Blessed Gerard

The major work of Gerardo Sasso is intimately linked to the foundation and autonomy of the Order of the Hospitalers of Saint John of Jerusalem (today known as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta). During the siege of Jerusalem by the crusaders in 1099, Gerardo was inside the city. A famous legend recounts that he risked his life by throwing loaves of bread from the top of the ramparts to the starving Christian besiegers. Surprised by the Muslim guards, he was ordered to open his cloak, but the loaves had miraculously turned into stones, thus sparing him from being executed for treason. After the capture of the city by the crusaders, the hospice directed by Gerardo found itself overwhelmed with the wounded and the sick. Touched by his heroic charity, many crusader knights decided to lay down their arms to join his work of mercy. To structure this growing fraternity, Gerardo transformed it into an autonomous religious community dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. The major institutional turning point occurred on February 15, 1113. By the papal bull Piae postulatio voluntatis, Pope Paschal II officially recognized the community of the Hospitalers of Saint John of Jerusalem as an autonomous religious order. This bull placed the order under the direct protection of the Holy See, freed it from the jurisdiction of local bishops, and granted it the right to freely elect its superiors (the successors of Gerardo). Under his leadership, the order expanded rapidly beyond the Kingdom of Jerusalem, establishing hospices and hospitals in Italy and France, thus immediately acquiring a European dimension.

Gerardo's path to sainthood was manifested through a life entirely consumed by active charity and the care of the most destitute. He introduced an innovative spiritual vision for his time: he considered the sick and the poor as the "lords" (i signori poveri) of the order, while the members of the confraternity considered themselves their servants, bound by an obligation of absolute devotion. Gerardo also distinguished himself as a man of peace and dialogue, caring for the sick and welcoming pilgrims without distinction of race, ethnicity, or religion, in a region then torn by armed conflict. He died a natural death in Jerusalem on September 3, 1120. Immediately after his passing, he was considered a saint by his companions and by the faithful. His relics followed the peregrinations of the Hospitallers: first transferred to Acre after the fall of Jerusalem in 1187, they were then transported to Manosque in Provence. Although the greater part of his remains was destroyed during the French Revolution, his skull is today preciously preserved at the Monastery of Saint Ursula in Valletta (Malta).

The cult of Blessed Gerardo Sasso was officially recognized by the Catholic Church in the modern era: * Confirmation of cult (1984): Pope John Paul II officially confirmed the historical cult of Gerardo Sasso in 1984, formally proclaiming him Blessed on the basis of the continuity of popular devotion towards him. * Concession of the Mass and Office (1987): By a decree of the Congregation for Divine Worship dated July 4, 1987, Pope John Paul II approved the inclusion of Blessed Gerardo Sasso in the proper liturgical calendar of the Sovereign Order of Malta, with the concession of the Mass and the Office. * Towards canonization: Although he is not yet canonized, Cardinal Silvano Maria Tomasi, then Special Delegate of the Pope to the Order of Malta, announced in September 2021, during the celebrations of the 900th anniversary of the Blessed's death in Scala, his intention to ask Pope Francis to consider his equipollent canonization (without the requirement of a miracle, on the basis of constant veneration).

The spirituality of Gerardo Sasso rests on the dual vocation he instilled in his order: the defense of the faith and the service of the poor (Tuitio Fidei and Obsequium Pauperum). He left his brothers a famous prophecy that summarizes the essence of his commitment: "Our confraternity will be eternal, for the ground in which this plant sinks its roots is the misery of the world; it will last as long as it pleases God that there be men desirous of relieving this misery and making suffering more bearable."

Gerardo's legacy is immense. The Order of the Hospitalers of Saint John of Jerusalem that he founded has traversed the centuries, becoming the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, which still pursues its humanitarian and medical mission throughout the world today. His model of selfless charity and unconditional care for the sick remains a major source of inspiration for caregivers and volunteers around the world.