'Life of Saint Gerard Majella' Summary

Majella was born in Muro Lucano on 6 April 1726, the youngest of five children. He was frail, and his parents had him baptized the day he was born. He was the son of Domenico Maiella, a tailor who died when Gerard was twelve, leaving the family in poverty. His mother, Benedetta Galella, then sent him to her brother so that he could teach Gerard to sew and follow in his father's footsteps. However, the foreman was abusive. The boy kept silent, but his uncle soon found out and the man who taught him resigned from the job. After four years of apprenticeship, he took a job as a servant to work for the local Bishop of Lacedonia. Upon the bishop's death, Gerard returned to his trade, working first as a journeyman and then on his own account. He divided his earnings between his mother and the poor and in offerings for the souls in Purgatory.

He tried to join the Capuchin Order twice, but his health prevented it. In 1749, he joined the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, known as Redemptorists.[5] The order was founded in 1732 by Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) at Scala, near Naples. The essentially- missionary order is dedicated to "preaching the word of God to the poor." Its apostolate is principally in giving of missions and retreats.

During his life, he was very close to the peasants and other outsiders who lived in the Neapolitan countryside. In his work with the Redemptorist community, he was variously a gardener, sacristan, tailor, porter, cook, carpenter, and clerk of works on the new buildings at Caposele.

At 27, the Majella was controversially identified by a young pregnant woman as the father of her child.To avoid exposing the man behind the pregnancy st Gerard accepted the blame silently and his superior St Alphonse Ligouri questioned him and due to his silence banned him from receiving the Holy Communion. After several years the women revealed the truth on her deathbed and testified to St Gerard’s holiness.