Saint Gemma Galgani was born March 12, 1878, to Enrico and Aureliana Galgani. Saint Gemma was welcomed into a small, humble village on the outskirts of Lucca, Italy. The very next day, her parents took her to be baptized into the Catholic faith. Her parents gave the ripest the authority to name their child, and the priest bestowed upon her the name Gemma. His reasoning was that there was not a single saint of the name “Gemma” and it was only fitting the “Gem” of Christ had such a name. Throughout her early life, Saint Gemma fell in love with prayer. Her heart was on fire for love of Christ. Saint Gemma was slightly older when she was first confronted by God. He asked her to give Him her mother and, being the religious girl she was, she obliged. …show more content…
She became quiet and more prayerful than ever, which eventually prompted her father to send her to live under the care of a local nun. There, Saint Gemma lived for many years, praying and worshiping God. However, Saint Gemma contracted terminal spinal meningitis and returned home. While ill, she could only worry about how much trouble she caused for those who took care of her. She prayed to the Passionist Gabriel Possenti for guidance and she was soon healed. Since her poor health had prevented her from completing her journey to become a nun, she offered herself completely to God. She soon received stigmata, bleeding, open wounds in the places Jesus Christ was nailed to the cross. Through much prayer, Saint Gemma was healed after months of intense suffering. Saint Gemma lived the rest of her short life praying for the conversion of sinners and writing diaries, letters, and books. She died April 11, 1903, from tuberculosis. She died in the presence of her parish priest who later said, “She died with a smile which remained upon her lips so that I could not convince myself she was really
Patria goes on a pilgrimage with her mother and sisters. When she prays to Virgencita, Patria feels as if she was looking up to God and heaven when really she needed to be looking at the people behind her. She is still questioning her faith. She does blame her third child’s death on God. Patria long after realizes that going to church isn’t for her anymore.
Saint Christina of Markyate’s story provides more than the religious experiences of a hermit, it presents twelfth-century life in, mostly, the Huntington area of England in a very detailed manner. Baptized as Theodora, Christina of Markyate’s path of religious devotion is claimed to have begun in her early teen years with a vow of chastity (35). This vow was only known to one other person, a close friend named Sueno, until her parents attempted to arrange a marriage for her. Being described as attractive and intelligent, as well as coming from a wealthy family, this was not uncommon for women in Christina’s lifetime. Upon declining the first suitor, a bishop, her hardships begin and, at times, seem as though they were both unlikely to end and
After her graduation, she tried to join the Daughters of the Sacred Heart again. Mother Giovanna Francesca Grassi knew that Frances was full of virtue, but declined her request because she felt that Frances’ poor health would prevent her from fully participating in religious life. However, Mother Grassi kept her motivated by saying, “You are called to establish another Institute that will bring new glory to the Heart of Jesus.” Upset by the news, Frances returned to her hometown of Sant’Angelo and ta...
Even when she was sick, nearing the end of her journey here on earth, she continued praying for others, mostly their healing in addition to their salvation. She prayed daily, in private, asking God for his hand to touch others hearts and souls. Never once did she ask for anything for herself. While enduring chemotherapy, she came to work as long as she felt she could. My mother did these things out of care and concern for others. These actions were done not for her own reward, but because it was the right thing to
Highly recognized by people, saints are famous around the world by people of all different backgrounds. Many different Christian-based religions have or use saints as a purpose to get people to pray more often than they would usually, or have them to be used as “communion saints”. There are over 10,000 saints, many with different backgrounds, histories, and meanings. Some of them are patron saints, which shield or protect a certain person, place, or thing. Saints can mean a lot of different things to people, with some of the most famous ones being Joan of Arc, Saint Agnes, Saint Peter, Saint Patrick, and more, But one of them, Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, is easily overlooked and stands for a greater message even through her hard times.
...ame sick. They stopped by a town close by to see a doctor they said she had small pox and would not survive. There she died at the age of 22 on March 21, 1617. And was buried in a churchyard in Gravesend, England.
Teresa Sánchez Cepeda Davila y Ahumada lived in Avila, Spain where she was born in 1515 and lived during the Reformation until her death at age 67. She was canonized in 1622, forty years after her death. St. Teresa's grandmother was forced to be converted from a Jew into a Christian during the Inquisition. Without her grandmother’s conversion, St. Teresa would never have become a Christian saint. Her parents were Godly people and showed tremendous integrity.
... then has become one of the most popular Saints in the Roman Catholic Church.
In the early stages of Catherine's life the surfacing modern age was bringing with it social turmoil which spread throughout Europe (Giordani 3). During Catherine's lifetime, according to Mary Ann Sullivan in her essay “St. Catherine of Siena,” the center of Catholic rule fluctuated between Rome and Avignon and contributed to a schism between popes in Italy and France (1). Catherine was born 23rd in a line of 25 children and, according to Sullivan “even at a young age, [she] sensed the troubled society around her and wanted to help” (1). While her parents were not exceptionally religious, St. Catherine's biographer Blessed Raymond of Capua discusses Catherine's early zeal for Catholic practices: “When she was about five she learned the Hail Mary, and repeated it over and over again as often as she could…she was inspired by heaven to address the Blessed Virgin in this way whenever she went up and down stairs, stopping to kneel on each step as she did so” (24). Her devotion to the Virgin Mary would become especially important in a vision she had around this time while walking with her brother to visit one of her sisters.
Joan of Arc was born in the village of Domremy in 1412. Like many girls her age she was taught like many other young girls her age not how to read or write but to sew and spin. but unlike some girls her father was a peasant farmer. At a inferior age of thirteen she had experienced a vision known as a flash of light while hearing an unearthly voice that had enjoined her to be diligent in her religious duties and be modest. soon after at the age fifteen she imagined yet another unearthly voice that told her to go and fight for the Dauphin. She believed the voices she heard were the voices of St. Catherine and St. Margaret and many other people another being St. Michael. She believed they also told her to wear mens attire, cut her hair and pick up her arms. When she first told her confessor she did not believe her. When she tried telling the judges she explained to them how the voices told her it was her divine mission help the dauphin and rescue her country from the English from the darkest periods during the Hundred Years’ War and gain the French Throne. She is till this day one of the most heroic legends in womens history.
...en and died in a posture of cradling a baby with a look of happiness on her face (Callanan, 1992, p. 191). This helped her family find solace that she did not die alone and that she will be reunited with a loved one and this helped her family in their grieving process.
She does not believe she is dying. She has that personality because she has been through a lot. She was left at the altar by her fiance John
Saint Catherine of Siena is the saint that I have chosen to be my saint. She was very interesting to me, and her story was very intriguing. She is the patron saint of fire prevention, bodily ills, sick people, miscarriages, nurses, and illness. She was canonized in 1461 by Pope Pius II. Her feast day is now celebrated on April 29.
St. Cecilia was believed to be born in 2nd century Rome. She was an only child in a wealthy Roman family, was well-educated, and had been a devout Christian from early in her childhood. Cecilia had vowed her virginity to God, but she was promised in marriage to a pagan man named Valerian. She wore sackcloth, fasted, and prayed to the saints and angels hoping to keep her promise to God. On their wedding night, Cecilia informed Valerian that an angel guarded her body and that Valerian must not disrespect her vow of virginity. Her prayers were answered, and Valerian was willing to take her as his wife without forcing her to break her vow. Her husband wanted to see the angel that guarded her, but Cecilia told him that he would need to be baptized in order to do so. Valerian went to be baptized by Pope Urban, and returned to Cecilia as a Christian. When he returned, he saw Cecilia praying in her bedroom. Next to her was an angel with flaming wings, and he was holding two crowns of rose and lilies. He crowned both and them, and then vanished.
She died of a suicide and she that because at a certain point in her life she had enough of suffering.