was born in 1726 in Muro, a little town in Southern
Italy. He was blessed with a mother, Benedetta,
who showed him the overwhelming love of God which
knows no bounds. He was happy because he was close
Gerard was twelve years old when his father died
and he became the family breadwinner. He was apprenticed
to a local tailor and was bullied and beaten by
the foreman. After four years apprenticeship,
and just when he might set up as a tailor on his
own, he announced he was going as a servant to
work for the local Bishop of Lacedonia. He was
advised by his friends not to take the job. However,
the angry outbursts and endless nagging which
prevented other servants from staying more than
a few weeks were nothing to Gerard. He was able
to turn his hand to anything and worked for the
bishop for three years until he died. As long
as Gerard believed he was doing the will of God
he would accept anything. Whether he was being
bullied at the tailors or taken for granted by
the bishop didn't matter; he saw suffering as
part of his following of Christ. "His Lordship
wished me well," he would say. And already, Gerard
was spending hours with Jesus present in the Blessed
Sacrament, the sign of his crucified and risen
In 1745, aged 19, he returned to Muro where he
established himself as a tailor in his own right.
His business prospered but he didn't make much
money. He gave practically everything away. He
would set aside what was needed for his mother
and sisters and then give the rest to the poor
or as Mass offerings for the souls in purgatory.
There was no sudden startling conversion for Gerard.
It was just a steady growth in the love of God.
Then during Lent of 1747 he resolved to be as
completely like Christ as it was possible to be.
He undertook most severe penances and actually
sought out humiliation, pretending to be mad and
happy to be laughed at in the streets.
He wanted to serve God totally and applied to
join the Capuchin friars but was not accepted.
At the age of twenty-one he tried the life of
a hermit. He so wanted to be like Christ that
he jumped at the chance to take center stage for
a Passion Play, a living tableau in Muro Cathedral.
With the Redemptorists
Then, in 1749, the Redemptorists came to Muro.
There were fifteen missioners and they took the
three parishes of the little town by storm. Gerard
followed every detail of the mission and decided
this was the life for him. He applied to join
the mission team but Fr. Cafaro, the Superior,
turned him down on account of his health. He so
pestered the missioners that when they were leaving
the town, Fr. Cafaro suggested to his family that
he be locked in his room.
In an incident that has found an echo in the hearts
of young people ever since, Gerard knotted the
sheets off his bed and, climbing out of the window,
followed the band of missioners. It needed a rigorous
march of twelve miles for him to catch up with
them. "Take me on, give me a try, then send me
away if I'm no good," said Gerard. Fr. Cafaro
couldn't do much about such persistence but give
him a try. He sent Gerard to the Redemptorist
community in Deliceto with a letter that read:
"I'm sending you another Brother, who will be
useless as far as work is concerned..."
Gerard fell absolutely and totally in love the
the way of life Alphonsus, the founder of the
Redemptorists, had mapped out. He was thrilled
to find the love of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament
was central and the love of Mary, the Mother of
Jesus, was also considered essential.
He took his first vows on July 16, 1752 which
he was delighted to learn was the feast of the
most Holy Redeemer as well as the feast of Our
Lady of Mount Carmel. From that day, except for
a couple of visits to Naples, and his time in
Caposele where he died, most of Gerard's life
was spent in the Redemptorist community of Iliceto.
The "useless" tag didn't last long. Gerard was
an excellent worker and during the next few years
he was at different times, garderner, sacristan,
tailor, porter, cook, carpenter, and clerk of
works of the new buildings in Caposele. He learned
fast -- visiting the workshop of a woodcarver
he soon beame adept at carving crucifixes. He
was a treasure in the community but he had only
one ambition -- to do the will of God in everything.
In 1754 his spiritual director asked him to write
down what he longed for more than anything else.
He wrote: "to love God much; always to be united
with God; to do all things for the sake of God;
to love everything for God's sake; to suffer much
for God. My only business is to do the will of
The Great Trial
True sanctity must always be tested by the cross,
and it was in 1754 that Gerard had to undergo
a great trial, one that may well have merited
for him the special power to assist mothers and
their children. Once of his works of zeal was
that of encouraging and assisting girls who wanted
to enter the convent. Often he would even secure
the necessary dowry for some poor girl who could
not otherwise be admitted into a religious order.
Neria Caggiano was one of the girls thus assisted
by Gerard. However, she found convent life distasteful
and within three weeks had returned home. To explain
her action, Neria began to circulate falsehoods
about the lives of the nuns, and when the good
people of Muro refused to believe such stories
about a convent recommended by Gerard, she determined
to save her reputation by destroying the good
name of her benefactor. Accordingly, in a letter
to St. Alphonsus, the superior of Gerard, she
accused the latter of sins of impurity with the
young daughter of a family at whose house Gerard
often stayed on his missionary journeys.
Gerard was called by St. Alphonsus to answer the
accusation. Instead of defending himself, however,
he remained silent, following the example of his
divine Master. In the face of his silence, St.
Alphonsus could do nothing but impose a severe
penance on the young religious. Gerard was denied
the privilege of receiving holy Communion, and
forbidden all contact with outsiders.
It was not easy for Gerard to give up his labors
in behalf of souls, but this was a small penance
compared with being deprived of Holy Communion.
He felt his so keenly that he even asked to be
freed from the privilege of serving Mass for fear
that the vehemence of his desire to receive would
make him seize the consecrated Host from the very
hands of the priest at the altar.
Some time later Neria fell dangerously ill and
wrote a letter to St. Alphonsus confessing that
her charges against Gerard had been sheer fabrication
and calumny. The saint was filled with joy by
the news of the innocence of his son. But Gerard,
who had not been depressed in the time of his
trial, was not unduly elated in the hour of his
vindication. In both cases he felt that the will
of God had been fulfilled, and that was sufficient
The Miracle Worker
Of few saints have there been so many wonderful
events recorded as of St. Gerard. The process
of his beatification and canonization reveals
that his miracles were of the widest variety and
He frequently fell into ecstasy while meditating
on God or his holy will, and at such times his
body was seen raised several feet above the ground.
There are authentic records to prove that on more
than one occasion he was granted the unusual miracle
of being seen and spoken to in two places at the
Most of his miracles were performed in the service
of others. Such extraordinary happenings as the
following begin to seem commonplace when one reads
his life. He restored life to a boy who had fallen
from a high cliff; he blessed the scanty supply
of wheat belonging to a poor family and it lasted
until the next harvest; several times he multiplied
the bread that he was distributing to the poor.
One day he walked across the water to lead a boatload
of fishermen through stormy waves to the safety
of the shore. Many times Gerard told people of
secret sins on their souls which they had been
ashamed to confess, and brought them to penance
His miraculous apostolate for mothers also began
during his lifetime. Once, as he was leaving the
home of his friends, the Pirofalo family, one
of the daughters called after him that he had
forgotten his handkerchief. In a moment of prophetic
insight Gerard said: "Keep it. It will be useful
to you some day." The handkerchief was treasured
as a precious souvenir of Gerard. Years later
the girl to whom he had given it was in danger
of death in childbirth. She remembered the words
of Gerard, and called for the handkerchief. Almost
immediately the danger passed and she delivered
a healthy child. On another occasion the prayers
of Gerard were asked by a mother when both she
and her unborn child were in danger. Both she
and the child came through the ordeal safely.
His Death and Glorification
Always frail in health, it was evident that Gerard
was not to live long. In 1755, he was seized by
violent hemorrhages and dysentery and his death
was expected at any moment. However, he had yet
to teach a great lesson on the power of obedience.
His director commanded him to get well, if it
were God's will, and immediately his illness seemed
to disappear and he left his bed to rejoin the
community. He knew, however, that this cure was
only temporary and that he had only a little over
a month to live.
Before long he did have to return to his bed,
and he began to prepare himself for death. He
was absolutely abandoned to the will of God and
had this sign placed on his door: "The will of
God is done here, as God wills it and as long
as He wills it." Often he was heard to say this
prayer: "My God, I wish to die in order to do
Thy most holy will." A little before midnight
on October 15, 1755, his innorcent soul went back
At the death of Gerard, the Brother sacristan,
in his excitement, rang the bell as if for a feast,
instead of tolling it for a death. Thousands came
to view the body of "their saint" and to try to
find a last souvenir of the one who had helped
them so often. After his death miracles began
to be reported from almost all parts of Italy,
attributed to the intercession of Gerard. In 1893,
Pope Leo XIII beatified him, and December 11,
1904, Pope Pius X canonized him as a saint.
The Mothers' Saint
Because of the miracles God worked through Gerard's
prayers with mothers, the mothers of Italy took
Gerard to their hearts and made him their patron.
At the process of his beatification one witness
testified that he was known as "il santo dei felice
parti" -- the saint of happy childbirth. This
devotion has become very popular in North America,
both in the United States and Canada.
Thousands of mothers have felt the power of St.
Gerard through the League of St. Gerard. Many
hospitals dedicate their maternity wards to him
and give medals and prayer leaflets of St. Gerard
to their patients. Thousands of children have
been named after St. Gerard by parents who are
convinced that it was his intercession that helped
them to have healthy children. Even girls are
named after him, and it is interesting how "Gerard"
takes form as Gerarda, Geralyn, Gerardine, Gerianne,