Francesco Possenti was born on March 1, 1838 in Assisi to a wealthy family. The eleventh of 13 children, at home they called him Checchino and from an early age he learned to pray, as taught by his parents who passed on to him a strong faith.

His father Sante, an official of the Papal State, after various assignments, was appointed assessor in Spoleto and the whole family moved there. Shortly after, his mother died; Checchino was only 4 years old and his sister Maria Luisa and the governess took care of him.

He studied with the Jesuits, where his Marian devotion, already transmitted to him by the religious education he had received, grew and, in the college environment, he meditated on the life of Christ and on the contrast between evangelical values ​​and the world.

As a teenager he was noted as an exuberant and witty young man, elegant and lively. He performed well at school and enjoyed frequenting the high society of Spoleto. He was also attracted and fascinated by religious life, but he loved entertainment, frequented dance halls and theaters, and read novels avidly. However, the various family bereavements affected him deeply.

In 1855 his sister Maria Luisa dies of cholera. Francesco is greatly affected by her loss, reflects on the inconsistency of human joys and thinks back to religious life. But his father tries to dissuade him. It is August 22, 1856 - the last day of the octave of the Assumption - when the procession with the image of the Madonna venerated in the cathedral takes place through the streets of Spoleto.

Francis is among the crowd and when the icon is in front of him, he clearly perceives the Virgin addressing him with these words: “ Francis, don't you still understand that this life is not for you? Follow your vocation”. Fifteen days later he leaves Spoleto. He is 18 years old. He stops in Loreto to pray and talk with Mary and in Morrovalle he asks to join the Passionists.

As a novice he chose to call himself Gabriele dell'Addolorata and thus described his new life in the religious community to his family: "The contentment and joy I feel inside this house is almost indescribable compared to the entertainment I had outside. I would not exchange a quarter of an hour spent here in prayer before the Madonna for a year or however much time you want filled with the shows and pastimes of Spoleto. Truly, my life is full of joy."

On September 22, 1857, he professed his vows and in June 1858 he moved to Pieve Torina to perfect his philosophy studies and begin theology for the priesthood. Here he multiplied his ascetic practices, continued to cultivate devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows, and dedicated himself to the poor. On July 10 of the following year, he was sent to the convent of the Immaculate Conception in Isola del Gran Sasso to prepare for ordination.

In May 1861 Gabriele received minor orders in Penne. But his health was poor: he had lost weight, was attacked by fevers and had difficulty breathing with coughs and chest pains, and was diagnosed with tuberculosis. He died on February 27, 1862, at the age of 24, clutching to his heart the image of the Crucifix with Our Lady of Sorrows.