July 26, 2025 • 11 mins
Dive into the extraordinary life of Saint Gerard Majella, an Italian lay brother of the Redemptorists, whose unwavering devotion to mirror the sacrifices and humiliations of Jesus Christ was awe-inspiring. Despite his frail health, he surpassed the work of his peers, earning the title Father of the Poor for his boundless charity. Revered for his angelic purity, he bore false accusations with admirable patience, leading St. Alphonsus to declare, Brother Gerard is a saint. His divine gifts extended to profound spiritual insight, prophecy, discernment of spirits, bilocation, and seemingly limitless power over nature, sickness, and demons. Today, people seek his intercession for a myriad of causes, including children, expectant mothers, the falsely accused, and more. Join us as we explore the legacy of this saint, drawing from sources like the 1919 Catholic Encyclopedia and Wikipedia.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chapter eighteen of Life of Saint Gerard Magella. This is
a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
Recording by John Brandon, Life of Saint Gerard Magella I,
(00:20):
Reverend O. R. Vassal Phillips, Chapter eighteen. The end draws near.
The news of Saint Gerrard's illness was received with the
greatest consternation at Capocelli. The father Rector wrote to him
without delay, telling him to remain at aliveto as long
(00:41):
as his kind friends there desired to keep him and
his own health required. He also sent him a companion
in the person of a lay brother called Francis Fiori.
When this brother arrived at the priest's house, he was
himself so ill with a violent fever that he could
not even mount the stairs to visit our saint. He
(01:03):
had to be put to bed at once on the
ground floor. Gerard was then told by the Position John
Joseph Salvatore of the illness of the newly arrived brother Francis.
Will you have the kindness to tell him from me?
Said the servant of God that through obedience he must
drive away the fever. Get up and come to pay
(01:25):
me a visit. Our duties are marked out for us,
and I cannot spend my time in nursing a sick man.
The doctor looked amused and hesitated about delivering such a message. However,
as Saint Gerard insisted, he went downstairs to his second patient.
The instant brother Francis heard what Gerard had said, he
(01:48):
rose and went to pay him a visit, as he
had been told. When the Saint saw him, he said,
with a gentle smile, what a state of things. We
have been sent out to make a quest, and you
allow yourself to catch a fever, be obedient and see
that it does not come back again. Then, turning to
(02:12):
the medical man, he said, would you have the kindness
just to feel his pulse? To his utter astonishment, the
doctor found that the fever, which had been raging a
few minutes before, had now entirely disappeared. Seeing the archpriest
and his brother lost in amazement, Gerard said, simply, this
(02:33):
astounds you, no doubt. It looks like a miracle. In reality,
it is only an effect of obedience. Either that same
day or the next, the good physician saw a similar
favor granted to his own sister. She too was in
a high fever. Ill as he was, the Saint managed
(02:53):
to go and see her. He simply said, there is
nothing the matter with you. As as he spoke, she
was suddenly cured. A few days previously, a shopkeeper of
Cappucelli had been taken very ill. Before having recourse to
any human remedies, his son sent to Saint Gerard, begging
(03:16):
that he would have the charity to recommend his father
to the blessed Virgin. Gerard replied by a letter. As
soon as this letter came to the house, the sick
man was restored to perfect health. Seeing and hearing of
such marvels as these, Don Angelo Salvatore determined to endeavor
(03:38):
to obtain from his holy guest a still more remarkable
and important cure. There was living at ali Veto at
the time, a priest named Dominic Saucy. What had fallen
a prey to a strange disease the consequence of scruples
which had impaired the use of his faculties. He remained
(03:58):
almost all day shot up in his room, where he
indulged without any cause, in terrific yells like those of
one distraught. Although his life had always been irreproachable, he
was a victim of the blackest despair. He only went
out at rare intervals. For seven years he had neither
(04:19):
been able to say Mass, nor even to receive any sacrament.
His friends during all this time had not been idle.
They had taken the poor man to the most celebrated
places of pilgrimage. All, however, had so far been without
apparent result. God's hour had not yet come. Here again,
(04:41):
Brother Gerard was to be the instrument of our Lord's goodness.
When the Saint was first told of the sad state
of this poor priest, his humility at once took alarm.
What can I do, he asked a little coldly. But soon,
as usual, his compactis passionate charity. One the day he
(05:02):
went quietly to visit Don dominic On, beholding the stranger,
the unfortunate madman began to send forth his ordinary shrieks.
Gerard was in no way disconcerted. He made the sign
of the Cross upon his head. At once. The poor
sufferer grew less violent than seeing a harpsichord in the room,
(05:26):
Gerard induced the priest to touch it. The story of
David and Saul now repeated itself, But this new David
placed the instrument of soothing in the hands of him
to whose soul peace was once more to come. Together
they sang Our Ladies Litany. At the joyful sound of
(05:46):
the sacred music, the whole household came running to the
room with grateful hearts, all rendered thanks to God. It
was evident that the poor priest was at length completely cured.
He might have said Mass the very next morning, but
Gerard thought it better for him to be satisfied for
(06:07):
the first two days with receiving holy communion. On August
twenty eighth, he said Mass again, after a lapse of
seven years. The whole parish determined to surround the sacred
functions with due solemnity. Don Dominic's friends and relations accompanied
him to the church. All was ready. Gerard, however, was
(06:30):
not present. It was known that he wished to go
to communion at this Mass, so a message was sent
to tell him that the holy sacrifice was about to commence.
He was founded in ecstasy, the crucifix pressed to his
heart his face pallid As death, his eyes half closed,
(06:50):
insensible to all sounds. The archpriest, his brother, the physician,
and several other persons were summoned looked with wonder at
the saint. They left him with God and went quietly away.
On their return, after some time, Saint Gerard had come
to himself. He suspected that he might have been seen
(07:14):
in a supernatural state. So said quietly, I slept but
little last night. This morning I was overcome by sleep.
He then accompanied them to the church. We may here
observe that Don Dominic never again missed Mass. If he
ever experienced any difficulty about celebrating the divine mysteries, it
(07:37):
was enough for the archpriest to tell him to do
so in the name of Brother Gerard, and all his
trouble would immediately vanish. When the people heard the bell
ring for his Mass to begin, they would always say
to one another, let us go and see Brother Gerard's miracle. Indeed,
(07:58):
miracles were heaped on miracle during these closing weeks of
the saint's life. Thus, one of the archbishop's brothers went
into his room one day to ask his advice on
a matter that was troubling him, and found the servant
of God in prayer before a crucifix and raised off
the ground. He thought it better to leave him in peace.
(08:22):
But as he was closing the door, Saint Gerard turned
round and spoke to him, Don Philip, I know what
you have come about. Have no scruples about such and
such matters that are disturbing your conscience. Leave yourself in
the hands of God's providence. These words corresponded exactly to
(08:44):
the needs of Don Philip's soul. Oliveto heard more than
one prophecy at this time fall from the lips of
the saint less. As he was going away from a
certain house, he happened to leave his handkerchief on a chair.
A young girl noticed it and handed it to him. No,
(09:07):
said Saint Gerard, do you keep it yourself? Perhaps one
day it will be of use to you. As a
matter of fact, when in years to come, this girl,
now married, was in her first confinement. She was at
the point of death. She then invoked her holy patrons,
but experienced no relief until in her extremity she thought
(09:31):
of Brother Gerard's handkerchief. As soon as this was brought
to her, the baby was safely born, and all went well.
The witness who has recorded this fact concludes his statement
with the following words, My grandmother jealously guarded this relic.
Eventually it came into my possession, but there now only
(09:54):
remains in my hands a tiny shred, for I have
been obliged, in order to satisfy the devotion of the faithful,
to cut it up into tiny bits for distribution. After
eight days had been thus spent full of marbles at Alivero,
Saint Gerard thought it right to go back to Capiselli.
(10:16):
He grew daily worse than better, and it was quite
evident that it would be impossible for him to continue
the quest for which he had been sent out of
his convent. Under these circumstances, the archpriest and his brothers
could not interpose any obstacles in the way of his return,
(10:36):
and all was arranged for his departure. Before leaving Olivetto,
never to be seen again in this world, the saint
went to say farewell to the family of Don Angelo Pirefalo,
whom he held in high esteem. His last words to
these friends were in themselves miraculous, and spoke of his
(10:58):
approaching death. Look sometimes, he said to them towards the
convent of Capiselli. As long as you see a white
cloth floating from a window there, so long you will
know that I am still alive. When it disappears, you
will know that I am dead. We should remark that
(11:19):
Capiselli is more than ten miles from Olivero, and thus
it would be naturally speaking, quite impossible such a distance
to distinguish the convent windows. Notwithstanding, Saint Gerard's prediction was
fulfilled to the letter. During the rest of his life,
the mysterious signal was clearly visible at Olivero. It vanished
(11:41):
only at his death end of Chapter eighteen. Recording by
John Brandon
Chapter eighteen of Life of Saint Gerard Magella. This is
a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
Recording by John Brandon, Life of Saint Gerard Magella I,
(00:20):
Reverend O. R. Vassal Phillips, Chapter eighteen. The end draws near.
The news of Saint Gerrard's illness was received with the
greatest consternation at Capocelli. The father Rector wrote to him
without delay, telling him to remain at aliveto as long
(00:41):
as his kind friends there desired to keep him and
his own health required. He also sent him a companion
in the person of a lay brother called Francis Fiori.
When this brother arrived at the priest's house, he was
himself so ill with a violent fever that he could
not even mount the stairs to visit our saint. He
(01:03):
had to be put to bed at once on the
ground floor. Gerard was then told by the Position John
Joseph Salvatore of the illness of the newly arrived brother Francis.
Will you have the kindness to tell him from me?
Said the servant of God that through obedience he must
drive away the fever. Get up and come to pay
(01:25):
me a visit. Our duties are marked out for us,
and I cannot spend my time in nursing a sick man.
The doctor looked amused and hesitated about delivering such a message. However,
as Saint Gerard insisted, he went downstairs to his second patient.
The instant brother Francis heard what Gerard had said, he
(01:48):
rose and went to pay him a visit, as he
had been told. When the Saint saw him, he said,
with a gentle smile, what a state of things. We
have been sent out to make a quest, and you
allow yourself to catch a fever, be obedient and see
that it does not come back again. Then, turning to
(02:12):
the medical man, he said, would you have the kindness
just to feel his pulse? To his utter astonishment, the
doctor found that the fever, which had been raging a
few minutes before, had now entirely disappeared. Seeing the archpriest
and his brother lost in amazement, Gerard said, simply, this
(02:33):
astounds you, no doubt. It looks like a miracle. In reality,
it is only an effect of obedience. Either that same
day or the next, the good physician saw a similar
favor granted to his own sister. She too was in
a high fever. Ill as he was, the Saint managed
(02:53):
to go and see her. He simply said, there is
nothing the matter with you. As as he spoke, she
was suddenly cured. A few days previously, a shopkeeper of
Cappucelli had been taken very ill. Before having recourse to
any human remedies, his son sent to Saint Gerard, begging
(03:16):
that he would have the charity to recommend his father
to the blessed Virgin. Gerard replied by a letter. As
soon as this letter came to the house, the sick
man was restored to perfect health. Seeing and hearing of
such marvels as these, Don Angelo Salvatore determined to endeavor
(03:38):
to obtain from his holy guest a still more remarkable
and important cure. There was living at ali Veto at
the time, a priest named Dominic Saucy. What had fallen
a prey to a strange disease the consequence of scruples
which had impaired the use of his faculties. He remained
(03:58):
almost all day shot up in his room, where he
indulged without any cause, in terrific yells like those of
one distraught. Although his life had always been irreproachable, he
was a victim of the blackest despair. He only went
out at rare intervals. For seven years he had neither
(04:19):
been able to say Mass, nor even to receive any sacrament.
His friends during all this time had not been idle.
They had taken the poor man to the most celebrated
places of pilgrimage. All, however, had so far been without
apparent result. God's hour had not yet come. Here again,
(04:41):
Brother Gerard was to be the instrument of our Lord's goodness.
When the Saint was first told of the sad state
of this poor priest, his humility at once took alarm.
What can I do, he asked a little coldly. But soon,
as usual, his compactis passionate charity. One the day he
(05:02):
went quietly to visit Don dominic On, beholding the stranger,
the unfortunate madman began to send forth his ordinary shrieks.
Gerard was in no way disconcerted. He made the sign
of the Cross upon his head. At once. The poor
sufferer grew less violent than seeing a harpsichord in the room,
(05:26):
Gerard induced the priest to touch it. The story of
David and Saul now repeated itself, But this new David
placed the instrument of soothing in the hands of him
to whose soul peace was once more to come. Together
they sang Our Ladies Litany. At the joyful sound of
(05:46):
the sacred music, the whole household came running to the
room with grateful hearts, all rendered thanks to God. It
was evident that the poor priest was at length completely cured.
He might have said Mass the very next morning, but
Gerard thought it better for him to be satisfied for
(06:07):
the first two days with receiving holy communion. On August
twenty eighth, he said Mass again, after a lapse of
seven years. The whole parish determined to surround the sacred
functions with due solemnity. Don Dominic's friends and relations accompanied
him to the church. All was ready. Gerard, however, was
(06:30):
not present. It was known that he wished to go
to communion at this Mass, so a message was sent
to tell him that the holy sacrifice was about to commence.
He was founded in ecstasy, the crucifix pressed to his
heart his face pallid As death, his eyes half closed,
(06:50):
insensible to all sounds. The archpriest, his brother, the physician,
and several other persons were summoned looked with wonder at
the saint. They left him with God and went quietly away.
On their return, after some time, Saint Gerard had come
to himself. He suspected that he might have been seen
(07:14):
in a supernatural state. So said quietly, I slept but
little last night. This morning I was overcome by sleep.
He then accompanied them to the church. We may here
observe that Don Dominic never again missed Mass. If he
ever experienced any difficulty about celebrating the divine mysteries, it
(07:37):
was enough for the archpriest to tell him to do
so in the name of Brother Gerard, and all his
trouble would immediately vanish. When the people heard the bell
ring for his Mass to begin, they would always say
to one another, let us go and see Brother Gerard's miracle. Indeed,
(07:58):
miracles were heaped on miracle during these closing weeks of
the saint's life. Thus, one of the archbishop's brothers went
into his room one day to ask his advice on
a matter that was troubling him, and found the servant
of God in prayer before a crucifix and raised off
the ground. He thought it better to leave him in peace.
(08:22):
But as he was closing the door, Saint Gerard turned
round and spoke to him, Don Philip, I know what
you have come about. Have no scruples about such and
such matters that are disturbing your conscience. Leave yourself in
the hands of God's providence. These words corresponded exactly to
(08:44):
the needs of Don Philip's soul. Oliveto heard more than
one prophecy at this time fall from the lips of
the saint less. As he was going away from a
certain house, he happened to leave his handkerchief on a chair.
A young girl noticed it and handed it to him. No,
(09:07):
said Saint Gerard, do you keep it yourself? Perhaps one
day it will be of use to you. As a
matter of fact, when in years to come, this girl,
now married, was in her first confinement. She was at
the point of death. She then invoked her holy patrons,
but experienced no relief until in her extremity she thought
(09:31):
of Brother Gerard's handkerchief. As soon as this was brought
to her, the baby was safely born, and all went well.
The witness who has recorded this fact concludes his statement
with the following words, My grandmother jealously guarded this relic.
Eventually it came into my possession, but there now only
(09:54):
remains in my hands a tiny shred, for I have
been obliged, in order to satisfy the devotion of the faithful,
to cut it up into tiny bits for distribution. After
eight days had been thus spent full of marbles at Alivero,
Saint Gerard thought it right to go back to Capiselli.
(10:16):
He grew daily worse than better, and it was quite
evident that it would be impossible for him to continue
the quest for which he had been sent out of
his convent. Under these circumstances, the archpriest and his brothers
could not interpose any obstacles in the way of his return,
(10:36):
and all was arranged for his departure. Before leaving Olivetto,
never to be seen again in this world, the saint
went to say farewell to the family of Don Angelo Pirefalo,
whom he held in high esteem. His last words to
these friends were in themselves miraculous, and spoke of his
(10:58):
approaching death. Look sometimes, he said to them towards the
convent of Capiselli. As long as you see a white
cloth floating from a window there, so long you will
know that I am still alive. When it disappears, you
will know that I am dead. We should remark that
(11:19):
Capiselli is more than ten miles from Olivero, and thus
it would be naturally speaking, quite impossible such a distance
to distinguish the convent windows. Notwithstanding, Saint Gerard's prediction was
fulfilled to the letter. During the rest of his life,
the mysterious signal was clearly visible at Olivero. It vanished
(11:41):
only at his death end of Chapter eighteen. Recording by
John Brandon
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