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| St Gerard Majella: Robert Lentz |
MY VERY CATHOLIC PARENTS made intentional choices when
naming their children. At my baptism I was given the spiritual mentors, Anthony
of Padua and Gerard Majella. Both inspiring men who were so captured by
commitment to the reign of God they dedicated their lives in consecrated
service in their particular time and culture.
Anthony and Gerard both
died young, lived chastely and were not exactly fun role models for a
young teen caught up in the spirit of the 60's. However, their passion for
God's reign of truth and service of the poor inspired my childhood and youth.
Today, 16 October is the feast day of Gerard Majella so all of us bearing his name carry a bit of his spiritual DNA. His life story is a jolly good read worthy of a Peter Jackson movie.
For a bloke who never had a sexual encounter he has managed to collect the heavenly task of being patron of pregnant women. That's one reason you find so many Gerards around from good old Catholic families. In my family alone, I scored him as a second name, I have a young brother called Gerard and my mother's youngest sister was called Majella.
We both share another quirky bit of personal history with a connection to the Capuchin Friars with whom I lived for 7 years but GM couldn't get a show-in despite two attempts to pass the entrance exam.
Happy name day to all those in my social media network who carry variations of the name Gerard Majella. Catholic trivia moment: he is one of the few if only saints shared across male and female naming rights.
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