Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows
Saint Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows | |
|---|---|
 A depiction of St. Gabriel wearing the Passionist Habit. The Passionist Sign, part of the Habit, is on his chest. | |
| Confessor | |
| Born | March 1, 1838 Assisi, Italy |
| Died | February 27, 1862 (aged 23) Gran Sasso, Italy |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Beatified | 1908, Rome, Italy by Pope Pius X |
| Canonized | 1920, Rome, Italy by Pope Benedict XV |
| Major shrine | San Gabriele, Teramo, Abruzzi |
| Feast | 27 February (in leap years, 28 February for Traditionalist Catholics) |
| Attributes | Passionist Habit and Sign |
| Patronage | Students, Youth, Clerics, Seminarians, Abruzzi |
Saint Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows, a Passionist clerical student known for his devotion to the Virgin Mary, born Francesco Possenti at Assisi, Italy on 1 March 1838, died Gran Sasso, Italy 27 February 1862. Canonised by Pope Benedict XV in 1920.
Early life
Francis Possenti was born on 1 March 1838, the eleventh of thirteen children born to his mother Agnes and his father Sante. The family were then resident in the town of Assisi where Sante worked for the local government. Possenti was baptised on the day of his birth in the same font in which St. Francis of Assisi had been baptised. [1] Sante Possenti was soon transferred to a post at Montalta and thence to Spoleto where, in 1841, he was appointed legal assessor. In Spoleto the family was struck with a number of bereavements; of a baby girl Rosa in December 1841, of seven year old Adele in January 1842 and of Francis’ mother Agnes in 1842.[2].
As a child and young man Possenti was well liked by his peers and had a reputation for great charity and piety. He was also known for the great care he took with regard to his appearance and could be occasion to bouts of anger. Francis was deeply involved with the social scene of Spoleto and soon earned for himself the nickname of ‘the dancer’.[3] He had several romantic involvements and on the night he left for the monastery there were still hopes that he might become engaged to a local girl. He was educated first by the Christian Brothers and then by the Jesuits in the town’s college and there excelled, particularly in Latin. In 1851 Francis became desperately ill and promised to enter religious life if he recovered. Once he had recovered his promise was soon forgotten. The same thing happened when he narrowly escaped a stray bullet.[4] His brother Paul had died in 1848 and his brother Lawrence committed suicide in 1853 after becoming involved with a Masonic organisation. In 1853, Francis again fell ill, this time afflicted with a throat abscess. He attributed his healing to the recently beatified Andrew Bobola, SJ. Once more he had promised to enter religious life upon his recovery and this time actually set the process in motion, applying to join the Jesuits but for some unknown reason Possenti never proceeded. Tragedy struck again when his sister, Mary Louisa, who had cared for Francis after their mother’s death, died of cholera.
Vocation
After the cholera epidemic that had killed his sister left the town the clergy and civic authorities organised a procession of the ancient icon of the Virgin Mary in Spoleto’s cathedral. Francis attended the procession and as the image passed by him he felt an interior voice asking what he was doing remaining in the world. This event would be the galvanising force that began the first serious steps in Francis’ religious vocation. [5] After the procession he sought the advice of his spiritual director and he resolved to enter the Passionist Congregation. There was no house of the Passionists near Spoleto so it is most likely that Francis’ choice was based on his personal devotion to the Passion of Christ.[6] His father refused to give him permission to leave for the Passionists and enlisted several relatives to dissuade Francis from his course. Their attempts were unsuccessful and soon his father was convinced his intentions were sincere and not born from an immature caprice.
Passionist
Accompanied by his brother Aloysius, a Dominican friar, Francis set out for the novitiate of the Passionists at Morrovalle. During their journey they visited several relatives who had been enlisted by Sante to encourage Francis to return to Spoleto, but this was to no avail. He arrived at the novitiate on 9 September 1856. On 21 September that same year he received the habit of the Passionists and the name Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows. The following year Gabriel pronounced his vows. During this time, and indeed until his death, Gabriel’s spiritual life was under the care of his director Father Norbert of Holy Mary. In June 1858 Gabriel and the other students moved to Pietvetorina to continue their studies. Local disturbances meant they would stay only a year and in July 1859 the group moved to the monastery of Isola Gran Sasso.[7] Gabriel proved an excellent student and his excellence in academic life was only outdone by the great progress he was making in his spiritual life. At the same time Gabriel began to display the first symptoms of tuberculosis. The news did not worry Gabriel who was in fact joyful; he had prayed for a slow death so as to be able to prepare himself spiritually. Throughout his illness he remained cheerful and kept up all his usual practises. He was a source of great edification and inspiration to his fellow students, who competed to spend time with him at his deathbed. Gabriel had proved himself an exemplary religious and a perfect follower of the Passionist Rule, being especially devoted to the Virgin Mary. On his deathbed he ordered his spiritual writings to be burnt for he feared they would tempt him to pride. Only his letters survive, alongside his ‘Resolutions’[1]; these map the spiritual progress he made in his few years as a Passionist. [8] Before he could be ordained a priest, Gabriel died in the retreat at Gran Sasso in the early hours of February 27th 1862 in the presence of the community, holding close an image of Our Lady of Sorrows and smiling peacefully. Those who were with Gabriel when he died reported that at the moment of death he sat up in bed and his face became radiant as he reached out to an otherwise unseen figure that was entering the room. It was the opinion of Father Norbert that Saint Gabriel had seen the Virgin Mary at the very moment of his death. [9]
Canonization
Gabriel was buried the same day as his death, his companion in the novitiate, Bernard Mary of Jesus exclaimed
“tears come to my eyes and I am filled with shame for having been so far from the virtues that he attained in such a short time”[10]
Immediately thereafter Father Norbert wrote a biography of his life. In 1866, four years after the death of Gabriel, the Passionists were forced to abandon the monastery of Gran Sasso and the church where Gabriel lay buried went deserted for thirty years. Since his death the fame of Gabriel’s sanctity had spread through the local area, as well as amongst the Passionists.[11] In 1891 the Congregation decided to formally open proceedings for Gabriel’s canonisation and a year later a committee visited his grave to examine his remains. Upon the arrival of the committee at Gran Sasso the townspeople surrounded the church, determined not to have the body of Gabriel taken from their midst.[12] Two years later the Passionist returned to resume their life at Gran Sasso.
The two miracles presented for the beatification of Gabriel were the inexplicable healings of Maria Mazzarella from pulmonary tuberculosis and periostitus and the instantaneous cure of Dominic Tiber from an inoperable hernia.[13] Gabriel was beatified by Pope Pius X on 31 May 1908. Present at the ceremony were his brother Michael, his companion Brother Sylvester and his director Father Norbert. The outbreak of the First World War delayed Gabriel’s canonisation for a while, but on 13 May 1920 he was raised to the altars by Pope Benedict XV.[14]
Patronage
At the canonization of Saint Gabriel Pope Benedict XV declared him a patron of Catholic youth, of students, and of those studying for the priesthood. In 1959, Pope John XXIII named him the patron of the Abruzzi region, where he spent the last two years of his life.
Millions of pilgrims visit St. Gabriel's shrine in Teramo, Abruzzi each year to see the burial place of the Saint and the monastic house in which he lived out his final years. The shrine of Saint Gabriel at Gran Sasso is particularly popular. Every March, thousands of high school students from Abruzzo and the Marche regions of Italy visit his tomb 100 days before their expected graduation. Every two years from mid-July to the beginning of October, the Italian Staurós Onlus foundation hosts at the Sanctuary of Saint Gabriel a celebrated exposition of contemporary religious arts.
The cult of St. Gabriel is especially popular amongst Italian youth and Italian migrants have spread the cult to areas such as the U.S., Central America and South America. The Passionist Congregation also spreads devotion to the saint wherever they have monasteries. Many miracles have been attributed to the saint’s intercession; St. Gemma Galgani held that it was St. Gabriel who had cured her of a dangerous illness and led her to a Passionist vocation.
A campaign is under way in the United States to have Saint Gabriel declared patron of hand-gunners. This is in reference to an apocryphal story which has the saint rescuing the town of Isola from marauding bandits, using the skills from hunting he had learnt as a boy. Whilst this story is mentioned in one biography of the saint,[15] the author admits that some of the accounts in his book were invented to “enliven” the story.[16] No account of the alleged event is present in another independently researched biography of the saint[17][18][19][20], in particular early sources of the saint’s life[21][22][23] making such an incident seem unlikely. Moreover at the time of the alleged incident (1860) Gabriel was in the later stages of tuberculosis making such a strenuous exercise impossible for one in such a condition.[24]
References
- ^ Burke C.P., E., “Happy Was My Youth – Saint Gabriel – Passionist”, page 2. Gill and Son, 1961
- ^ St. Gabriel, Passionist - Biography
- ^ Cingolani, C.P., G., “Saint Gabriel Possenti, Passionist: A Young Man in Love”, page 24. Alba House, 1997
- ^ Mead C.P., J. “St. Gabriel: A Youthful Gospel Portrait”, page 42. L’Eco di S. Gabriele, 1985
- ^ Cingolani, C.P., G., “Saint Gabriel Possenti, Passionist: A Young Man in Love”, page 50. Alba House, 1997
- ^ Mead C.P., J. “St. Gabriel: A Youthful Gospel Portrait”, page 29. L’Eco di S. Gabriele, 1985
- ^ Mead C.P., J. “St. Gabriel: A Youthful Gospel Portrait”, page 37. L’Eco di S. Gabriele, 1985
- ^ Cingolani, C.P., G., “Saint Gabriel Possenti, Passionist: A Young Man in Love”, page 147. Alba House, 1997
- ^ Mead C.P., J. “St. Gabriel: A Youthful Gospel Portrait”, page 42. L’Eco di S. Gabriele, 1985
- ^ Cingolani, C.P., G., “Saint Gabriel Possenti, Passionist: A Young Man in Love”, page 126. Alba House, 1997
- ^ Ward C.P., N. “Life of Venerable Gabriel C.P.”, page 246. Burns and Oates, 1904
- ^ Ward C.P., N. “Life of Venerable Gabriel C.P.”, page 249. Burns and Oates, 1904
- ^ Mead C.P., J. “St. Gabriel: A Youthful Gospel Portrait”, page 48. L’Eco di S. Gabriele, 1985
- ^ Burke C.P., E., “Happy Was My Youth – Saint Gabriel – Passionist”, page 257. Gill and Son, 1961
- ^ Poage, G. “Son of the Passion”, page 93. Daughters of St. Paul, 1977
- ^ Poage, G. “Son of the Passion”, page 3. Daughters of St. Paul, 1977
- ^ Cingolani, C.P., G., “Saint Gabriel Possenti, Passionist: A Young Man in Love”, Alba House, 1997
- ^ Burke C.P., E., “Happy Was My Youth – Saint Gabriel – Passionist”, Gill and Son, 1961
- ^ Mead C.P., J. “St. Gabriel: A Youthful Gospel Portrait”, L’Eco di S. Gabriele, 1985
- ^ Ward C.P., N. “Life of Venerable Gabriel C.P.”, Burns and Oates, 1904
- ^ ”Memorie Storiche Sopra la Vita e le Virtù del Giovane Francesco Possenti, tra I Passionisti Confratel Gabriele dell’Addolorata”, Turin, 1868
- ^ Germano C.P., P. “Vita delle San Gabriele dell’Addolorata, Rome, 1924
- ^ P. Norberto “Memorie sulla Vita e Virtù di Confratel Gabriele dell’Addolorata (Francesco Possenti), San Gabriele, 1970 – the memoirs of St. Gabriel’s Spiritual Director
- ^ Mead C.P., J. “St. Gabriel: A Youthful Gospel Portrait”, page 37. L’Eco di S. Gabriele, 1985
Sources
- Contains material from St. Gabriel, Passionist with permission