Book review: Ciro Vitiello, Gerardo Maiella, Life – Devotion – Spirituality, “The Saints of the Missal”, Shalom Publishing, Text revised and supplemented by S. Fiore, Camerata Picena AN – 2025, pp. 125.
The Shalom publishing house had already dealt with St. Gerard in 2005, with the publication of the short biography by Theodule Rey Mermet, Il Fraticello che giocava con Dio (The Little Brother who played with God), edited by Fr. Luciano Panella.
Exactly twenty years later, on the eve of the jubilee that will celebrate the 300th anniversary of his birth, a pocket-sized biography of the saint is published in the series I Santi del Messalino. It is more than a biography. It is a sort of manual – a vademecum – of Saint Gerard’s life, spirituality and geography.
The work is a collaboration: the first and second parts are by the late Fr. Ciro Vitiello (1935-2025) and the third by Fr. Serafino Fiore, the current rector of the Shrine, who edited the edition with appropriate revisions and additions, with an Invitation to Read, an initial Biographical Note and a concluding Bibliographical Note, useful tools for providing a summary of the subject and practical guidance for finding further books for in-depth study.
This short text is a substantial first taste of Gerardine spirituality, an effective introduction to the charismatic figure of the mystic and miracle worker, a Redemptorist brother. It is a valid starting point to interest and engage the reader in an intelligent way, through the immediacy of the narrative and the precision of the style, characterised by brevity and density.
The author of these pages, Ciro Vitiello, has left us a poignant and convincing testimony of his love for St Gerard, having lived and spent much of his energy in the shadow of the Shrine, putting his expertise and creativity to good use (p. 7).
This little book, the editor begins, attempts to narrate the young life of Gerard: it does so with the same agility that characterised his temperament (p. 5). There are three reasons that lead us to read it in one sitting: a holy curiosity; entering into a life, that of a saint who attracts and fascinates; taking an interest in miracles, those of the past and those that are still heard today as living testimony to the work of the Saint and the relevance of his message.
The text is divided into three sections, preceded by a beautiful colour image of the saint and the index.
The first part presents the life of the saint in 15 short boxes that portray, with effective literary brushstrokes – without pretension – the stages of his journey of faith, lived in his short but intense 29 years, between Basilicata, Campania and Puglia.
The second part is a short essay on “Gerardine geography”, which virtually takes the reader to the main centre of devotion, the Sanctuary of Materdomini, with all its memories, preserved testimonies and annual celebrations. A section on the Saint’s handkerchief introduces us to what may be his main prerogative in the field of intercession: pregnancies that do not occur and those at risk, mothers and children. A final episode allows us to take a look at the places of worship dedicated to St. Gerard, scattered throughout the world, offering us a glimpse of a devotion that has spread to different countries, giving rise to a great spiritual movement whose fruits are incalculable.
The third part, which is the real novelty, is a valuable, original and new synthesis of St. Gerard’s spirituality, starting from the theological category of the Paschal Mystery, the key to understanding his message of holiness, taken from the two sides of the coin of his life: the painful side that characterises many aspects of his journey and his traditional iconography, and the side of joy, trust in providence and hope, the theme of the recently concluded Jubilee. The themes mentioned can be found between the lines of his Epistolary, in which he is presented as an improvised theologian. Through the evangelical concept of the Will of God, the author presents Gerard’s attitude towards life and its facets and unexpected events.
After outlining the main themes of St. Gerard’s spiritual life in the light of the Paschal Mystery, Fr. Fiore analyses his way of living the faith, marked by an extraordinary ability to relate to others and a desire to proclaim its content, in his own way.
Faith is the main category for entering into the experience of Gerard Majella.
The reflection that develops the theme is divided into three paragraphs: A couple of clues to understanding Gerard’s faith (pp. 106-112) – How Gerard’s faith is expressed (pp. 112-115) – The resources of Gerard’s faith (pp. 115-118). These brief reflections help us to grasp new aspects of St. Gerard’s spirituality and to place it in a theological perspective that is accessible to everyone.
This is not simply another biography of St. Gerard, nor is it a new popularisation of his life. It is a valid, agile and effective tool for introducing St. Gerard to those who do not yet know him. An elegant introduction, which can become the starting point for an encounter and a subsequent experience of faith.
Buying a few copies and giving them to people who are outside the orbit of faith can be a small spiritual investment. St. Gerard himself will do the rest. For almost three centuries, this has been the way to make himself known: entering people’s lives with the straightforward simplicity of his human profile and the naturalness of his way of being. Try it to believe it!
Heartfelt thanks to Fr. Fiore for his work, a happy start to the Gerardino Jubilee that we are about to experience, hoping that through the channels of dissemination of the Shalom Publishing House, St. Gerard will be known and loved by a wider audience.
Fr. Vincenzo M. La Mendola C.Ss.R.
