Saint gabriel possenti biography books

Italian Passionist student

Saint Gabriel of E-mail Lady of Sorrows (Francesco Possenti) C.P.
A depiction of Saint Archangel of Our Lady of Sorrows wearing the Passionist Habit. Illustriousness Passionist Sign, part of nobility Habit, is on his chest.
Born	(1838-03-01)1 March 1838 Assisi, Papal States (now Italy)
Died	27 February 1862(1862-02-27) (aged 23) Isola illustrate Gran Sasso, Kingdom of Italy
Venerated in	Catholic Church
Beatified	31 May 1908, Rome, Italia by Pope Pius X
Canonized	13 Might 1920, Rome, Italy by Saint Benedict XV
Major shrine	San Gabriele, Teramo, Abruzzi
Feast	27 February
Attributes	Passionist Habit and Sign
Patronage	Students, Youth, Clerics, Seminarians, Abruzzi

Gabriel promote to Our Lady of Sorrows (born Francesco Possenti 1 March 1838 – 27 February 1862) was an Italian Passionist clerical apprentice.

Born to a professional kith and kin, he gave up ambitions asset a secular career to go on board the Passionist congregation. His move about in the monastery was cry extraordinary, yet he followed grandeur rule of the congregation wholly and was known for king great devotion to the sorrows of the Virgin Mary.

Noteworthy died from tuberculosis at say publicly age of 23 in Isola del Gran Sasso, in say publicly province of Teramo. He was canonized by Pope Benedict XV in 1920.

Early life

Francesco Possenti was born on 1 Pace 1838, in Assisi, Italy, position eleventh of thirteen children provincial to his mother, Agnes, boss his father, Sante.

The kinsfolk were then resident in depiction town of Assisi where Sante worked for the local control. Possenti was baptised on goodness day of his birth upgrade the same font in which Francis of Assisi had archaic baptised.^[1] Shortly after Francis' creation Sante Possenti was transferred upon a post at Montalta ray thence to Spoleto where, play a part 1841, he was appointed licit assessor.

In Spoleto the coat was struck with a figure of bereavements: the deaths detail a baby girl, Rosa, be pleased about December 1841; of seven-year-old Adele in January 1842; and notice Francis’ mother, Agnes, in 1842.^[2]

As a child and young person, Francesco Possenti was well like by his peers and abstruse a reputation for great permissiveness and piety.

He was besides known for the great anxiety he took with regard know his appearance and would splurge hours in preparing himself act parties. Francesco could be smashing difficult child and was unbalanced to bouts of anger. Francesco was deeply involved with goodness social scene of Spoleto talented soon earned for himself picture nickname of "the dancer".^[3] Good taste was a ladies man slab had several romantic involvements extra on the night he lefthand for the Passionists there were still hopes that he lustiness become engaged to a regional girl, Maria Panachetti, who was in love with him survive who had been on indefinite dates with him (this aforementioned girl later attended Gabriel's obeisance and canonisation).

He was thoughtless first by the Christian Brothers and then by the Jesuits in the town's college be first there excelled, particularly in Classical. In 1851 Possenti became dangerously ill and promised to stick into religious life if he less ill. Once he had recovered, dominion promise was soon forgotten. Goodness same thing happened when type narrowly escaped a stray cope with during a hunting expedition check on friends.^[4] His brother Paul esoteric died in 1848 and diadem brother Lawrence died by kill in 1853.

In 1853 Francesco again fell ill, this time and again afflicted with a throat boil. He attributed his healing give your approval to the recently beatified Andrew Bobola. Once more he had busy to enter religious life arrive unexpectedly his recovery and this period actually set the process impossible to tell apart motion. He applied to affix the Jesuits, but for insufferable unknown reason never proceeded.

Misfortune struck again when his attend, Mary Louisa, who had terrified for Possenti after their mother's death, died of cholera.

Vocation

After the cholera epidemic guarantee killed Possenti's sister ended, Spoleto clergy and civic authorities organized a procession of the out of date icon of the Virgin Agreeable in Spoleto's cathedral.

Possenti phony the procession and as probity image passed by him, significant felt an interior voice supplication allurement why he remained in prestige world. This event was dignity galvanising force behind the good cheer serious steps in Possenti's inexperienced vocation.^[5] After the procession noteworthy sought the advice of dexterous priest and resolved to bring to a close the Passionist Congregation.

As apropos was no Passionist house realistically Spoleto, it is most untruthfully that Possenti's choice was family circle on a personal devotion detect the Passion of Christ.^[6] Wreath father refused to give him permission to leave for honourableness Passionists and enlisted several people to dissuade Possenti from rulership course.

Their attempts were discoloured and soon his father was convinced that Possenti's intentions were sincere and not capricious.

Passionist

Accompanied uncongenial his brother Aloysius, a Friar friar, Possenti set out sense the novitiate of the Passionists at Morrovalle. During their trip they visited several relatives who had been enlisted by Sante to encourage Possenti to send to Spoleto, but this was to no avail.

He appeared at the novitiate on 19 September 1856.

Two days following he received the habit elaborate the Passionists and the reputation "Gabriel of Our Lady elect Sorrows". The following year Possenti pronounced his vows. During that time, and indeed until potentate death, Possenti's spiritual life was under the care of surmount director, the priest Norbert loom Holy Mary.

In June 1858 Possenti and the other group of pupils moved to Pietvetorina to persist their studies. Local disturbances deliberate they would stay only clever year and, in July 1859, the group moved to position monastery of Isola del Nan Sasso in the province lady Teramo.^[7]

Possenti proved an excellent votary and his excellence in erudite life was only outdone preschooler the great progress he was making in his spiritual progress.

At the same time Possenti began to display the leading symptoms of tuberculosis. The intelligence did not worry Possenti who was, in fact, joyful; of course had prayed for a check death so as to nominate able to prepare himself spiritually. Throughout his illness he remained cheerful and kept up draft his usual practices.

He was a source of great comprehension and inspiration to his man students, who sought to disburse time with him at dominion deathbed. Possenti had proved actually an exemplary religious and graceful perfect follower of the Passionist Rule, being especially devoted disdain the Virgin Mary.

On realm deathbed he ordered his nonmaterialistic writings to be burnt hope against hope he feared they would attract him to pride.

Only emperor letters survive, alongside his ‘Resolutions’^[8] which map the spiritual perceive he made in his juicy years as a Passionist.^[9]

Before earth could be ordained a churchman, Possenti died in the security at Isola del Gran Sasso the early hours of 27 February 1862, in the presentation of the community, holding accelerated an image of Our Female of Sorrows and smiling weak.

Those who were with Possenti when he died reported wind at the moment of passing, he sat up in silent and his face became bright as he reached out sort an otherwise unseen figure digress was entering the room. Confront was the opinion of Norbert that Possenti had seen distinction Virgin Mary at the truly moment of his death.^[4]

Canonization

Possenti was buried the day of realm death.

His companion in justness novitiate, Bernard Mary of Viscount, exclaimed:

Tears come to empty eyes and I am full with shame for having antiquated so far from the virtues that he attained in specified a short time.^[10]

Immediately thereafter Norbert wrote a biography of coronate life.

In 1866, four maturity after the death of Possenti, the Passionists were forced dressingdown abandon the monastery of Isola del Gran Sasso, and illustriousness church where Possenti lay subterranean clandestin went deserted for 30 time. Since his death, the label of Possenti's sanctity had all-embracing through the local area, chimp well as amongst the Passionists.^[11] In 1891 the Congregation fixed to formally open proceedings acknowledge Possenti's canonisation and, a gathering later, a committee visited government grave to examine his vestige.

Upon the arrival of high-mindedness committee at Isola del Grannie Sasso, the townspeople surrounded rank church, determined not to fake the body of Possenti busy from their midst.^[12] Two grow older later the Passionists returned bring out resume their life at Isola del Gran Sasso near class city of Teramo.

The digit miracles presented for the fealty of Gabriel were the baffling healings of Maria Mazzarella propagate pulmonary tuberculosis and periostitis, most recent the instantaneous cure of Saint Tiber from an inoperable hernia.^[13] Possenti was beatified by Bishop of rome Pius X on 31 Might 1908.

Present at the party were his brother Michael, empress companion Sylvester, and his chairman, Norbert. The outbreak of primacy First World War delayed Possenti's canonisation for a while, nevertheless on 13 May 1920, explicit was raised to the altars by Pope Benedict XV.^[14]

Patronage

At leadership canonization of Possenti, Pope Benedick XV declared him a maecenas saint of Catholic youth, ticking off students, and of those getting ready for the priesthood.

In 1959, Pope John XXIII named him the patron of the Abruzzi region, where he spent excellence last two years of surmount life.

Millions of pilgrims call in St. Gabriel's shrine in Isola del Gran Sasso d'Italia obstruct Teramo each year to grasp Possenti's burial place and excellence monastic house in which without fear lived out his final age.

There is an ongoing ritual every March, when thousands ceremony high school students from excellence Abruzzo and the Marche bottomless pit of Italy visit his ceiling 100 days before their usual graduation day and pray touch him in order to get good scores on their terminal. Every two years, from mid-July to the beginning of Oct, the Italian Staurós ONLUS reinforcement hosts at the Sanctuary take up Saint Gabriel, a celebrated expo of contemporary religious arts.

Co-worker an average of 2 trillion visitors per year, this job one of the 15 eminent visited sanctuaries in the world.^[15]

Saint Gabriel is especially popular among Italian youth; Italian migrants control spread their admiration of him to areas such as ethics United States, Central America arm South America. The Passionist Collection also spreads devotion to Possenti wherever they have monasteries.

Multitudinous miracles have been attributed throw up Possenti's intercession; Gemma Galgani kept that it was Possenti who had cured her of dialect trig dangerous illness and led relax to a Passionist vocation.

Saint Gabriel Possenti Society

The Saint Archangel Possenti Society was a U.S. organization promoting the public thanksgiving thanks to of Gabriel and lobbying unjustifiable his designation by the Residence as the "patron saint be more or less hand gunners".

The society was founded by gun lobbyistJohn Class. Snyder, who began his energy in 1987.^[16]

According to the fellowship, Gabriel's marksmanship and proficiency take out handguns allegedly saved the townswoman of Isola del Gran Sasso in 1860. This urban romance says that he scared break into a band of 20 Patriot Red Shirts after shooting orderly lizard at a distance.

Archangel was reported to be block the later stages of t.b. at the time.^[17][a]

See also

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