Devotion to St. Gemma in the Diocese of Catanzaro-Squillace
Dedication of the Chapel to St. Gemma Galgani in the Oncology Presidium of Catanzaro
On Tuesday, September 3, 2024, the Archbishop of Catanzaro-Squillace, Archbishop Claudio Maniago came to visit the Presidio Ospedaliero “C. De Lellis” Ciaccio of Catanzaro and dedicated the hospital’s Chapel to St. Gemma.
This recognition was much desired by devotees of the Saint from Lucca, the Chaplain and the Health Director, who by making a formal request to the Archbishop, embraced this proposal.
The presence of St. Gemma in the “C. De Lellis” Ciaccio Hospital Presidio
The presence of the image of St. Gemma Galgani in the Chapel of the Hospital Presidium of the “C. De Lellis” Oncohematology Pole. De Lellis, dates back to the beginning of 2009, at the behest of a devotee: Don Antonio Vasapollo, at the time hospital chaplain and parish priest of the Maria SS delle Grazie Parish in Pontegrande. It was he who exposed to veneration an image of the saint, which was welcomed with joy by patients, family members and more generally by the population.
In fact, every year on the occasion of the liturgical memorial, Fr. Anthony celebrated Holy Mass precisely in the presence of both the faithful and the patients.
Throughout this span of time, there have been so many testimonies of graces received and attributed to St. Gemma.
Don Antonio Vasapollo’s testimony
Don Antonio himself gives testimony of a small grace received from the Saint whom he considered to be his patroness along with St. Theresa de Lisieux.
On the morning of the liturgical memorial, he was to celebrate Mass but he had such a great pain in one arm that he could not move it. He prayed a lot to St. Gemma to help him and in the end, he was able to preside over the celebration and at its conclusion, he gave his testimony to the faithful present.
Throughout this time it was a crescendo of devotion, witnessed with flowers, votive candles and small testimonies of the faithful who from there recognized how the Saint had infused their hearts with a great love for Jesus and Our Lady, as well as a peace in their souls.
Devotion to St. Gemma in Calabria
The present statue placed in the Hospital Chapel, comes from Spain and was donated personally to Chaplain Fr. Rosario Spanò, by some benefactors. We recall that precisely in Spain there is a great devotion to the mystic from Lucca.
The devotion to St. Gemma Galgani in Calabria, on the other hand, has very distant origins, in the year 1909, just six years after her death.
We learn this from the reports written in the text of the biography, in the section of graces received and attributed to the then servant of God.
A priest, one R.D. Felice Antonio Gentile, also gives us testimony of this. Here is what he narrates. From Catanzaro of Calabria writes R.D. Felice Antonio Gentile: “The very lively devotion to Gemma in this city is an indescribable thing. There are already a great many who have had recourse to her intercession and they have all been consoled. The present narration suffices for the moment: this Superior of the civil hospital, Sister Genoveffa Berardi, in the month of March 1909 fell, and unfortunately broke her left arm. The doctor found the case serious and declared that it would take more than three months to recover from this break.
I, as chaplain of the pious place, finding that I had a relic of Gemma, had it applied to the broken arm. When the doctor returned, he wanted out of curiosity to smash the arm, and to his amazement found that it was perfectly healed. As also there are reported many graces from all parts of Calabria.”
Two miracles of Gemma Galgani
It is also recalled that if Galgani is at the honors of the Altars of the universal Church, it is thanks to two miracles that occurred through the intercession of the Servant of God Gemma Galgani, in a small town in the Cosenza hinterland, in the years 1933 and 1935, precisely in Lappano.
The first miracle, occurred on the very day she was proclaimed Blessed in St. Peter’s Square by Pope Pius XI°. In fact, it was these two miracles that allowed Gemma Galgani’s canonization in 1940 by Pope Pius XII°.
Even today, the cult of the Saint is spreading in an extraordinary way. This can be seen from the image placed in various churches in Calabria: in the Chapel of the Policlinico Campus Mater Domini in Germaneto, in the Holy Family Parish, not to mention the small icons in the various homes of families, both in our Diocese and beyond.
The great Tuscan Saint, also boasts of having been taken as a model by several Blesseds, Saints, Servants and Servants of God in every era of the 20th century up to the present day, and to name a few:
St. Maximilian Mary Kolbe, St. Pius of Pietrelcina, St. Hannibal M. of France, Blessed Cardinal IIdefonso Schuster, Blessed Alberto Marvelli, Blessed Carlo Acutis future Saint and by our fellow countrymen Blessed Maria Candida of the Eucharist, Blessed Elena Aiello, Blessed Nuccia Tolomeo and finally the Servant of God Natuzza Evolo.
Franciesco Donato
Photo
- Francesco Donato