- Gerald of Aurillac
Infobox Saint
name=Saint Gerald of Aurillac
birth_date=855
death_date=909
feast_day=October 13
venerated_in=Roman Catholic Church
imagesize=
caption=
birth_place=
death_place=Cenezac
titles=Confessor
canonized_date=
canonized_place=
canonized_by=
attributes=
patronage=bachelors, counts, disabled people, Upper Auvergne
major_shrine=Aurillac
suppressed_date=
issues=Gerald of Aurillac or Saint Gerald (c. 855 – 909) is a French
saint of theRoman Catholic Church , also recognized by otherreligious denomination s ofChristianity .Gerald was born into the Gallo-Roman nobility as the son of the Count of
Aurillac , to which title he succeeded. The details of his life known today come primarily from the "The Life of St. Gerald of Aurillac" (c. 930–931) written bySt. Odo of Cluny . According to Odo, Gerald suffered various illnesses as a child, and in later life was to suffer blindness. He seriously considered joining a religious order, but was persuaded against it byGeusbert ,Bishop of Cahors , on the grounds that with his social position he could do more good by remaining in the world as a layman. Nevertheless, he consecrated his life in service to God, gave away his possessions, took a personal vow of chastity and prayed thebreviary each day. [ [http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/1013.shtml Saint of the Day] at St. Patrick Catholic Church]He founded a church and abbey on his estate of Aurillac, where he was buried after dying at
Cenezac in 909. His memorial feast day isOctober 13 . Saint Gerald, considered by his Church and his followers as a great example of a celibateChristian aristocrat, is thepatron saint ofcount s andbachelor s. Because of his poor health and blindness, he is also the patron saint of the disabled, handicapped and physically challenged. He also became the patron saint of Upper Auvergne. [ [http://saints.sqpn.com/saintg41.htm Saint Gerald of Aurillac] at Patron Saints Index]References
External links
* [http://www.ku.edu/kansas/medieval/108/lectures/gerald.html University of Kansas Lecture on Gerald of Aurillac]
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