Gianna Beretta Molla
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| Saint Gianna Beretta Molla | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 4, 1922, Magenta, Italy |
| Died | April 28, 1962, Monza, Italy |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Beatified | April 24, 1994 by Pope John Paul II |
| Canonized | May 16, 2004 by Pope John Paul II |
| Feast | April 28 |
| Patronage | mothers, physicians, preborn children |
Saint Gianna Beretta Molla (October 4, 1922 – April 28, 1962) was an Italian pediatrician, wife and mother who is best known for refusing both an abortion and a hysterectomy when she was pregnant with her fourth child, despite knowing that continuing with the pregnancy could result in her death. She was canonized as a saint of the Catholic Church in 2004.
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[edit] Biographical details
[edit] Early life
Gianna Francesca Beretta was born in Magenta in Italy. She was the tenth of thirteen children in her family, only nine of whom survived to adulthood. When she was three, her family moved to Bergamo, and she grew up in the Lombardy region of Italy.
In 1942, Gianna began her study of medicine in Milan. Outside of her schooling, she was active in Azione Cattolica. She received a medical diploma in 1949, and opened an office in Mesero, near her hometown of Magenta, where she specialized in pediatrics.
Gianna hoped to join her brother, a missionary priest in Brazil, where she intended to offer her medical expertise in gynecology to poor women. However, her chronic ill health made this impractical, and she continued her practice in Italy.
[edit] Engagement and marriage
In December 1954, Gianna met Pietro Molla, an engineer who worked in her office, ten years older than she. They were officially engaged the following April, and they married in September 1955.
The couple had Pierluigi, born in 1956, Maria Zita, in 1957 and Laura, was born in 1959. Gianna suffered two miscarriages after this.
[edit] Final pregnancy
In 1961, Gianna was once again expecting. During the second month, Gianna developed a fibroma on her uterus. After examination, the doctors gave her three choices: an abortion, a complete hysterectomy, or removal of only the fibroma. Catholic teaching would have allowed her to obtain a hysterectomy, but she opted for the removal of the fibroma, wanting to preserve her child's life.
After the operation, complications continued throughout her pregnancy. Gianna was quite clear about her wishes, expressing to her family, "This time it will be a difficult delivery, and they may have to save one or the other -- I want them to save my baby."
On April 21, 1962, Good Friday of that year, Gianna went to the hospital, where her fourth child, Gianna Emanuela, was successfully delivered via Caesarean section.[1] However, Gianna continued to have severe pain, and died of septic peritonitis 7 days after the birth.
[edit] Canonization
Gianna was beatified by Pope John Paul II on April 24, 1994, and officially canonized as a saint on May 16, 2004. Gianna's husband Pietro and their last child, Gianna, were present at the canonization ceremony.
The miracle recognized by the Catholic Church to canonize Gianna Molla involved a mother, Elizabeth Comparini, who was 16 weeks pregnant in 2003 and sustained a tear in her placenta that drained her womb of all amniotic fluid. Because a normal term of pregnancy is 40 weeks, Comparini was told by her doctors the baby's chance of survival was "nil."
Through praying to Gianna Molla and asking for her intercession, Comparini delivered by Caesarean a healthy baby despite the lack of amniotic fluid for the remainder of her pregnancy.
In his homily at her canonization Mass, Pope John Paul II called Gianna "a simple, but more than ever, significant messenger of divine love."[2]
[edit] Devotions
[edit] Patronage
St. Gianna is a patron saint for mothers, physicians, and unborn children.
[edit] Litany
A litany to St. Gianna Molla has also been written, and may be found here.
[edit] Quotes
- "If you must choose between me and the baby, no hesitation; choose – and I demand it – the baby. Save her!"
- "Also in suffering, let us say: Thanks be to God."
- "If one were to consider how much Jesus has suffered, one would not commit the smallest sin."
- "Everyone works in the service of man. We doctors work directly on man himself... The great mystery of man is Jesus: 'He who visits a sick person, helps me,' Jesus said... Just as the priest can touch Jesus, so do we touch Jesus in the bodies of our patients... We have opportunities to do good that the priest doesn't have. Our mission is not finished when medicines are no longer of use. We must bring the soul to God; our word has some authority... Catholic doctors are so necessary!"
- "The doctor should not meddle. The right of the child is equal to the right of the mother’s life. The doctor can’t decide; it is a sin to kill in the womb."
- "When one does one's own duty, one must not be concerned, because God's help will not be lacking."
- "Our body is a cenacle, a monstrance: through its crystal the world should see God."
- "The secret of happiness is to live moment by moment and to thank God for all that He, in His goodness, sends to us day after day."
- "God's Providence is in all things, it's always present."
[edit] References
- Molla, Gianna Beretta, Love Letters to My Husband, Guerriero, Elio, ed., Pauline Books, 2002.
- ^ Gianna Beretta Molla (1922–1962), Vatican web site
- ^ Canonization of Six New Saints;Homily of John Paul II, Sixth Sunday of Easter, 16 May 2004
