St Gerard

St Gerard was born in Muro, Italy in 1726. He passed in 1755. He became the patron saint of mothers because of his handkerchief.
To summarize the tale of the handkerchief is that a soon to be mother prayed for help upon the handkerchief that was given to her from Gerard (before he was a saint) she and her baby survived. This handkerchief would later be passed down throughout many generations and different family trees to the mothers to be who needed help.

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In 1977 St Lucy's Church officially became the national shrine for St Gerard in the United States. The backing from the Old Ward and those Italian Americans who built it is what brought not only the saint to St Lucys in Newark, but made the national shrine located within the Ward.