The League of Saint Gerard
St. Gerard Majella, Redemptorist lay brother, was made a saint of the church in December 1904. But long before he was declared a saint of the church he was the one expectant mothers went to in all their needs.
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Gerard lived the simple and hard life as a lay brother in the Redemptorist communities of southern Italy during the time of St. Alphonsus in the middle 1700s. He was known for his intelligence, humble disposition and holiness of life. His daily life was one of helping in the monastery. He was at times a baker (not a very good one), a porter (a very hospitable one) and a sacristan (a very faithful one). In whatever he did he did for the greater honour and glory of God and the salvation of souls.
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On one occasion a pregnant mother, fearing the loss of her baby, asked Gerard to pray for her and bless her. In those times about 2/3 of pregnancies never resulted in live births! Gerard obliged, The mother had a healthy baby and the rest is history. Gerard became, unofficially and by popular choice, the saint of expectant mothers.
What is a League?
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The word comes from the Latin ligare, which means to bind or connect. The word religion comes from the same root and means to reconnect, to bind together again, which is what all good religion is intended to do: to reunite or connect us to God and to one another, because we have a sinful tendency to get “disconnected.” A league then is an association or union of people formed and bound together or united in order to promote the interests of its members, or for some common action.
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The League of St. Gerard then is an association of dedicated people, under the patronage of St. Gerard, who wish, like him, to commit themselves to following Christ and doing God’s will. This association, now sponsored by the Redemptorist Missionaries of the Province of Denver, is designed to promote devotion to St. Gerard Majella, the Mothers’ St., and to create an ever-growing prayer community that prays constantly for:
The gift of motherhood • for women having difficulty conceiving • for pregnant women • for women enduring a complicated pregnancy • for safe deliveries • for new, first-time mothers • for women who adopt • for mothers who struggle in poverty • for mothers of children with special needs • for pregnant women or mothers with HIV/AIDs and other compromising illnesses • for mothers of the incarcerated or who are incarcerated themselves • for mothers of soldiers • for single mothers • for foster mothers • for birth mothers • for teenage mothers • for mothers who have lost a daughter or son • for grandmothers and great grandmothers • for sick children • for respect for all life from conception to natural death • for women who have had an abortion • and all other intentions that are sent.
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The ideals and purposes of the League:
To encourage the members to live with the mind, heart and spirit of Christ every day, making use of God’s help, always available through prayer and in the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Reconciliation.
To pray frequently for St. Gerard’s intercession, especially during pregnancy, but for all people in times of trouble.
To share confidence in St. Gerard with others, especially those urgently needing his assistance.
To help every human being grow in God’s love, remembering the final destiny of each person – the fullness of life with God for all eternity.
To seek knowledge of God’s holy and loving will with respect to the generation of human life, accepting the teachings of the Catholic Church as expressions of God’s will and love.
To unite with the Church in asking God to grant us all a profound love and respect for all life, not only for this generation but for the fulfillment of all human beings, regardless of race, ethnicity, beliefs, political affiliation or social standing.
To support the Church and all other groups or movements that promote human life and to seek ways to eliminate all immoral practices or procedures that terminate human life prematurely, unjustly or unnecessarily (war, murder, capital punishment, genocide, abortion, euthanasia, etc.)
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The League of Saint Gerard in Canada
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In 1941 Father Daniel Ehman, pastor of St. Patrick’s German parish in Toronto, began the League of Saint Gerard to pray for all matters relating to pregnancy and birth and in a special way, to pray for the affirmation of new life and to stem the rising tide of abortions around the world. Since then the League has become worldwide.
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In our time the wonders of modern medicine and especially faithful health care providers, like many doctors and nurses and midwives, Mother and Child have made conception and pregnancy safer for both mother and baby. Yet there are still many miscarriages and many couples have great difficulty in becoming pregnant. Carrying a baby is still a great risk and challenge. There is still the great need for us all to develop and grow in our appreciation, honour and respect for life from conception to death and to make abortion an unnecessary response to unwanted pregnancies.
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When you become a member of the League of St. Gerard you promise to join with thousands of others around the world to pray for expectant mothers that they may have healthy and safe births, and pray for all of us to honour and support human life from its very beginnings.
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The annual fee for belonging to the League is $15 (please make cheques payable to The Redemptorists – League of St Gerard). The money collected is used to offer a weekly Mass for life, to promote the League and its purposes and to offer support to those people and places who help mothers carry their babies to birth. (If you cannot afford the fee, you are still welcome as a member.)
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The benefits of belonging include a) a special weekly Mass for your intentions; b) Inclusion in the daily prayer and masses of Redemptorists, and; c) a semi-annual newsletter on the works of the League, a blessed St Gerard medal and booklet entitled, "St Gerard Majella - The Mothers' Saint."