Gerard Raymond (b. 1912 – 5 July 1932) was a young Catholic diocesan seminarian who died in 1932 at the age of 19. His cause for sainthood is currently underway and he has been titled a Servant of God.^[1]

Life

Gerard Raymond was the son of Camille Raymond and Josephine Poitras. He entered the Petit Seminaire de Quebec at the age of 12 in the hopes of becoming a diocesan priest however he later aspired to become a Franciscan missionary in Africa and dreamed of dying as a martyr.

Gerard was an extremely pious young man with great faith. He was an excellent student who devoted many hours each day to his daily duties of study and prayer, following a strict regimen which he designed for himself. He frequently attained the highest grades in his class.^[2] Regarding his personality he was described as being cheerful albeit socially awkward.

He developed a devotion to Saint Therese and Saint Gemma Galgani, frequently invoking them in his journal entries. He read The Story of a Soul which inspired him and he implemented the spiritual teaching of St. Therese in his daily life, living an apostolate of love and sacrifice in the little things of everyday.^[3]

Gerard was hospitalized in 1932 with pulmonary tuberculosis and died after an intense and short stay at the Laval Hospital in Quebec.^[2]

Despite his good grades Gerard was outwardly unremarkable. His sanctity went unnoticed by all until after his death when his journal was discovered among his effects which revealed his unwavering faith and zeal for holiness. In total eight notebooks comprised his spiritual journal which contain insights into his thoughts, feelings, struggles and activities in the pursuit of sanctity. Segments of this journal were taken and published following his death.^[2]

Veneration

References