Feast Day of Saint Gabriel Possenti

IMPORTANT FACTS:

Saint Gabriel's Family Tree

He was very fond of his family and is particularly remembered as a remarkable young man who, at the age of 20,threw all aside for God, determined to become a SAINT.
Before entering his vocation,he had several romantic involvements and on the night he left for the monastery there were still hopes that he might become engaged to a local girl but when he met Our Lady of Sorrows,he forgot about the local girl and fell in love with Our Lady.He cared for Mary of Sorrows instead and consoled her whenever he could..

He is Patron of Hand Gunners because of an incident:- He disarmed one of the soldiers who attacked a young girl, he faced the rest of the band fearlessly, and drove them all out of the village at the point of a gun.

Gabriel had proved himself an exemplary religious and a perfect follower of the Passionist Rule,being especially devoted to the Virgin Mary.He hoped to be sent to the missions after his ordination to the priesthood, but before he could be ordained a priest, Gabriel died at the age of  24,during the retreat at Isola del Gran Sasso the early hours of  February 27, 1862, in the presence of the community, holding close an image of Our Lady of Sorrows and smiling peacefully. Those who were with Gabriel when he died reported that at the moment of death, he sat up in bed and his face became radiant as he reached out to an otherwise unseen figure that was entering the room. It was the opinion of Father Norbert that Saint Gabriel had seen the Virgin Mary at the very moment of his death.On his deathbed he ordered his spiritual writings to be burnt for he feared they would tempt him to pride. Only his letters survived, alongside his ‘Resolutions’ which map the spiritual progress he made in his few years as a Passionist.

Resolutions of St.Gabriel Possenti

Two miracles presented for the beatification of Gabriel were the inexplicable healings of Maria Mazzarella from pulmonary tuberculosis and periostitus, and the instantaneous cure of Dominic Tiber from an inoperable hernia.
Gabriel was beatified by Pope Pius X on May 31, 1908.
Gabriel’s canonisation for a while, but on May 13, 1920, he was raised to the altars by Pope Benedict XV.
Canonized in 1920, along with St. Aloysius,one of the patrons of youth.

Gabriel Possenti’s life paralleled that of his contemporary, Thérèse of Lisieux. Both had normal childhoods, displayed cheerful dispositions,sought holiness in doing little things lovingly, and died young of tuberculosis. Had Gabriel not destroyed all his personal notes just before his death, we may have had the male twin of St.Therese.

Quote of Saint Gabriel Possenti:

•  Do not bestow your love on the world
• ...fidelity in little things must be the basic rule in striving for holiness
• Our perfection does not consist of doing extraordinary
• Who it will be able ever to repeat the pains,the strains and the sufferings that Jesus suffered in such little time.We see Jesus in the garden of olives,after being separated from His Sorrowful mother,how he is pale and trembling with fear,his face to the ground

PRAYER TO SAINT GABRIEL POSSENTI:
Dear Saint Gabriel, you who consoled Our Lady of Sorrows and held dear the passion of Christ,help and console us, young people today in our daily trials and tribulations.Help us to be strong to get through this world that finds it hard to accept young people, especially, at this current moment.May we not be discouraged but always know that there is hope in the Passion of our Lord.May you, our smiling saint, patron of the young, guide us in picking up our cross in following Christ courageously, hence, becoming faithful disciples of Christ,just like you. Amen.
Saint Gabriel Possenti,Patron of the young pray for us!