I Will Be Your Mother (I)

Gemma Galgani was born on March 12, 1878 in Camigliano, Italy. The Galgani's were traditional Catholics who were blessed with eight children. Gemma, the fifth child and first girl of the family, developed an irresistible attraction to prayer while still very young. This came as a result of her pious mother who taught Gemma the truths of the Roman Catholic faith. When Gemma was only five years old she was already reading the Office of Our Lady. Her beloved mother died while she was only a child and Gemma was sent by her father to a Catholic school run by a religious community. Later, reflecting on her school days, she said, "I began to attend the sisters' school; I was in Paradise." However, Gemma soon fell ill and developed a curvature of the spine. Meningitis also set in and left her deaf. Large abscesses formed on her head, her hair fell out, and eventually her limbs became paralyzed. A doctor was called in and tried many remedies, which all failed. She only grew worse. On her sickbed Gemma began a devotion to Saint Gabriel Possenti and read his life story. Gemma, now age 20, was seemingly dying. A novena was suggested as the only chance for a cure. At midnight on February 23, 1899, she heard the rattling of a rosary and realized that Saint Gabriel was appearing to her. Soon she was cured of all her ailments.