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St. Gerard Majella: The Wonder-Worker and Patron of Expectant Mothers
A fantastic book for anyone who has a devotion to the famous St. Gerard Majella, "Patron of Expectant Mothers." Though he died of tuberculosis at only 29 and was only a lay brother in the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists), he achieved great sanctity - such that his superiors attested that he had not only not committed any mortal sins, but that they could not detect that he had ever been guilty of any sin at all! Impr. 280 pgs, PB
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1907
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 21, 2017
I read this book a few years back when I was expecting baby #4. The book was overall a very good read. And one of those books which left a long lasting impression on my heart.
My biggest criticism of the book is that it does not mention WHY St. Gerard is the patron of expectant mothers! What??? I kept WAITING ... finally I realized the author was not going to mention by name "the scandalous accusation" brought against him. Which is ridiculous, since the title of the book mentions his patronage specifically... yet the content of the book says zilch about it. I had to google it! Saint Gerard was falsely accused of fathering an unwed woman's baby. He bore the insults and shame of the accusation without rebuttle... Praying instead for the young woman. She eventually publicly admitted her lie and turned her life around due to the patience and gentleness that Saint Gerard showed in the face of such a heavy cross & the assault on his character.
(I think there was a period of time when some people considered it untactful or disrespectful to mention anything that may paint a Saint in an unfavorable light? Even though in this instance it was a false accusation! But even in other circumstances... We love St. Augustine and St. Mary Magdalene, etc...because of their example of forgiveness and redemption. They were sinful and flawed and yet through humility and love of God became defenders of the Faith and shining examples of virtue! It gives us the hope: if they could do it- so can I!)
Surprisingly what I got most out of this book was an understanding for the virtue of obedience. Saint Gerard is a shining example of this virtue. I am grateful for the lessons I learned from his life story in this respect, and I often recall to mind his example of denial of self & obedience to Our Lord! I consider the clarity of saint Gerard's obedience a very valuable "ah-ha" moment in my life.
My biggest criticism of the book is that it does not mention WHY St. Gerard is the patron of expectant mothers! What??? I kept WAITING ... finally I realized the author was not going to mention by name "the scandalous accusation" brought against him. Which is ridiculous, since the title of the book mentions his patronage specifically... yet the content of the book says zilch about it. I had to google it! Saint Gerard was falsely accused of fathering an unwed woman's baby. He bore the insults and shame of the accusation without rebuttle... Praying instead for the young woman. She eventually publicly admitted her lie and turned her life around due to the patience and gentleness that Saint Gerard showed in the face of such a heavy cross & the assault on his character.
(I think there was a period of time when some people considered it untactful or disrespectful to mention anything that may paint a Saint in an unfavorable light? Even though in this instance it was a false accusation! But even in other circumstances... We love St. Augustine and St. Mary Magdalene, etc...because of their example of forgiveness and redemption. They were sinful and flawed and yet through humility and love of God became defenders of the Faith and shining examples of virtue! It gives us the hope: if they could do it- so can I!)
Surprisingly what I got most out of this book was an understanding for the virtue of obedience. Saint Gerard is a shining example of this virtue. I am grateful for the lessons I learned from his life story in this respect, and I often recall to mind his example of denial of self & obedience to Our Lord! I consider the clarity of saint Gerard's obedience a very valuable "ah-ha" moment in my life.
April 26, 2025
This was more of a 10 star book! Reading about the life of St. Gerard Majella was truly inspiring to say the least! In a lot of ways I noticed similar parallels between St. Gerard and St. Padre Pio. They both had the gift of reading hearts, of converting poor sinners, of bilocation (being in two places at once) and they were attacked unceasingly by demons. St. Gerard's love for Our Eucharistic King is illuminating. He'd spend all night in the chapel in adoration and often times the other brothers would find him in ecstasies! St. Gerard is the saint to pray to help you have a greater devotion towards the Blessed Sacrament! Ora pro nobis St. Gerard.
July 23, 2021
What a life.
Blessed be God in his Angels and his Saints.
Blessed be God in his Angels and his Saints.
November 4, 2025
u read the most random shit as an mcr fan
September 26, 2023
88/100 (= 5.2/6) ≈ 5 Stars
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This book. My goodness, what an incredible saint. So very glad I read this one. Thousands of miracles in his life! The miracles worked through obedience were especially fascinating. So much to imitate. St. Gerard, pray for us!
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This book. My goodness, what an incredible saint. So very glad I read this one. Thousands of miracles in his life! The miracles worked through obedience were especially fascinating. So much to imitate. St. Gerard, pray for us!
February 24, 2021
This is a loose biography of St. Gerard, and largely concerned with his spiritual qualities and his path to becoming a saint, including a recount of the canonization in exacting detail.
Saint Gerard is a "saint among saints" - my words, not necessarily anyone else's. The holiness of this particular man is well known and detailed very well in this book. So much so, perhaps, that I would hesitate to put this book in the hands of certain Catholics or non-Catholics for fear of potential scandal - even though the author himself says that no such thing could happen. Some acts and behaviors attributed to this man are difficult to understand without a thorough understanding of Church doctrine, traditional acts of penance, and demonology.
So I wouldn't call it a book that anyone could read. Additionally, the intercessions and miracles attributed to St. Gerard are so numerous as to become somewhat tedious in their enumeration throughout the pages of this book. These are the only reasons I would rate this based on my enjoyment of it. It is an excellent picture of a mortal man who almost seemed to already have one foot in heaven.
Saint Gerard is a "saint among saints" - my words, not necessarily anyone else's. The holiness of this particular man is well known and detailed very well in this book. So much so, perhaps, that I would hesitate to put this book in the hands of certain Catholics or non-Catholics for fear of potential scandal - even though the author himself says that no such thing could happen. Some acts and behaviors attributed to this man are difficult to understand without a thorough understanding of Church doctrine, traditional acts of penance, and demonology.
So I wouldn't call it a book that anyone could read. Additionally, the intercessions and miracles attributed to St. Gerard are so numerous as to become somewhat tedious in their enumeration throughout the pages of this book. These are the only reasons I would rate this based on my enjoyment of it. It is an excellent picture of a mortal man who almost seemed to already have one foot in heaven.
June 23, 2025
Love reading about St Gerard—. The Catholic Patron Saint of mothers.
He embodied the virtue of humility. This book had a lot of Catholic phrasing that I wasn’t that familiar with, but I got through it.
He embodied the virtue of humility. This book had a lot of Catholic phrasing that I wasn’t that familiar with, but I got through it.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews