Gemma Galgani facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Saint Gemma Galgani
The Virgin of Lucca
Born	Maria Gemma Umberta Galgani (1878-03-12)12 March 1878 Camigliano, Capannori, Italy
Died	11 April 1903(1903-04-11) (aged 25) Lucca, Italy
Venerated in	Roman Catholic Church
Beatified	14 May 1933 by Pope Pius XI
Canonized	2 May 1940, Saint Peter's Basilica, Vatican City by Pope Pius XII
Major shrine	Passionist Monastery in Lucca, Italy
Feast	11 April (celebrated by Passionists on 16 May)
Attributes	Passionist robe, flowers (lilies and roses), guardian angel, stigmata, heavenward gaze
Patronage	Students, Pharmacists, Paratroopers and Parachutists, loss of parents, those suffering back injury or back pain, those suffering with headaches/migraines, those struggling with temptations to impurity and those seeking purity of heart.

Gemma Galgani (born Maria Gemma Umberta Galgani on March 12, 1878 – died April 11, 1903) was an Italian woman known for her deep religious faith. She is honored as a saint in the Catholic Church. People sometimes called her the "Daughter of the Passion" because she tried to live her life like Jesus Christ did during his suffering. She is especially respected by a religious group called the Passionists.

Gemma's Early Life

Gemma Umberta Maria Galgani was born on March 12, 1878. Her family lived in a small village called Camigliano, in the town of Capannori, Italy. Gemma was the fifth of eight children. Her father, Enrico Galgani, was a successful pharmacist.

Soon after Gemma was born, her family moved north to the city of Lucca in Tuscany. They moved so their children could get a better education. Gemma's mother, Aurelia Galgani, became very sick with tuberculosis. Because of this, Gemma went to a private nursery school when she was two and a half years old.

Many sad things happened to the Galgani family during this time. Gemma's older brother, Carlo, and her younger sister, Giulia, died when they were very young. On September 17, 1885, Gemma's mother died from tuberculosis. Gemma's beloved brother, Gino, also died from the same disease while he was studying to become a priest.

Gemma's School Days

Gemma went to a Catholic school in Lucca run by the Sisters of St. Zita. She was a very good student and did well in French, math, and music. When she was nine years old, Gemma was allowed to receive her first communion, which is an important religious ceremony.

Teenage Years and Challenges

When Gemma was 16, she became very ill with a serious brain infection called spinal meningitis. However, she recovered from this illness. She believed that her amazing recovery was a miracle. She said it happened because she prayed to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and asked for help from Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows and Marguerite Marie Alacoque.

Shortly after her 18th birthday, Gemma became an orphan, meaning both her parents had died. She then became responsible for taking care of her younger brothers and sisters. She did this with the help of her aunt Carolina. Gemma turned down two marriage proposals because she wanted to dedicate her life to God. She later became a housekeeper for the Giannini family.

Mystical Experiences

According to a book written by her religious guide, Germano Ruoppolo, Gemma began to show special signs of deep religious experiences when she was 21 years old. She said she spoke with her guardian angel, Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and other saints. She especially felt close to Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows.

Gemma said that sometimes she received special messages from them about things that were happening or would happen in the future. As her health got worse, her religious guide told her to pray for these special signs to go away. She did, and they stopped appearing. She also said that she often had to fight against bad thoughts or temptations.

Gemma was often found in a state of deep prayer and spiritual joy, which is called ecstasy. She was also believed to have floated in the air. She once said that while she was praying with her arms around a crucifix, she felt herself lifted off the floor.

Stigmata

Gemma Galgani is said to have experienced what are known as stigmata on June 8, 1899. This happened on the evening before a special religious day called the feast of the Sacred Heart. She wrote about feeling a deep sadness for her sins, stronger than anything she had felt before. She wanted to make up for her mistakes and was willing to suffer for them.

During this experience, Gemma said she saw her guardian angel with the Blessed Virgin Mary. She described it like this:

The Blessed Virgin Mary opened her mantle and covered me with it. At that very moment, Jesus appeared with his wounds all open; blood was not flowing from them, but flames of fire which in one moment came and touched my hands, feet and heart. I felt I was dying, and should have fallen down but for my Mother (Blessed Virgin Mary) who supported me and kept me under her mantle. Thus I remained for several hours. Then my Mother kissed my forehead, the vision disappeared and I found myself on my knees; but I still had a keen pain in my hands, feet and heart. I got up to get into bed and saw that blood was coming from the places where I had the pain. I covered them as well as I could and then, helped by my guardian angel, got into bed.

Death and Becoming a Saint

In early 1903, Gemma was diagnosed with tuberculosis, the same illness that had taken her mother and brothers. Her health slowly got worse, and she suffered a lot. One of the religious nurses who cared for her said, "We have cared for a good many sick people, but we have never seen anything like this."

At the start of Holy Week in 1903, her health quickly declined. By Good Friday, she was in great pain. She died on April 11, 1903, which was Holy Saturday, in a small room near the Giannini family's house.

After a careful study of her life by the Church, Gemma was declared "blessed" (a step towards sainthood) on May 14, 1933. She was then officially made a saint on May 2, 1940.

Gemma Galgani's remains are kept in the Sanctuary of Santa Gemma in Lucca, Italy. This church is connected to the Passionist monastery. Since 1985, her heart has been kept in the Santuario de Santa Gema in Madrid, Spain. Gemma Galgani's confessor, Germano Ruoppolo, who guided her spiritually, wrote a book about her life.

The bronze statue on her tomb in Lucca was made by a sculptor named Francesco Nagni.

See also

In Spanish: Gema Galgani para niños