Author Topic: St Gerard Majella C.SS.R (Read 1743 times)

Miseremini · « **on:** October 16, 2024, 11:57:10 AM »

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St. Gerard Majella, C.SS.R
October 16, 2024|Redemptorists Spirituality
October 16, 2024
Why would an 18th -century Redemptorist lay brother be the patron saint of mothers and expectant
mothers? It seems counterintuitive; one would expect Our Lady, or at least St. Anne.
But there’s a story that explains why St. Gerard is the beloved patron of mothers and expectant
mothers. It’s told how one day, as he was leaving the home of a family near the Redemptorist
monastery of Materdomini in southern Italy, he accidentally dropped his handkerchief. The mother of
the family noticed this, and handed the handkerchief to her 7-year-old daughter, saying, “Br. Gerard
isn’t too far; run after him, and give his handkerchief back to him.”
The little girl ran down the village lane, calling out, “Br. Gerard, Br. Gerard, you dropped your
handkerchief!” The saint stopped, turned around, and gave the girl a funny look as he pressed his
handkerchief back into her hand, saying, “No – you keep it. One day it will be important for you.”
That little girl grew up to be a young lady; she married and was expecting her first child. But the
childbirth was going very difficultly. Two doctors had been called in, and they both said that there was
no hope – that the lady and her baby would both certainly die.
Now, by this time, St. Gerard had already died, and the cause for his beatification had already begun.
And the husband of the lady (who had been the little girl) remembered about Br. Gerard’s handkerchief.
He ran to his wife’s chest of drawers, opened it up, took out the saint’s handkerchief and brought it back
to his wife, pushing it into her hand.
She held that handkerchief through the rest of her labor. And lo and behold, she gave birth to a
perfectly healthy baby boy, and both she and her baby survived. The two doctors said that they could
not explain this medically; it was clearly a miracle, God wanting to prove the holiness of this simple,
humble Redemptorist lay brother.
And that is why St. Gerard Majella is patron saint of mothers and expectant mothers. It also explains
why handkerchiefs are blessed in his honor. St. Gerard Majella, pray for us!

Gray2023 · « **Reply #1 on:** October 16, 2024, 02:32:41 PM »

This story made my heart sing. Thank you Miseremini for posting.

AMDGJMJ · « **Reply #2 on:** October 17, 2024, 05:02:47 AM »

Wow! I never knew the story of why he was the patron Saint for mothers in labor! Thank you so much for sharing!

Author Topic: St Gerard Majella C.SS.R (Read 1743 times)

Miseremini

St Gerard Majella C.SS.R

Gray2023

Re: St Gerard Majella C.SS.R

AMDGJMJ

Re: St Gerard Majella C.SS.R