Saint Gerard was born in Venice and wanted to dedicate his life to God from an early age. He became a Benedictine monk and was an abbot in a monastery in Venice. He left the monastery to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land but while he was passing Hungary, he met Saint Stephen, the Hungarian king. Saint Stephen asked him to stay in Hungary to evangelise and minister his people. Saint Gerard agreed to do this and became Bishop of Csanad and was the royal tutor of the Hungarian prince. He was called the “Apostle of Hungary” as he helped convert Hungary to Christianity. However, after King Saint Stephen died, there was a pagan uprising against Christians and Saint Gerard was martyred with two other people. According to tradition, he was put in a barrel lined with spikes and was rolled down a hill. The hill is in Budapest and is now named after him. He was declared a saint by Pope Saint Gregory VII in 1083.
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| Image: Saint Gerard of Csanád |
