What kinds of miracles are seen daily when his help in prayer is asked?

The Mothers’ Saint, St. Gerard Majella, was a Redemptorist missionary brother for just over three years, yet in that short time he was widely recognized for his holiness, and already considered a saint by many at the time of his passing.

The roots of his holiness go back to his childhood. He did not become a saint overnight. And, as in the case of all saints, being holy is about what God does within a person and in the life of a person. God did and continues to do marvelous things in, through and around St. Gerard Majella.

The League of Saint Gerard was begun in North America in the early 1900s. Only more recently and with the help of new technologies – especially social media – this devotion is growing at miraculous rates.

• The community around St. Gerard’s Facebook page has grown from 5,000 to 20,000 in the last year, and every post inspires many Likes, Comments and Shares.
• New enrollments in the League of St. Gerard are added weekly. Hundreds of medals, prayer cards and devotional booklets have been distributed.
• Traffic at St. Gerard’s website continues to grow, as more people come to light candles, share their testimonials, and request devotional materials.

It is exciting to see the online prayer community that is growing around this saintly Redemptorist brother. This community prays for a constant stream of petitions that arrive every day for St. Gerard and his friends.

These prayers are being heard and answered; they are having a powerful and positive effect, as evidenced by the many testimonials submitted.

• Couples finding it difficult to conceive, suffering with one form or another of infertility, are able to overcome these problems and are granted the gift of parenthood.
• Difficult pregnancies become less difficult.
• Deliveries are safe and childbirth goes smoothly.
• Sick children get well.
• Couples with troubles in their marriages seek and find solutions.

Many are given hope, and that hope is not disappointed. We seek and see miracles, because we believe that miracles still happen today, especially through the intercession of our miracle-working St. Gerard and the prayers of his community of friends.

Some say that there is no need to speak to or go through St. Gerard. One may speak directly to God, the Father, Jesus, the Son, or the Holy Spirit. And this is true. The founder of the Redemptorists, St. Alphonsus Liguori, encouraged people to speak familiarly with God, with confidence and simplicity.

We may, and always should, speak directly with the three Persons of the Most Holy Trinity. However, this does not exclude the possibility of also speaking with the saints, with those already alive and living in perfect communion with God, and asking them to pray with us and intercede for us.

Do we not sometimes, or even often, ask someone here on earth to pray for us?

Why should we not ask a sister or brother like St. Gerard, already in heaven, to also pray and intercede for us? This makes perfect sense and is hardly displeasing to God who is always ready and anxious to receive all our prayers, no matter how they arrive, whether directly or through one of God’s saints.

Undoubtedly friendship among all the saints, both those in heaven and we still on earth, is absolutely beautiful and precious in the eyes of God. Catholic popular piety has always had a place, and will continue to have a place in our spiritual tradition, taking nothing away from our primary love and devotion to the Most Blessed Trinity.

However, not all our prayers are answered as we wish or when we wish, but the bottom line for all prayers of petition is: THY WILL BE DONE. In the end, it is God’s loving plan and holy will, wise and good, that must be done, for only God knows what is truly best, even when we cannot see the why, how, when or where of it.

We can never promise or guarantee anyone that our prayers will be answered as we hope. We can only humbly, confidently and sincerely pray for others and their intentions. God always hears us and sometimes even grants what we request. But whether we receive what we ask for or not, we remain forever grateful to God for all good things, for there is no existence without divine blessing.

And where is all this leading us? Well, hopefully, closer to God, where St. Gerard already is. May our devotion and commitment to St. Gerard, through new technology and social media, continue to spread and deepen faith, confidence and hope in, commitment to and love for our loving God.

Please forward this newsletter to all the women in your contact lists and ask them to visit St. Gerard’s Website and Facebook page. Encourage them to LIKE his Facebook page and to join the Friends of St. Gerard in prayer. Spread the joy and hope; there is more than enough for everyone!