May 29- BLESSED JOSEPH GERARD, OMI; Apostle of Lesotho, South Africa. ... born in 1831 to John Gerard and Ursule Stofflet, natives of Bonxiere, Chenes, France; the eldest of 5 children; he grew up in a deeply Christian Family ...joined the OMI at age 20; moved to South Africa in 1854, was ordained there and never returned to his home country again. ...was first assigned among the Zulus in the Natal Vicariate; in 1862, he started the first Catholic Missions in Lesotho. ... he cared for the sick, the old, the weak, even in heroic times despite distance, weather, inconvenience, on foot or horseback, carrying the Blessed Sacrament to minister to the afflicted. ...he dedicated Lesotho to Mary Immaculate. ...he died on May 29, 1914 after serving the country for 52 yrs. ...he was beatified by Pope John Paul II in a Mass at Maseru, Lesotho in 1988. .. this holy mans legacy includes many seminaries and novitiates,an OMI University, high schools, a hospital and numerous religious houses. ...In 2012, Lesotho celebrated its 150 yrs of Christianization and to honor the man who started it all. ...Photos 1) the Saint; 2) his icon where he noticeably holds a Pelotea, the National Flower of Lesotho; 3) his tomb; 4) a commemorative poster of his beatification; 5) the map of Lesotho
Posted on: Thu, 29 May 2014 02:07:23 +0000
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