By Marco Ceccarelli
It was with a great sense of honour and gratitude that Parish Priest of Saint Gerard Majella, Mirrabooka, Fr Giosuè Marini, recently accepted a first class relic of St Gerard during a pilgrimage to Materdomini, a small village within the Campania region of Italy.
Materdomini hosts the Sanctuary of Saint Gerard, a vast complex comprising the Basilica, the St Gerard Museum and the tomb of the Saint.
Coincidentally, Fr Marini had planned on visiting the Sanctuary on 2 June this year, the annual feast day dedicated to all organisations affiliated with Saint Gerard worldwide.
What made the event even more significant is that the Redemptorists, the order in charge of the Sanctuary, this year decided to expose the bones of St Gerard on 2 June rather than the usual date of 11 December. This decision was taken in order to celebrate the saint in the Jubilee Year of Mercy.
It was thus that Fr Marini found himself receiving the relic in front of thousands of pilgrims who had come from all over Italy and possibly other parts of Europe to celebrate the feast.
As he handed the relic over to Fr Marini, the Rector of the Sanctuary of St Gerard, Fr Davide Perdonò, said that while it is uncommon for the Redemptorists to give first class relics of St Gerard, a request from a distant parish in Australia could not be ignored.
“When we received this request from another hemisphere of the world where there is a strong devotion to Saint Gerard Majella, could we have said no?” Fr Perdonò said.
“May you bring this relic within your Parish and may it strengthen your devotion to this great Saint and the great works that he continues to inspire within your community,” he said.
Accepting the relic, Fr Marini thanked the Rector and handed him a Byzantine-style icon depicting St Gerard, whose original can be found in the parish, from all the parishioners of St Gerard Majella, Mirrabooka.
“This is a small representation of a Byzantine-style icon that we have in our parish. Ours is very diverse parish, comprised of people who come from all over the world. This relic will undoubtedly help our little faith and make the presence of St Gerard even more felt in all our undertakings. Thank you!” Fr Marini said.
A remarkable saint who died at the young age of 29, St Gerard Majella is the patron saint of children and mothers and is often represented as a role model for young adults and those striving for holiness.
Born on 6 April 1726, St Gerard eagerly served the Church as a young boy and often gave his earnings to his family and to the poor.
Aged 23, he joined the newly established Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists) as a lay brother. Although his choice was met with opposition by his family and he was initially not looked favourably upon by some Redemptorist priests, St Gerard’s diligence was eventually recognized to the point that he gained the favour of St Alphonsus Liguori, the founder of the Redemptorists.
In 1752, St Gerard professed his final vows.
Over the course of his life as a Redemptorist brother, St Gerard dedicated himself to propagating the Catholic faith. His wisdom and ability to read souls led the Redemptorist fathers to bring St Gerard on their missions and retreats. During this period he experienced the gifts of bilocation, prophecy, and infused knowledge.
It would not be long before St Gerard’s reputation spread far and wide. A number of communities of nuns appointed him as spiritual director and, for many others, he became a spiritual adviser and wrote many letters of advice to those in authority, both priests and other religious.
St Gerard was also had a strong love for the poor and destitute. His concern and compassion for them was often compared to a mother’s love for her children. Countless people would travel from far and wide to present their needs to him.
In 1755, St Gerard grew weak and ill. He remained confined to his bed and eventually passed to the Father on 15 October 1755. He was canonised in 1904.
In the words of Pope Leo XIII, St Gerard was “one of those angelic youths whom God has given to the world as a model to mankind.”
The relic of St Gerard will be installed within the St Gerard Majella Parish on Sunday, 16 October during the 9.30am Mass.