rose can offer no better credentials; that alone suffices to prove that her ecstasies are not natural. While emphasizing the genuineness of her ecstasies, the reader must not forget that ecstasy is only a charism or gift and that by itself does not sanctify. You must look to virtue and especially to heroic virtue for sanctification and holiness.

ROSE'S VICARIOUS SUFFERINGS
A man from a western city, an admirer of Rose, and one of her benefactors, spoke to his pastor about her. The priest listened and said: "Ask her prayers for two or three persons of this parish; they are hard cases." The telephone rang, Rose answered, the message was delivered. A few days later, the pastor was on his way to say Mass, it was 6 A.M. There, on the church steps, four persons were waiting for him, they had been waiting since four in the morning. When the gentleman from the West called on Rose he told her what happened. "If he knew," answered Rose, "what that has cost me! . .. Don't tell him, he might be sorry." The life of Rose is an unending story of vicarious sufferings. Rose believed in the communion of the Saints, but she thought more of replenishing the treasury of the Mint, than of tak¬ing from it without contributing her share.

The following incident surprised me. It took place while Rose was in ecstasy. She was suffering for one of her sisters, or rather she had taken upon herself the pains of this sister. It was a confinement case. The mother and father were there, observing the contor¬tions and expressions of pain that are usual in such instances. According to the parents, the representa-tion was identical. During the ordeal, Rose was bloated immensely. "Look," said the mother, «her bones are out of place!" . .. She was then pointing to a bone in the center of Rose's abdomen. «It is her hip bone," said the mother, . .. "What! ... Her hip bone?" . .. "Yes," she retorted, ... "feel it." ... Then she hammered on it with her knuckles. As I looked at the father, he said, «It's true." . .. I felt it as he touched it himself. Like the mother, I hammered on it with my knuckles three or four times and felt it was the upper part of the hip bone; as I knocked, I could feel the concavity of its inner sur¬face. I had often heard the mother say that Rose's bones were out of place, but I never thought it was to that extent. This phenomenon does not seem possible; but in mysticism, it is an ordinary thing. St. John of the Cross, the Father of Mystical Theology, says that it always accompanies the ravishments of mystics when they are not completely purified by the "Night of the Soul."
Rose has taken the sufferings of more than one case of childbirth; -even today, mothers who dread that moment, entrust themselves to her, and are surprised at the outcome.”

Prayer that Marie Rose Ferron often recited to the Immaculate Heart of Mary:
"Immaculate Heart of Mary, perfect model of sanctity, take my soul and mold it
according to Thy sublime perfections. Purify my heart and set it free from every
obstacle to holiness, so that, detached from self and the pleasures of sense,
You may adorn it with the virtues and perfection of Thy own Immaculate Heart.
Then, lead my soul to that divine intimacy which alone can satisfy the immense
capacity for love and union with which God has created the human heart. From Thee,
I confidently hope for this grace of holiness, and I entrust my eternal destiny to
Thy Immaculate Heart. Amen."
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I also have also published an additional in depth article on Marie Rose Ferron, entitled "Marie Rose Ferron- American Mystic, Stigmatic and Visionary"
Or, you may click here for Part 1 of this article.

Also, for those interested, I have just republished a booklet that was originally published by "Little Rose Friends" back exactly 50 years ago (1964). The booklet is entitled "MY HEART SPEAKS TO THEE -The life of Marie Rose Ferron"   

The booklet has both an NIHIL OBSTAT and also an IMPRIMATUR from the first edition in 1964. This new 2nd edition contains 7 additional photographs of Little Rose and included with each booklet is a free Little Rose holy prayer card with a photo of Little Rose on the front, and some sayings of hers on the back. -Both for only $5.99, plus $2.99 shipping.

Those interested can read more about the booklet offer on the "Mystics of the Church" website gift store here:

http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/p/mystics-of-church-gift-store.html 

This author joins the many others worldwide who fervently hope and pray that "Little Rose" may soon be canonized by the Catholic church.

“To save souls, one would do anything, sacrifice anything, so together let us help Him, the One we love, to give Him many souls” –Marie Rose Ferron, September 21, 1921.

“I will pray hard, and my sufferings will be always for souls. I give myself to our dear Jesus to do with me just as He pleases…..I must ask you to pray for a very important intention. It is for souls, and at any price I must have these. They are so dear to God. Pray, pray hard. I am so sad when I think of the sorrow that our dear Jesus must have for us, poor souls. “ –Marie Rose Ferron Feb. 5, 1932