Forums: Gemma Atkinson

Glenn Dallaire of Bristol, Connecticut, has recently started a blog devoted to St Gemma Galgani with quotations from her writings and posts showing her heroic life. See Saint Gemma Galgani. Glenn, married with six children, hopes by this blog to inspire others to a greater love of Jesus and Mary. Please say a prayer for him and his family.

From time to time, God calls a generous soul to live in reparation for the sins committed by men against their Creator and Savior. Such a lover of the cross was the young Italian mystic, Gemma Galgani, who dedicated herself as a victim of atonement. Gemma could have said “No” to God, in answer to many of His requests for sacrifice. Instead, she modeled herself on Our Lady’s answer, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord.” Gemma Galgani was born on March 12, 1878, in a small Italian town near Lucca. Gemma is the Italian word for gem. The child’s...

St. Gemma Galgani Early Life Gemma Galgani was born on March 12th, 1878 in Camigliano, a village near Lucca, Italy. Gemma is the Italian word for gem. Her father was a prosperous chemist and a descendant of St. John Leonardi. Gemma’s mother was of noble lineage also. The Galgani’s were traditional Catholics who were blessed with eight children. Gemma, the fifth child and first girl of the family developed an irresistible attraction to prayer while still very young. This came as a result of her pious mother who taught Gemma the truths of the Roman Catholic faith. Mother Galgani especially...