Autobiography of St Gemma Galgani edited by William Browning CP

About the book: The name of St Gemma Galgani is almost a household word among Passionists. But while her various biographers quote frequently from her writings, it is unfortunate that, so far as we know, none of St Gemma's own writings have ever appeared in English. It may even be a cause of surprise for some to learn that this humble and hidden Saint wrote a great deal. There are two large volumes of her writings published in Italian. One volume, Lettere di S Gemma Galgani contains 459 pages of her letters alone. Another, Estasi-Diario-Autobiografia-Scritti Vari di S Gemma Galgani contains 316 pages of her other writings. One does not have to read far in either of these volumes to be completely captivated by the simple and humble saint.

Gemma wrote her autobiography at the insistent request of Father Germanus CP who became her director in January, 1900, approximately three years before her death. The autobiography thus written in obedience to Father Germanus filled 93 pages of a notebook, all written in her own hand. It covers the years from her infancy until September 1900, when she was 22 years old. She began writing the autobiography on 17 February 1901 and finished it in May of the same year. Since she died two years later on 11 April 1903, it does not cover the last two years of her life. 

The manuscript copy of the autobiography still exists and is on display at Sts John and Paul in Rome. Gemma's beautiful handwriting is still plain, but a remarkable fact about the notebook is that every page has the appearance of having been burned. Father Germanus' explanation of this phenomenon is contained in the book.

Autobiography of St Gemma Galgani was first published in 1955 and republished in paperback in January 2022.

About the author: Gemma Umberta Maria Galgani (1878-1903), also known as Gemma of Lucca, was an Italian mystic, venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church since 1940. She has been called the "daughter of the Passion" because of her profound imitation of the Passion of Christ. She is especially venerated in the Congregation of the Passion of Jesus (Passionists). Galgani's relics are housed at the Sanctuary of Santa Gemma associated with the Passionist monastery in Lucca, Italy. Since 1985, her heart is housed in the Santuario de Santa Gema, in Madrid, Spain. Gemma Galgani's confessor Germano Ruoppolo wrote a book about her. (Wikipedia)