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SAINT GERARD was a child of the people, a young cook, who shone in apostolic order, then recently founded. The great law of this family was religious imitation of Jesus Christ. Gerard vigorously strove to reproduce in his mind the image of Jesus, obedient, Jesus Man of Sorrows, Jesus' friend of the poor and distributor of mercies. Although he had not been intended to honor the priesthood, he became a great converter of souls. God invests in a truly extraordinary power and his life is a tissue of marvels.
The story of these wonders recalls the great magician of the Middle Ages, St. Anthony of Padua, who traveled through France and Italy in sowing the miracles.
It seems that filling the humble Gerard unheard of favors, Providence has sought to highlight the merit too ignorant of the humble and hidden life in which religion without a priest, is dedicated to serving the priest of love for the Savior and souls.
We offer the faithful a short biography of this special friend of God, who became, especially since his beatification, one of the most popular saints of the Church. These pages are drawn from the documents most authentic and inspired mostly of Life published in Italian by R. P. Benedetti, postulator of the cause of beatification and canonization of St. Gerard. The sacred writer had distinguished between the hands of contemporary legal testimony, depositions and trials ordinary trial apostolic formal discussions on the miracles performed by Gerard in his lifetime and after his death.
We also consulted with advantage two Lives of St. Gerard written in French, one by R. P. Dunoyer, and the other by R. P. Saint-Omer (1), one and the other widespread in France, Belgium and Canada.
Following these two fine biographies, our booklet can further increase the number of Christians who seek the intercession of the great miracle worker, but especially that imitate the virtues of his friend's favorite divine Redeemer!
Code: H18 Gerard
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