On October 16, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Gerard Majella, a humble and holy Redemptorist lay brother. Born on April 6, 1726, in Muro Lucano, Italy, about fifty miles south of Naples, he was the son of a tailor, Dominic Majella, and grew up in a large and poor family.

When Gerard was twelve years old, his father passed away, and his mother, struggling with poverty, sent him to live with his uncle. Soon after, he became an apprentice to a tailor. Although his employer treated him kindly, the foreman treated him harshly.

After several years, Gerard entered the service of the Bishop of  Lacedonia, who was a difficult and demanding master.

When the bishop died in 1745, Gerard returned home. By the age of  21, he had become a skilled tailor who generously shared his earnings, supporting his mother, helping the poor, and making offerings for the souls in purgatory. Eventually, he opened his own tailor shop.

From a young age, Gerard felt called to the religious life. He tried twice to join the Capuchins but was turned away because of his weak health and youth.

He even attempted to live as a hermit, but that too was not God’s will. In 1749, he joined the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, founded by St. Alphonsus Liguori, and took his perpetual vows in 1751.

Within the Redemptorist community, Gerard served as tailor and infirmarian. Though he never became a priest, he was known for his extraordinary spiritual gifts, including prophecy, bilocation, ecstasies, visions, and infused knowledge. His advice and spiritual guidance were sought by clergy, nuns, and laypeople alike. He became known for his holiness, humility, and acts of charity, especially in converting sinners and comforting the poor.

In 1754, Gerard was falsely accused of improper conduct by a woman named Neria Caggiano. Even before she admitted that her accusations were false, Gerard chose silence, accepting the suffering as a test of faith. His superiors, uncertain of the truth, suspended him from communion and placed him under observation. When Neria later confessed her lie, St. Alphonsus Liguori said, “Brother Gerard is a saint.”

To reduce the attention he attracted, Gerard was transferred to Naples and later to Caposele, where he worked as the porter and devoted himself to helping the poor. In the final months of his life, he helped raise funds for new Redemptorist buildings.

Shortly before he died, Gerard visited the Pirofalo family. As he was leaving, one of their daughters ran after him, saying he had dropped his handkerchief. He gently told her, “Keep it. You will need it one day.” Years later, during a difficult childbirth, the same woman remembered his words and asked for the handkerchief. When it was placed upon her, her pain stopped immediately, and she safely gave birth to a healthy child.

St. Gerard Majella died of tuberculosis on October 16, 1755, at the age of 29 in Caposele. He was beatified by Pope Leo XIII in 1893 and canonized by Pope St. Pius X in 1904. He is the patron saint of mothers, motherhood, expectant mothers, childbirth, children, pregnant women, unborn children, the pro-life movement, the falsely accused, those who make good confessions, and lay brothers.