Saint Gerard Achieves his Goal

Saint Gerard struggled to be taken seriously. His ambition was to join a religious order because of his commitment to God.

His understanding of community and the challenges families faced inspired his desire to help those around him who were destitute and suffering. St Gerard was also committed to prayer from an early age.

On one occasion St Gerard went to the local market to buy some fish. However, after meeting a hungry person at the market he gave the fish away. He believed that person was more needy and deserving.

He was only 23 years of age when he met the missionaries doing community work in his local area. At that time, the priest who led the Capuchin mission was not convinced St Gerard would be a suitable candidate because of his frail condition. St Gerard twice tried to join the Capuchins but was refused each time.

St Gerard would not be denied though and his wish to join an order finally came to fruition when in 1749 he was accepted into the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer or the Redemptorists founded by St Alphonsus Liguori. The order was founded in 1732 at Scala near Naples.

The missionary order was, and still to this day, dedicated to ‘preaching the word of God to the poor’.

St Gerard had long wanted to serve God the best way he could and as such his dream was now fulfilled.

(continued next week)