Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows
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| Saint Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows | |
|---|---|
 A prayer card depicting St. Gabriel wearing the Passionist Habit. The Passionist Sign, part of the Habit, is on his chest. |
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| Confessor | |
| Born | March 1, 1838, Assisi |
| Died | February 27, 1862, Gran Sasso |
| 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 (his tomb) |
| Feast | February 27 |
| Attributes | Passionist Habit and Sign |
| Patronage | Students, Youth, Clerics, Seminarians, Abruzzi |
 Saints Portal |
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Saint Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows, born Francesco Possenti (March 1, 1838 - February 27, 1862) was an Italian Passionist student who entered the religious life after several calls that he didn't fully attend until almost the very last moment.
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[edit] Early life
The eleventh of thirteen children born to his mother Agnes and his father Sante, a legal assessor in the town of Spoleto, then part of the Papal States under Pius IX, Francesco Possenti was baptised on the day of his birth in Assisi, in the same font in which St. Francis of Assisi had been baptised.
Possenti led the normal life of a young boy, becoming popular for his warm and outgoing personality, his love of dancing, hunting and the theater. He endangered himself more than once on his hunting expeditions and during a childhood illness had promised to become a religious if he were healed. Twice he was healed, twice he delayed. He did well in school, despite a childhood which included the death of three siblings and his own mother. Like a normal, handsome boy of his age, Possenti attracted the attention of the girls of Spoleto, where the family had moved from Assisi.
[edit] Religious vocation
During a procession of an icon of Our Lady of Sorrows, Possenti felt a call from the Virgin Mary telling him that he was not meant for this world and should become a religious, and remembered the vows he had formerly made. On the night his father had arranged for him to become engaged, Possenti secretly left for the Passionist novitiate. The journey there was delayed by well-meaning relatives who, on his father's direction, attempted to dissuade him from joining the order. Nevertheless, he was able to overcome all their arguments and persuade them of the genuine nature of his religious vocation, and he ultimately convinced his father to give him his blessings since his intentions were sincere and not born from an immature caprice.
With all of his family problems settled, Possenti took vows in the Passionist community, taking the name of Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows, reflecting the devotion -- planted in his childhood home by his mother's image of the Pietà -- that he always had to Our Lady of Sorrows. In the novitiate, he cultivated a great love for Christ Crucified and Our Lady of Sorrows, taking an additional vow to spread devotion to Our Sorrowful Mother. His writings reflect his close relationship with God and His Mother, especially his Resolutions which detail in great precision the method he used to attain such unity with the Passion of Christ and perfection of the Passionist rule.
[edit] Final years
He was soon struck with tuberculosis, but maintained all his habitual mortifcations, begged to be carried to Mass, and maintained his cheerful disposition,so much so that the other novices competed to spend time by his death-bed. Gabriel was resigned to the fact he was dying, and is said to have even prayed for a wasting disease so that he might attain perfection. Before he could be ordained a priest, Gabriel died in the Passionist monastery at Gran Sasso in the presence of the community, hugging close an image of Our Lady of Sorrows and smiling peacefully.
[edit] Canonization
Pope Benedict XV canonized Gabriel in 1920 and declared him a patron of Catholic youth. In 1959, Pope John XXIII named him the patron of the Abruzzi region, where he spent the last two years of his earthly life. His patronage is also invoked by the Church for students, seminarians, novices and clerics. Saint Gemma Galgani held that it was St. Gabriel who had cured her of a dangerous illness and led her to a Passionist vocation.
[edit] Pilgrims
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 cult of St. Gabriel is especially popular amongst Italian youth and Italian migrants have spread the cult to areas such as the USA, Central America and South America. Every March, thousands of high school students from Abruzzo and the Marche reions of Italy visit his tomb 100 days before their expected graduation.
The pligrams of St. Gabriel is also spread by the Passionist Order and through their work the cult has spread internationally in areas of their work. Many people have attested to miracles worked through St. Gabriel's intercession, among them the aforementioned Saint Gemma Galgani.
[edit] Festivals
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.
[edit] Patronage
The Saint Gabriel Possenti Society have recently been promoting the idea of having Saint Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows designated as the Patron Saint of Handgunners.
[edit] Sources
- St. Gabriel, Passionist with permission
