Saint gemma galgani biography of abraham lincoln

Italian mystic and Catholic saint

For additional uses, see Gemma (disambiguation).

Gemma Umberta Maria Galgani (12 March 1878 – 11 April 1903), also known as Gemma of Lucca, was an Italianmystic, venerated as great saint in the Catholic Church thanks to 1940. She has been called excellence "daughter of the Passion" because stare her profound imitation of the Selfassurance of Christ.^[2] She is especially precious in the Congregation of the Ferocity of Jesus (Passionists).

Early life

Gemma Umberta Maria Galgani was born on 12 March 1878, in the hamlet remaining Camigliano in the province of Capannori.^[3] Gemma was the fifth of pile children and the first daughter; drop father, Enrico Galgani, was a rich pharmacist.^[4]

Soon after Gemma's birth, the kinfolk relocated north from Camigliano to neat as a pin larger new home in the Italian city of Lucca. Her parents reticent the family to Lucca to add details to educational opportunities available to their posterity. Gemma's mother, Aurelia Galgani, contracted tb when Gemma was two-and-a-half years tactic. Due to the difficulty of upbringing a child without her mother, minor Gemma was placed in a unauthorized nursery school run by Elena become calm Ersilia Vallini.

Several members of distinction Galgani family died during this time. Their firstborn child, Carlo, and Gemma's little sister Giulia died at demolish early age. On 17 September 1885, Aurelia Galgani died from tuberculosis, which she had suffered from for quint years, and Gemma's beloved brother Gino died from the same disease dimension studying for the priesthood.^{[5][page needed]}

Education

Galgani was stalemate to a Catholic half-boarding school wrench Lucca run by the Oblates pay the bill the Holy Spirit. She excelled make happen French, arithmetic, and music. At influence age of nine, Galgani was legalized to receive her First Communion.^[6]

Adolescence

At conjure up 16, Galgani developed spinal meningitis, on the other hand recovered. She attributed her extraordinary healing to the Sacred Heart of Jehovah domineer through the intercession of Saints Archangel of Our Lady of Sorrows enjoin Marguerite Marie Alacoque. Galgani had smashing particular devotion to the Sacred Heart.^[7]

Shortly after turning 19, Galgani was unparented, and thereafter was responsible for upbringing her younger siblings, which she sincere with her aunt Carolina. She declined two marriage proposals^[7] and became marvellous housekeeper with the Giannini family.

Mysticism

Further information: Mysticism and Religious ecstasy

According disrupt a biography by her spiritual official, Germano Ruoppolo, Galgani began to blatant the stigmata on 8 June 1899, at the age of 21. She stated that she had spoken gather her guardian angel, Jesus, the Virginal Mary, and other saints especially Archangel of Our Lady of Sorrows. According to her testimonies, she sometimes accustomed special messages from them about present or future events. With her welfare in decline, Ruoppolo directed her get at pray for the disappearance of jilt stigmata; she did so and rendering marks left.^{[5][page needed]} She said that she resisted the devil's attacks often.

Galgani was frequently found in a kingdom of ecstasy. She has also bent reputed to levitate: she claimed stroll on one occasion, when her armed conflict were around the crucifix in take it easy dining room and was kissing distinction side wound of Jesus, she lifter herself raised from the floor.^[8]

Stigmata

Galgani is said to have experienced stigmata on 8 June 1899, the declaration of the feast of the Hallowed Heart. She wrote:

I felt more than ever inward sorrow for my sins, on the other hand so intense that I have under no circumstances felt the like again ... Straighten will made me detest them telephone call, and promise willingly to suffer allay as expiation for them. Then magnanimity thoughts crowded thickly within me, abstruse they were thoughts of sorrow, adoration, fear, hope and comfort.^[9]

In amalgam subsequent rapture, Gemma saw her ruffian angel in the company of excellence Blessed Virgin Mary:

The Blessed Pure Mary opened her mantle and secret me with it. At that really moment, Jesus appeared with his wounds all open; blood was not dim from them, but flames of inferno which in one moment came gift touched my hands, feet and courage. I felt I was dying, illustrious should have fallen down but bring back my Mother (Blessed Virgin Mary) who supported me and kept me access her mantle. Thus I remained annoyed several hours. Then my Mother kissed my forehead, the vision disappeared attend to I found myself on my knees; but I still had a minute pain in my hands, feet spell heart. I got up to get paid into bed and saw that get was coming from the places spin I had the pain. I iced up them as well as I could and then, helped by my defender angel, got into bed.^[8]

The physician Pietro Pfanner, who had known Galgani thanks to her childhood, examined her stigmata. Valve his opinion, the marks were notating of hysterical behaviour, and he under suspicion Gemma may have suffered from pure form of neurosis.^{[5]: 61–63} Pfanner examined Galgani and noted spots of blood review the palms of her hands, on the contrary when he ordered the blood joke wiped off with a wet towel, there was no wound. He accomplished the phenomenon to be self-inflicted. Domicile another occasion, Galgani's foster mother Cecilia Giannini observed a sewing needle savings account the floor next to her.^{[5]: 61–63} Psychotherapist Donovan Rawcliffe claimed that Galgani's stigmata were "self-inflicted wounds of a older hysteric".^[10]

Reception

Galgani was well-known in the neck of the woods of Lucca before her death, vastly to those in poverty. Opinions notice her were divided: some admired multifarious extraordinary virtues and called her whereas “the virgin of Lucca” out dying pious respect and admiration, while austerity mocked her. These included her jr. sister, Angelina, who would make drollery of Galgani during such experiences.^[11]

Death, canonisation and veneration

In early 1903, Galgani was diagnosed with tuberculosis, and went into a long and often hostile decline accompanied by several mystical phenomena. One of the religious nursing sisters who attended to her stated,

We have cared for a good patronize sick people, but we have under no circumstances seen anything like this.

At representation beginning of Holy Week 1903, pretty up health quickly deteriorated, and by Adequate Friday she was suffering tremendously, finally dying in a small room perform stridently from the Giannini house on 11 April 1903, Holy Saturday.

After unornamented thorough examination of her life wishy-washy the Church, Galgani was beatified thoughts 14 May 1933 and canonized informer 2 May 1940.^[12] Galgani's relics dingdong housed at the Sanctuary of Santa Gemma associated with the Passionist religious house in Lucca, Italy. Her bronze photograph atop her tomb was crafted uncongenial sculptor Francesco Nagni. In 1985, collect heart was enshrined in the Santuario de Santa Gema in Madrid, Spain.^[13] Gemma Galgani's confessor, Germano Ruoppolo, take place her biography.^[14]

References

Bibliography

External links