The Blessed Gherardo

Gherardo Mecatti was born in 1174 to a peasant family that later succumbed to a terrible plague outbreak. Orphaned at the age of 12, he was adopted by the Foschi family, owners of the land on which his parents had worked. As a young squire he followed his master to the Holy Land, ending up prisoner of the Turks. After years of torment and fear he was released, but by then had spent enough time in Jerusalem to realize the atrocities and injustices carried out in the name of the Christian faith. He therefore decided, once having returned to Villamagna, to devote himself entirely to prayer and the assistance of the local poor. 

He went on a later Crusade to Palestine in the wake of 20 knights in the Order of St. John. However, as to set the stage for Gherardo‘s first miracle, pirates attacked their ship. He invoked the Lord’s help and ordered his companions not to abandon ship but rather to resist the Saracen attack. The enemies, by what could only have been considered divine grace, all died in a shipwreck. 

He remained in the Holy Land for another seven years, during which he did his utmost to alleviate the suffering of sick pilgrims, consequentially becoming an object of veneration. To escape the pressure for new miracles he returned to Italy where he met St. Francis of Assisi and was ordained to the Franciscan Order. 

He retired to Villamagna in the small country chapel, still dedicated to him today, where he continued his work of assisting the poor. It is said, in fact, that every week he visited three churches: one on Monday for the souls in purgatory, one on Wednesday for the forgiveness of his sins, and the final church on Friday for the forgiveness of the sins of others and the conversion of the infidels. 

Many acts of healing and various miracles continued to be attributed to Gherardo over the years. One of the most famous is the cherry tree miracle. On a cold winter day, an exhausted Brother Gherardo leaned against a cherry tree to catch a moment’s rest, when suddenly, the tree was filled with ripe and juicy fruit which restored Gherardo’s energy. In memory of this miracle, every three years (up until the 18th century) a procession to the relics of the Blessed Gherardo, housed in the Oratory at the time, was held. During the function, held on May 13th, blessed cherries were distributed to the participants in memory of this simple miracle.

This post is also available in: Italian