Born in Naples, or perhaps in Benevento, in the second half of the third century, Gennaro was bishop of the city at the age of thirty. There he was loved and respected by all, including the pagans, for his charitable works. But in 303 the Christians became the enemy, and his martyrdom took place, along with six other Christians, in Pozzuoli. It was the time of Emperor Diocletian.
At the death of Gennaro (with G or with J), as was the custom during the execution of the martyrs, a woman, Eusebia, collected in two ampoules the blood shed by the bishop, already in the odor of sanctity. She gave them to the bishop of Naples, who had two chapels built in honor of the relics, according to the Vatican agency. The veneration of the saint spread and he was canonized by Sixtus V in 1586. In the newsits feast day is celebrated in Naples, in New York (Little Italy)and many other places.
Blood liquefies three times a year
As for the blood relic, it was first exposed in 1305. But the miracle of it acquiring the liquid state and appearing to be boiling, occurred for the first time on August 17, 1389, after a severe famine.
Today the miracle is repeated three times a year. On the first Saturday of May, in memory of the first transfer. On September 19, in liturgical memory of the saint and the date of his martyrdom. And on December 16, in commemoration of the terrible eruption of Vesuvius in 1631, blocked after the invocation of the saint.
The two vials are kept in a case in the Chapel of St. Gennaro in the Cathedral of Naples. The Neapolitan archbishop said that "every drop of this blood speaks to us of God's love".
The liturgy today also celebrates Saints Francisco María de Camporosso, Alonso de Orozco, Carlos Hyon Song-mun, María de Cervelló and Teodoro de Canterbury, among others.
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