ROME, September 8, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Vatican has made public a letter written to the superior general of the Redemptorists by Pope John Paul II that honours an obscure pro-life hero, St. Gerard Majella, the wonder-worker patron of expectant mothers.
St. Gerard entered the Redemptorist order in 1749. When the young man was accused of fathering a child, he endured the scandal so patiently St. Alphonsus declared that he was a saint. Although prone to illness, his superiors said that he did the work of three, and he was called the Father of the Poor for his great charity. The pope said in his message, “St. Gerard paid special attention towards growing life and towards expectant mothers, especially those in physical or spiritual difficulty.” The pope praised St. Gerard while decrying the increase of threats against human life. He spoke of the “worrisome spread of ‘a culture of death’, which drives large portions of public opinion to justify several crimes against life in the name of individual freedom and, on this basis, asks for their legitimization by the State.” ph