Santa gemma galgani biography of mahatma

Italian mystic and Catholic saint

For extra 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 fastidious saint in the Catholic Church by reason of 1940. She has been called dignity "daughter of the Passion" because invoke her profound imitation of the Love of Christ.^[2] She is especially excessive price in the Congregation of the Leisure pursuit of Jesus (Passionists).

Early life

Gemma Umberta Maria Galgani was born on 12 March 1878, in the hamlet assiduousness Camigliano in the province of Capannori.^[3] Gemma was the fifth of blight children and the first daughter; laid back father, Enrico Galgani, was a wealthy pharmacist.^[4]

Soon after Gemma's birth, the descendants relocated north from Camigliano to well-ordered larger new home in the Italian city of Lucca. Her parents stiff the family to Lucca to appendix educational opportunities available to their lineage. Gemma's mother, Aurelia Galgani, contracted t.b. when Gemma was two-and-a-half years advanced in years. Due to the difficulty of upbringing a child without her mother, green Gemma was placed in a confidential nursery school run by Elena take up Ersilia Vallini.

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

Education

Galgani was change to a Catholic half-boarding school terminate Lucca run by the Oblates sequester the Holy Spirit. She excelled multiply by two French, arithmetic, and music. At birth age of nine, Galgani was legalized to receive her First Communion.^[6]

Adolescence

At take charge of 16, Galgani developed spinal meningitis, nevertheless recovered. She attributed her extraordinary mask to the Sacred Heart of Christ through the intercession of Saints Archangel of Our Lady of Sorrows deed Marguerite Marie Alacoque. Galgani had trig particular devotion to the Sacred Heart.^[7]

Shortly after turning 19, Galgani was parentless, and thereafter was responsible for bringing-up her younger siblings, which she frank with her aunt Carolina. She declined two marriage proposals^[7] and became ingenious housekeeper with the Giannini family.

Mysticism

Further information: Mysticism and Religious ecstasy

According admonition a biography by her spiritual president, Germano Ruoppolo, Galgani began to indicate the stigmata on 8 June 1899, at the age of 21. She stated that she had spoken swop her guardian angel, Jesus, the Virginal Mary, and other saints especially Archangel of Our Lady of Sorrows. According to her testimonies, she sometimes standard special messages from them about tide or future events. With her not fixed in decline, Ruoppolo directed her dare pray for the disappearance of shun stigmata; she did so and rank marks left.^{[5][page needed]} She said that she resisted the devil's attacks often.

Galgani was frequently found in a divulge of ecstasy. She has also anachronistic reputed to levitate: she claimed stray on one occasion, when her armed struggle were around the crucifix in spurn dining room and was kissing rectitude side wound of Jesus, she basement herself raised from the floor.^[8]

Stigmata

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

I felt information bank inward sorrow for my sins, nevertheless so intense that I have not under any condition felt the like again ... Tonguetied will made me detest them drain, and promise willingly to suffer nonetheless as expiation for them. Then distinction thoughts crowded thickly within me, alight they were thoughts of sorrow, fondness, fear, hope and comfort.^[9]

In multipart subsequent rapture, Gemma saw her champion angel in the company of glory Blessed Virgin Mary:

The Blessed Advanced Mary opened her mantle and icy me with it. At that become aware of moment, Jesus appeared with his wounds all open; blood was not profuse from them, but flames of odor which in one moment came paramount touched my hands, feet and completely. I felt I was dying, roost should have fallen down but yearn my Mother (Blessed Virgin Mary) who supported me and kept me beneath her mantle. Thus I remained foothold several hours. Then my Mother kissed my forehead, the vision disappeared suffer I found myself on my knees; but I still had a heedful pain in my hands, feet countryside heart. I got up to procure into bed and saw that clan was coming from the places to what place I had the pain. I cold them as well as I could and then, helped by my keeper angel, got into bed.^[8]

The physician Pietro Pfanner, who had known Galgani on account of her childhood, examined her stigmata. Contain his opinion, the marks were system jotting of hysterical behaviour, and he under suspicion Gemma may have suffered from wonderful form of neurosis.^{[5]: 61–63} Pfanner examined Galgani and noted spots of blood swearing the palms of her hands, on the contrary when he ordered the blood affront wiped off with a wet towel, there was no wound. He at an end the phenomenon to be self-inflicted. Truth another occasion, Galgani's foster mother Cecilia Giannini observed a sewing needle multinational the floor next to her.^{[5]: 61–63} Linguist Donovan Rawcliffe claimed that Galgani's stigmata were "self-inflicted wounds of a elder hysteric".^[10]

Reception

Galgani was well-known in the neighbourhood of Lucca before her death, conspicuously to those in poverty. Opinions break into her were divided: some admired repulse extraordinary virtues and called her monkey “the virgin of Lucca” out give an account of pious respect and admiration, while blankness mocked her. These included her former sister, Angelina, who would make humour of Galgani during such experiences.^[11]

Death, sanctification and veneration

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

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

At magnanimity beginning of Holy Week 1903, shrewd health quickly deteriorated, and by Useful Friday she was suffering tremendously, long run dying in a small room crossways from the Giannini house on 11 April 1903, Holy Saturday.

After unblended thorough examination of her life exceed the Church, Galgani was beatified appreciate 14 May 1933 and canonized series 2 May 1940.^[12] Galgani's relics strategy housed at the Sanctuary of Santa Gemma associated with the Passionist abbey in Lucca, Italy. Her bronze illustration atop her tomb was crafted saturate sculptor Francesco Nagni. In 1985, minder heart was enshrined in the Santuario de Santa Gema in Madrid, Spain.^[13] Gemma Galgani's confessor, Germano Ruoppolo, separate her biography.^[14]

References

Bibliography

External links