St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows: The Young Man Who Gave Up His Old Life for Christ
𝘏𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺—and 𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦.
the body of Saint Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows was found to be incorrupt when it was exhumed years after his death. [1]
Exhumation timeline: His body was examined decades after he passed away from tuberculosis in 1862. [1]
Reports from his cause for canonization noted that his bodily remains were preserved (incorrupt).
His sacred relics are now housed and venerated at the Sanctuary of St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows in Isola del Gran Sasso, Italy.
“I have given myself entirely to God.”
Born in Assisi in 1838, St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows was baptized in the very same baptismal font where St. Francis of Assisi had been baptized centuries earlier.
But Gabriel did not begin his life as the solemn religious people might imagine.
As a young man, he was charming, sociable, and well liked. He enjoyed the pleasures and attention that came with youth. He could spend hours in front of a mirror making sure he looked perfect before going to parties. He was known among his friends as something of a ladies' man, and he even dreamed of finding a young woman he could marry.
His life seemed headed in an ordinary direction.
Then everything changed.
Gabriel became seriously ill.
Faced with the possibility of death, he turned to God and prayed for healing. In his desperation, he made a promise: if God spared his life, he would leave his old way of living behind and enter religious life.
He recovered.
And Gabriel did not forget his promise.
He entered the Passionist religious order and took the name Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows, placing himself under the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The young man who had once cared deeply about his appearance and worldly pleasures gradually became known for his humility, purity, charity, prayer, and deep love for Christ.
His conversion was not simply a change of clothing or surroundings. It was a change of heart.
Gabriel embraced religious life with remarkable joy and devotion. He became especially devoted to the Passion of Christ and to Our Lady of Sorrows, seeking to unite his own life and suffering with the suffering of Jesus.
Yet his health remained fragile.
He eventually contracted tuberculosis, the disease that would take his life. His illness became increasingly severe, and he grew weaker as the years passed.
He never became a priest.
On February 27, 1862, at only 23 years old, Gabriel died at the Passionist monastery in Isola del Gran Sasso, Italy.
His life had been short, but his transformation was extraordinary.
The young man who once dreamed of parties, romance, and worldly admiration had discovered something greater: a life completely given to God.
He had left behind the person he once was and found his identity in Christ and under the loving care of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows was canonized in 1920 by Pope Benedict XV. He is remembered especially as a patron of young people and students.
His feast is celebrated on February 27—and on February 28 in leap years.
St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us.
🙏❤️ May we have the courage to leave behind whatever keeps us from God and give our lives completely to Christ.
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