Gilbert was the fourth among five siblings, from whom three survived. He was born in Rabat on 1 May 1982, and grew up in a simple family. He was a good and obedient boy, although mischievous at times. His father Joseph, who was a teacher, and his mother Carmen, who worked in a haberdashery, never had any complaints about him, and Loraine, his sister, said they never heard him swear or answer back. His brother, Keith said that Gilbert always gave of himself to everyone, even when he was sick and needed a lot of attention.
Once, at home, it was noticed that Gilbert was losing weight, he was not eating at school, and when they asked him what was happening, they found out that he was giving his lunch to another boy who for some reason did not have anything to eat at school.
Once again, Gilbert noticed that a boy, who was bigger than him, wasn’t playing during the school break. He approached him and asked why he was sitting alone. The boy told him that he had recently had a kidney transplant surgery. The boy was still recovering and couldn’t move around or play. When Gilbert heard this, he offered to keep him company until he felt better so he wouldn’t be alone.
“I feel so happy that Jesus has chosen me to show how much I love him this way”
On April 30, 1992, the night Gilbert turned ten, he had a strong headache. He was taken to a professor, who urgently performed a CT scan on him, which initially indicated to the family that the boy had a tumor in his brain and that he needed to be operated on in England. The family was devastated, but Gilbert took the news with great calm and later said to his sister Lorraine, “I feel so happy that Jesus has chosen me to show how much I love him this way!” He told everyone, “God shows preference towards me.”
Simiana used to wear his Verbum Dei badge proudly on his chest. He cherished it so much that even when he was hospitalized and had to change into a hospital gown, he immediately put his Verbum Dei badge back on as soon as he could. Every day, Gilbert would request The Watch (an hourly prayer book), pray the fifteen Rosary mysteries a day, and read a bit of the Bible, because he loved the Virgin Mary with a son’s love towards his mother.
“God shows preference towards me”
In August 1996, Gilbert visited Lourdes with his father. This trip was one that he looked forward to with great excitement. In front of the Lourdes grotto, Gilbert prayed to die without sin and prayed for her intercetion. He also told his sister that his greatest wish was for his family to join him in Heaven.
The family’s last conversation with him was on Wednesday, February 25, 1998. The boy had lost his sight. Dr. Michael Cassar, the family doctor, confirms that Gilbert never complained about his illness and sufferings. He also confirms that he heard people around him say that Gilbert said, “Jesus is coming, so I will also prepare and offer my suffering for the needs of the Pope.”
Gilbert was half-conscious, but he could hear his loved ones, beside him saying the rosary. The news that the boy was dying quickly spread throughout Rabat and reached the Nuncio when he was visiting the hospital. No one knows what was said between the Nuncio and Gilbert in their last meeting.
He spent his last days with his family, and died in Kevin’s arms, his sister’s boyfriend at that time. He died on Friday, February 27, 1998, at St. Luke’s Hospital. Gilbert was fifteen years and nine months old when he died. At the time of his death, his face had a peaceful smile that gave peace to everyone who saw it.
Gilbert Simiana
leaflets about the inspiring life of Gilbert Simiana
