Lives Of The Saints
September 24
St. Gerard of Csanad
Gerard of Csanad left monastic quiet to teach St. Emeric, serve as the first bishop of Csanad, and strengthen the young Hungarian Church until he gave his life as a martyr.
Saint Gerard Sagredo, Raffaello Schiaminossi, 1605
Brief life
Gerard of Csanad left a Venetian Benedictine monastery for a mission he had not planned. In Hungary, King Stephen entrusted him with the education of his son, St. Emeric. Gerard loved prayer and monastic solitude, but he accepted a wider duty when he became the first bishop of Csanad.
The new diocese stood in a land where the Christian faith was still young. Gerard preached, formed clergy, taught the people, and helped give stable shape to the Church. His learning supported his mission, while his discipline of prayer kept the work rooted in God.
After King Stephen's death, a pagan revolt placed the young Hungarian Church in grave danger. Gerard was seized and killed on September 24, 1046. The monk who had once sought quiet gave his strength to a fragile Church and remained faithful when that service demanded his life.
Historical note
Gerard of Csanad is distinct from St. Gerard Majella. He was a Venetian Benedictine, Hungary's first bishop of Csanad, and a martyr of the uprising in 1046.
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