On 15^th March was celebrated the 50^th anniversary of the death of Fr Gabriel of St Mary Magdalen, OCD, noted both within and outside the Order, particularly for his book on meditation, Divine Intimacy, which has seen various editions and reprintings not only in the original Italian but in many other languages.

Here are the principal dates in his life:
Born in Belgium on 24^th January 1893
Entered the Discalced Carmelites in 1910
Ordained priest in 1919
Studied in Louvain and at the Angelicum in Roma
In 1926 he was appointed Vice-Rector of the Order's International College in Rome where he began teaching spiritual theology
From 1931 he devoted most of his time to teaching Carmelite spirituality and spiritual theology
In 1941 he began the magazine Vita Carmelitana, which in 1947 became the Rivista di Vita Spirituale
In 1952 he published Divine Intimacy, which was extraordinarily popular
He died on 15^th March 1953
Carmel sees in him a great spiritual animator and an excellent pedagogue of the doctrine of the Carmelite saints

Fr Gabriel's body rests in the crypt of the Monastery of St Joseph, Via della Nocetta 83, Rome. There on 15^th March was held a solemn concelebration at which presided Fr Arnaldo Pigna, Provincial of the Roman Province, who is the present Director of the Rivista di Vita Spirituale founded by Fr Gabriel in 1947. When Mass was finished all gathered in the crypt to pray before the tomb of the venerated Father Gabriel.
For more information see: http://www.teresianum.org/italiano/gabriele/index.htm