The Life of St. Gemma Galgani Free

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This website is devoted to Saint Gemma Galgani with over 70 articles and many of her writings, along with official photographs and numerous examples of her heroic life, in hopes that it will inspire in others a greater love and devotion for Jesus and Mary. The author endeavors always to be in full communion with the Catholic Church and its teachings. I read this book many years ago when I returned to the faith. Like other books I have read, all these saints set a perfect example on how to live. I can The Life of St. Gemma Galgani to St Gemma on a couple of her trials. It seems like I will never get to be a good christian. But I know the trial The Life of St. Gemma Galgani a long one. Thanks The Life of St. Gemma Galgani posting this book. Right now I am on chapter XIX. These writings are amazing. I would recommend The Life of St. Gemma Galgani read it. Thanks again for posting this book. Hi Kevin, Thank you for your kind comments. I am glad to hear that you are reading this book once again. If you go to the top of the screen, you will see a link for "Biography of St Gemma". If you have not already, check this free book out too--it is my own personal favorite on the holy life of St Gemma. May God bless you and your loved ones. Glenn Dallaire. Good morning, My name is Gil Odiver Jr. I am a Filipino and I am a devotee of Saint Gemma Galgani, I used to read about her life through internet because I have a deep devotion to the Saints. May I ask Sir if how I can acquire a copy of his autobiography to add to my collection of books of the Saints and in Spirituality. Thank you and Good Morning, Rest assured of my prayers. God Bless us always :. Post a Comment. The Life of St Gemma Galgani book. Venerable Reverend Germanus Ruoppolo C. Translated by Reverend A. Herder, St. Louis, US. She was born on the 12th of March, Her parents were Henry Galgani, a chemist, descended we are told from the family of the Blessed John Leonardi, and Aurelia of the noble house of Landi, both good Catholics of the old school and honored citizens. They had eight children, five boys and three girls. All of them, except three who are still living, died in their youth. The Life of St. Gemma Galgani to the custom of truly Christian parents, these good people were careful that their children should be baptized as soon as possible; and so Gemma, fourth child and eldest daughter, the day after her birth was baptized in the The Life of St. Gemma Galgani Church of St Michael in Camigliano by the Rector, D. Peter Quilici. The name given her in baptism seemed providential; for she was destined to give luster to her family by the splendor of her virtues, and to shine as a brilliant gem in the Church of God. The parents of this child of benediction were no doubt moved in a special way to give her this name; for we are told that her mother, just before she was born, was The Life of St. Gemma Galgani of joy; and her father also as soon as he saw her was impressed with feelings of special gladness. Not having experienced such feelings at the birth of any other of their children, it was natural for them to look on her as an especially precious gift, and call her Gemma. It is certain that so they regarded her as long as they lived. In their eyes Gemma was always the first among all her brothers and sisters. He was an angel of purity and innocence; when he died he was aspiring to the Priesthood, and had The Life of St. Gemma Galgani received minor orders. When two years old Gemma The Life of St. Gemma Galgani sent with her brothers and sisters to a private half-boarding school for little boys and girls of the best families. It was kept by two excellent ladies of Lucca, Emilia and Helen Vallini. She continued to go to that school for five years. Her good mistresses some years later in a written report expressed their admiration of her as follows:. From that early age she gave evidence of ripe intelligence and seemed to have already attained the use of reason. She was serious, thoughtful, wise in everything, and differed from all her companions. She The Life of St. Gemma Galgani never seen to cry nor to quarrel; her countenance was always calm and sweet. The Life of St. Gemma Galgani petted or blamed, it was all the same, her only reply was a modest smile, and her bearing was one of imperturbable composure. Her disposition was vivacious and ardent, yet during her whole time with us we were never obliged to punish her; for in the small faults that necessarily attach to that tender age the slightest reproof was enough for her and she at once The Life of St. Gemma Galgani. She had two brothers and two sisters at school with her; she was never seen at variance with them, and invariably yielded the best of everything to them, depriving herself of it. At the school dinner Gemma was always satisfied, and the smile that played on her lips was her only complaint or approval. When live years old she read the Office of Our Lady, and of the Dead, from the Breviary as easily and quickly as a grown person; this was The Life of St. Gemma Galgani to the special diligence of the angelic child, from her knowing that the Breviary was a network of Divine praise. She was assiduous at her studies, and quickly learned all that was taught her, even things that were superior to her tender years. Gemma was greatly loved in the school, especially by the little girls who always longed to be with her. Having lately visited the Signore Vallini in Lucca, I heard their full confirmation of the above report. It ended thus:. While she was attending our school a very malignant type of whooping cough invaded Lucca; and all our family were attacked by it. We felt that we ought not to keep the five children while it lasted; but having consulted the Parish Priest, he advised us not to abandon them because their Mother was lying ill and in danger of death. We took his advice, and on dear Gemma praying at our request the epidemic ceased, and not one of our pupils remained affected by it. Germano di S. He blessed God for it, and at the same time his tender love for her increased. Without doubt such partiality on the part of a father was not praiseworthy; and it was especially displeasing to Gemma, whose singular rectitude of mind and heart was manifest to all from her very infancy. She often complained to him of it, protesting that she was unworthy of such attentions, and declaring how much she disliked them. And when she could not prevent them she poured out her, grief in abundant tears. It occasionally happened that this affectionate father, taking his little one on his knee, would attempt to kiss her, but in this he never succeeded. Gemma in her turn attributed these victories to her tears. And— being always on her guard—she knew how The Life of St. Gemma Galgani hold them in reserve, and used them successfully when needed. On one occasion a youth, her first cousin, attempted to touch her, and paid dearly for it. He was on horseback at the door of their house, and, having forgotten something, called out to Gemma to bring it him. She answered at once, and in an instant brought him what he wanted—she was then seven years of age. Touched by the graceful way in which that little service was rendered him, the youth, to show his gratitude to his dear little cousin, put out his hand when leaving to pat her on the cheek. But Gemma immediately repelled his action with such force that, losing his balance, he fell from the saddle, and was injured by the fall. Aurelia Galgani was not only a good Christian, but a Saint, and a most perfect model to all Catholic mothers. Her prayer was continual; The Life of St. Gemma Galgani morning she partook of the Bread of Life with sentiments of vivid faith, allowing no obstacle to prevent her going to church, even when suffering from fever. From this divine Food she drew strength and spirit for the perfect fulfillment of her duties. She loved all her children, but above all Gemma, in whom she, better than anyone else, was able to recognize the gifts of God. Grace had begun very early indeed to operate in the soul of the child. Its workings became evident in her perfect and condescending dispositions; in her love of retirement and silence; in her abhorrence of vanity and pleasure—seeking; and in a certain dignity of bearing that certainly was not that of a child. Here we see a mother becoming the spiritual directress of her daughter, and Gemma, in her turn, full The Life of St. Gemma Galgani gratitude to our Lord for having given her such a mother, was ever mindful of the assiduous and unceasing care thus lavished on her. She used to declare that it was to her mother she owed her knowledge of God and her love of virtue. This saintly mother used often to take her Gemma in her arms, and teach her holy things, mingling tears with her words. He has indeed consoled me, but too late! She taught her how to pray, and habitually said prayers with her, in the morning, as soon as she rose, in the evening before going to rest, and very often in the course of the day. All know how tiresome it is for children to listen to sermons and recite vocal prayers—owing to their difficulty of giving fixed attention to anything, and to their eagerness for novelties. But it was not so with Gemma. She found her whole delight in those first lessons of piety, and consequently she never tired of hearing sermons and praying. The nearer this good mother felt herself drawing to her end, the greater became her zeal and ardor in the religious education of her children. Every Saturday she took them with her to the church—or, if unable to go, got someone else to take them. Indeed it so increased with her years as to consume her whole being. This we shall see in the progress of her story. Gemma was bitterly afflicted at finding herself thus in an instant separated from her whom she doubly loved as a mother and as a spiritual guide. She so took advantage of it, that thinking over it afterwards, she felt deeply grieved, believing that she had disobeyed and allowed herself to be led by caprice. Meanwhile, the day of final separation was drawing nigh. The sick mother grew daily worse, although outwardly the imminent danger was not visible. Even at that last stage she showed herself ever solicitous for the spiritual good of her children. Gemma meanwhile had been preparing herself to worthily receive this Sacrament; and not content with that, she brought a Mistress of the Christian Doctrine to the house every evening in order to add greater perfection to her own work. When all was ready, on the first occasion that offered itself, the child was accompanied to the Basilica of St Michael in Foro, where the Archbishop, Monsignor Nicholas Ghilardi, was giving Confirmation. It was the 26th of May, St Gemma Galgani: The Life of St Gemma Galgani book

This work is published for the greater Glory of Jesus Christ through His most Holy Mother Mary and for the sanctification of the militant Church and her members. PART I. PART V. Many years ago, when I was a young priest, I had the good fortune of studying for a time in Rome. John and Paul. This was an international community of Passionists, but largely Italian, and the language of the house was Italian. As a result, I ended my stay in Rome with at least some knowledge of the Italian language. I returned to the States with many memories, and with a desire to put my acquired knowledge of Italian to some practical use. Among many other Roman experiences, I had come into more direct contact with the person and the writings of St. Gemma Galgani. Gemma was a young lay woman who desired ardently to become a Passionist Nun, but God never granted this desire. However, through her close association with the Passionists, she earned a treasured place among the Passionist Family. As so many The Life of St. Gemma Galgani have done through the years, I found that I had fallen under the spell of St. And so, when it came to a way of putting my knowledge of Italian to use, I naturally thought of doing something with the writings of St. Gemma, which, until that time remained locked in the Italian, at least as far as English readers were concerned. It may The Life of St. Gemma Galgani a cause of surprise for many, even now, to learn that this humble and hidden saint wrote a great deal. There are two large volumes of her writings published in Italian. One volume, Lettere di S. Gemma Galgani contains pages of her letters alone. The Life of St. Gemma Galgani Galgani contains pages of her other writings. One does not have to read far in either of these volumes to be completely captivated by the simple and humble saint. Gemma wrote her autobiography at the insistent request of Father Germanus, C. At first he directed his spiritual daughter by letter, coming to Lucca to see her for the first time in September He found Gemma writing a diary of the graces she received day by day. She was writing this diary under obedience to her regular confessor, Msgr. Volpi, Auxiliary Bishop of Lucca. Judging on general principles that it was not good to concentrate to such an extent on what was happening within, Father Germanus ordered her to stop and made her hand The Life of St. Gemma Galgani to him all that she had written. He realized, in short, that he was dealing with a most extraordinary person. In order to remedy this mistake, he asked her to write for him a general confession of all her sins that he might be better able to direct her. He knew that she could not write of her sins without telling the graces which made them appear so great to her. Gemma complied with his wish, though with great reluctance as is indicated by the autobiography itself. In her letters, Gemma always refers to this document as her general confession. At the same time, however, it is evident that she did not look upon it as a sacramental confession. At least twice in the pages of the The Life of St. Gemma Galgani she passes over points, explaining that she will tell him in confession. The autobiography thus written The Life of St. Gemma Galgani obedience to Father Germanus filled 93 pages of a notebook, all written in her own hand. It covers the years from her infancy until Septemberwhen she was 22 years old. She began writing the autobiography on February 17,and finished it in May of the same year. Since she died two years later on April 11,it does not cover the last two years of her life. The manuscript copy of the autobiography still exists and is on display at Sts. John and Paul in Rome. Father Germanus explains this phenomenon in his life of St. Some days elapsed and Gemma thought she saw the Demon pass through the window of the room where the drawer was, chuckling, and then disappearing in the air. Accustomed as she was to such apparitions, she thought nothing of it. Then, owing to the obedience which she was under to disclose to her vigilant benefactress everything extraordinary that happened to her, she thought she was obliged to tell her what had occurred. They went, opened the drawer, and found that the book was no longer there. I was written to at once and it was easy to imagine my consternation at having lost such a treasure. What was to be done? I thought a great deal about it, and just then, while at the tomb of Blessed Gabriel of the Dolors, a fresh idea came to my mind. I resolved to exorcise the devil and thus force him to return the manuscript if he had really The Life of St. Gemma Galgani it. With my ritual stole and holy water I went to the tomb of the blessed servant of God and there, although nearly four hundred miles from Lucca, I pronounced the exorcism in regular form. God seconded my ministry, and at the same hour the writing was restored to the place from which it had been taken several days before. But in what a state! The pages from top to bottom were all smoked, and parts burned, as if each one had been separately exposed over a strong fire. Yet they were not so badly burned as to destroy the writing. This document, having thus passed through a hell fire, is in my hands. Having seen the Autobiography as it is preserved today, I can witness personally the evidence described by Father Germanus. We leave it to the reader to judge why the devil was so jealous of this document. It gives me much pleasure that the Autobiography of St. Gemma is being republished in its present form. One final note, in both of the above publications the name Columban Browning, C. Sometime after that, I returned to my baptismal name. William Browning, C. To my dear Father, who will burn it immediately. My dear Father, You must understand that at first I intended to make The Life of St. Gemma Galgani general confession of my sins without adding anything else, but your Guardian Angel reproved me, and told me to obey and give a short summary of all that has happened in my life both good and bad. How difficult it is, dear Father, to obey in this matter! But please be careful. You may read and reread this as often as you wish but do not show it to anyone else, and when you are through with it burn it up immediately. Do you understand? The angel promised to help me recall everything to mind. I told him plainly and pleaded with him that I do not want to do this. I was frightened at the thought of recalling everything, but the Angel assured me that he would help me. I think, dear Father, that when you read this and learn of all my sins you will be angry with me and will no longer want to be my Father. Still I hope that you will always be willing. So prepare yourself to learn of every kind of sin. And you, dear Father, do you approve of what the angel told me, that I should speak of my whole life? By The Life of St. Gemma Galgani everything, both good and bad, you will be able to see better how bad I have been and how good others have The Life of St. Gemma Galgani to me. You will see how ungrateful I have shown myself toward Jesus and how much I have failed to listen to the good advice of my parents and The Life of St. Gemma Galgani. So I begin the task, dear Father. Live Jesus! He has given me this consolation; it is true, but too late. I must leave you. Oh, if I could only take you with me! Would you come? It was my mother, dear Father, who first made me want to go to heaven when I was just a little child. But when my mother asked me this I told her that I did want to go with her. The Life of St. Gemma Galgani I remember that when she spoke so often of taking me to heaven with her I did not want to be separated from her. I would not even leave her room. Every evening before going to bed I would go to her and, kneeling beside her bed, I would say my prayers. I said these prayers but as usual carelessly and without attention all my life I have never paid attention to my prayers. And she, indulgent as she was, shortened the prayers after that. Meanwhile, the time was coming when I was to receive Confirmation. I wanted to take some instructions because I knew nothing. On the 26th of May [2] I received Confirmation but I did so weeping. For after the function there was to be a Mass and I was always afraid that Mother would go away die without taking me with her. I assisted at the Mass as best I could, all the while praying for her. But you must remain with your father for the present. I will take your mother to heaven, understand? Do you give her to me willingly? When the Mass was over I ran home. Gemma Galgani - Wikipedia

Gemma Galgani, also known as the Flower of Lucca, was an Italian mystic often referred to as the "Daughter of Passion," for her intense replication of the Passion of Christ. She was born on March 12,in a small Italian town near Lucca. At a very young age, Gemma developed a love for prayer. She made her First Communion on June 17, Gemma was loved by her teachers and her fellow students, as a student at a school run by the Sisters of St. Though quiet and reserved, she always had a smile for everyone. Unfortunately, Gemma had to quit school due to her chronic ill health before completing the course of study. Throughout her life, Gemma was to be chosen with many mystical experiences and special graces. These were often misunderstood by others, causing ridicule. Gemma suffered heartaches in reparation, remembering that Our Lord Himself had been misunderstood and ridiculed. Gemma had an immense love for the poor and helped them The Life of St. Gemma Galgani any way she could. After her father's death, the year- old Gemma became the mother-figure for her seven brothers and sisters. When some of her siblings became old enough to share the responsibility, Gemma went The Life of St. Gemma Galgani live briefly with a married aunt. At this time, two young men proposed marriage to her. However, Gemma refused because she wanted silence, retirement, and more than ever, she desired to pray and speak only to God. Gemma returned home and almost immediately became very ill with meningitis. Throughout this illness, her one regret was the trouble she caused her relatives who took care of her. Feeling The Life of St. Gemma Galgani tempted by the devil, Gemma prayed for help to the Venerable Passionist, Gabriel Possenti. Through his intercession, Gemma was miraculously cured. Gemma wished to become a nun, but her poor health prevented her from being accepted. She offered The Life of St. Gemma Galgani disappointment to God as a sacrifice. Gemma predicted that the Passionists would establish a monastery at Lucca; this came to pass two years after her death. Today, Gemma's relics remain at the Passionist monastery in Lucca. On June 8,Gemma had an internal warning that some unusual grace was to be granted to her. She felt pain and blood coming from her hands, feet and heart. These were the marks of the stigmata. Each Thursday evening, Gemma would fall into rapture and the marks would appear. Such marks, called the stigmata in the language of the Catholic Church, refers to the appearance of the wounds of the crucified Jesus Christ appearing on the The Life of St. Gemma Galgani of some men and women whose lives are so conformed to His that they reflect those The Life of St. Gemma Galgani of redemptive love for others. The stigmata remained until Friday afternoon or Saturday morning. When the bleeding would stop, the wounds would close, and only white marks would remain in place of the deep gashes. Gemma's The Life of St. Gemma Galgani would continue to appear until her confessor, Reverend Germanus Ruoppolo, advised her to pray for their disappearance due to her declining health. Through her prayers, the phenomenon ceased, but the white marks remained on her skin until her death. Through the help of her confessor, Gemma went off to live with another family where she was allowed more freedom for her spiritual life than she was at home. She was frequently found in a state of ecstasy and on one occasion she was believed to have levitated. Her words spoken during her ecstasies, were recorded by her confessor and a relative from her adoptive family. At the end of her ecstasies, she returned to normal and carried on quietly and serenely. Gemma often saw her guardian angel. She sent her guardian angel on errands, usually to deliver a letter or oral message to her confessor in Rome. During the apostolic investigations into her life, all witnesses testified that there was no artfulness in Gemma's manner. Most of her severe penances and sacrifices were hidden from most who knew her. In January ofGemma was diagnosed with tuberculosis. At the start of Holy Week inGemma began suffering greatly. She died at age 25 on Holy Saturday, April The Parish Priest in her company said, "She died with a smile which remained upon her lips, so that I could not convince myself The Life of St. Gemma Galgani she was really dead. She is the patron saint against temptations, against the death of parents, against tuberculosis, of students and of pharmacists. Her feast day is celebrated on April Copyright Catholic Online. All materials contained on this site, whether written, audible or visual are the exclusive property of Catholic Online and are protected under U. Any unauthorized use, without prior written consent of Catholic Online is strictly forbidden and prohibited. 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