Gérard Raymond

Gérard Raymond (b. 1912 – 5 July 1932) was a young Catholic diocesan seminarian who died in 1932 at the age of 19. He is titled a Servant of God and, as of 2023, his cause for sainthood was underway.

Life
Gérard Raymond was the son of Camille Raymond and Josephine Poitras. He entered the Petit Seminaire de Quebec at the age of 12 in the hopes of becoming a diocesan priest however he later aspired to become a Franciscan missionary in Africa and dreamed of dying as a martyr.

Raymond was a pious young man and diligent student who devoted many hours each day to his daily duties of study and prayer, following a strict regimen which he designed for himself. He frequently attained the highest grades in his class. In some sources, in terms of personality, he was described as being cheerful albeit socially awkward.

He developed a devotion to Saint Therese and Saint Gemma Galgani, frequently invoking them in his journal entries. He read The Story of a Soul which inspired him and he implemented the spiritual teaching of St. Therese in his daily life.

He was hospitalized in 1932 with pulmonary tuberculosis and died after an intense and short stay at the Laval Hospital in Quebec.

Raymond's sanctity went unnoticed until after his death, when his journal was discovered among his effects. His journal entries revealed his faith and zeal for holiness. In total, his spiritual journal had eight notebooks which contained insights into his thoughts, feelings, struggles and activities in the pursuit of sanctity. Segments of this journal were taken and published following his death.