St. Gemma Galgani (1878–1903) was a young Italian mystic from Lucca who suffered much in her short life, was miraculously cured of a grave spinal illness at the age of twenty-one, and received the stigmata, the wounds of Christ’s Passion. Because of her own suffering and healing, Catholics ask her prayers especially for back and spine problems, headaches and chronic pain, and she is a patron of students, pharmacists and those who have lost their parents. She died at twenty-five on Holy Saturday, 1903, and her feast day is April 11. Below are prayers to St. Gemma for back pain and healing, her story, and what she is the patron saint of.
A short prayer to St. Gemma, written for this page:
St. Gemma, you knew long months of pain, and Jesus healed you.
Pray for me in my suffering. Ask Him to heal my body if it is His will,
and to give me your love for His Cross and your trust in His Heart. Amen.
Prayers to St. Gemma Galgani
Written for this page.
For back pain
St. Gemma, for months you lay in bed with a painful illness of the spine,
until God healed you.
Look with compassion on my back pain.
Ask Jesus to ease my suffering, to guide my doctors and therapists,
and to restore my strength so that I may serve Him and my family.
Until then, help me to offer my pain with love. Amen.
For headaches and migraines
St. Gemma, you suffered terrible headaches and never stopped trusting Jesus.
Pray for me when the pain comes.
Bring me relief, rest and peace, and help me to be patient with myself and others. Amen.
For healing
Lord Jesus, through the intercession of St. Gemma,
whom you healed when the doctors had given up hope,
I ask you to heal (name) of (illness), if it is your will.
Give us faith, courage and peace in every outcome. Amen.
For students
St. Gemma, pray for me as I study.
Help me to work hard, to stay calm before exams, and to use what I learn for God. Amen.
See the Catholic prayer for healing and the patron saint of heart problems.
Who was St. Gemma Galgani?
Gemma was born on March 12, 1878, at Camigliano, near Lucca, in Tuscany, the fifth of eight children of a pharmacist, Enrico Galgani. Her mother, a devout woman, died when Gemma was eight, and her father when she was nineteen, leaving the family in poverty. Gemma longed to become a Passionist nun, but her poor health prevented it.
In 1898 and 1899 she fell gravely ill with a painful disease of the spine, diagnosed as spinal meningitis, and was confined to bed while doctors could do nothing. She prayed a novena to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, during which, she said, the Passionist St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows came to encourage her, and on the first Friday of March 1899 she rose from her bed completely healed. A few months later, on June 8, 1899, the wounds of Christ appeared in her hands, feet and side, and for the rest of her life they returned regularly. She lived with a kind family in Lucca, the Gianninis, prayed constantly, saw her guardian angel, and offered her sufferings for sinners, guided by her spiritual director, the Passionist Father Germanus.
She died of tuberculosis on Holy Saturday, April 11, 1903, at twenty-five. Pope Pius XI beatified her in 1933, and Pope Pius XII canonized her on May 2, 1940.
What is St. Gemma Galgani the patron saint of?
St. Gemma Galgani is the patron saint of:
- People with back pain, spinal injuries and chronic pain
- Headaches and migraines
- Pharmacists and pharmacy workers, since her father was a pharmacist
- Students
- Those who have lost their parents
- Those struggling with temptations to impurity
Feast day
The feast of St. Gemma Galgani is April 11, the day of her death, as given in the Roman Martyrology. The Passionists keep her feast with special devotion, and her body rests in the Passionist monastery of Lucca.
Frequently asked questions
Is St. Gemma the patron saint of back pain?
Yes. Because she was healed of a painful illness of the spine, she is widely invoked for back pain and spinal problems.
When is St. Gemma’s feast day?
April 11.
Why did St. Gemma have the stigmata?
She received the wounds of Christ in 1899 as a sign of her union with His Passion; the Church examined her life carefully before declaring her a saint in 1940.