{"product_id":"saint-jerome-emiliani-medal-necklace","title":"Saint Jerome Emiliani Medal Necklace – Patron Saint of Orphans \u0026 Abandoned Children","description":"\u003ch2 class=\"western\"\u003eSaint Jerome Emiliani, Patron Saint of Orphans and Abandoned Children\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJerome Emiliani was born into Venetian nobility in 1486 and spent his early adulthood as a soldier and magistrate. Captured while defending a fortress in Treviso, he credited his escape to the Virgin Mary and later walked to her shrine to leave his chains there as an offering. He returned to a Venice gutted by plague in 1528, and instead of resuming his old life, he began gathering the children the plague had orphaned. He founded hospitals and orphanages across Verona, Brescia, Bergamo, and Milan, and opened a hostel in Bergamo for women trying to leave prostitution. He went on to found the Somaschi Fathers, a religious order built entirely around caring for orphaned and abandoned children, a mission that still continues today. Pope Pius XI formally named him patron of orphans and abandoned children in 1928, nearly two centuries after his canonization in 1767. He is a distinct figure from the earlier Church Father Saint Jerome, the Bible translator known for his lion and his scholarship. This medal is worn by men and women alike.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 class=\"western\"\u003eA Gift For...\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAdoptive and foster parents\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSomeone who works with orphaned, abandoned, or displaced children\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSocial workers and child welfare professionals\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAn adoptee marking their adoption day\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGodparents and guardians stepping into a parental role\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone who has taken in a child who needed one\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2 class=\"western\"\u003eA Confirmation Gift for Jerome\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA confirmand drawn to this saint might choose the engraving \"For the least of these\" on the first line and the confirmation date on the second. Jerome suits someone who already senses that faith is supposed to show up as action, not just belief, the same instinct that pulled him away from a comfortable life in Venice.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 class=\"western\"\u003eThe Saint Jerome Emiliani Medal\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSaint Jerome Emiliani is shown holding a cross, blessing three children gathered around him in prayer, framed by a ring of Celtic knotwork. The natural gold or silver of the metal forms the illustration itself. Black ink is applied to the pendant surface and the metal shows through as the image. A shatterproof liquid glass coating seals the surface. The result has a depth and precision that printed medals don't achieve.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 class=\"western\"\u003ePersonalization and Engraving\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe reverse can be engraved in Tangerine cursive, up to 2 lines of 20 characters each. Some ideas:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\"For the least of these\" \/ an adoption date\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA child's name \/ the date they joined the family\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\"Chosen, not chance\" \/ a family surname\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\"Somaschi Fathers\" \/ a founding or ordination date\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSaint Jerome Emiliani's feast day is February 8.\u003c\/b\u003e The religious order he founded, the Somaschi Fathers, still runs schools and homes for orphaned and at-risk children today, nearly five hundred years after his death.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 class=\"western\"\u003eRelated Devotions for Caring for the Vulnerable\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sanctummedals.com\/products\/saint-vincent-de-paul-medal-necklace\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sanctummedals.com\/products\/saint-vincent-de-paul-medal-necklace\"\u003eSaint Vincent de Paul Medal\u003c\/a\u003e: another founder of institutions for abandoned children, whose foundling-hospital work parallels Jerome's own.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sanctum Medals","offers":[{"title":"Stainless Steel \/ No","offer_id":53625769296208,"sku":null,"price":55.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Stainless Steel \/ Yes","offer_id":53625769328976,"sku":null,"price":70.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"18k Gold Finish \/ No","offer_id":53625769361744,"sku":null,"price":70.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"18k Gold Finish \/ Yes","offer_id":53625769394512,"sku":null,"price":85.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0939\/7852\/6032\/files\/Saint-Jerome-Emiliani-Medal-Gold-frontview.jpg?v=1789649362","url":"https:\/\/sanctummedals.com\/products\/saint-jerome-emiliani-medal-necklace","provider":"Sanctum Medals","version":"1.0","type":"link"}