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T h e l i f e
Gianna Beretta Molla
was born in Magenta (near Milan) on October 4, 1922. Her parents,
Alberto and Maria De Micheli,
had thirteen children, Gianna
was the tenth.
As a child she was open to faith and Christian values. Her parents taught
her that life was a wonderful gift from God. The example of her
parents led her to rely on God and to become fully aware of the need
and effectiveness of prayer.
She was five when she
received her First Communion. It was an important moment in Gianna’s life.
From that moment onward, she frequently took Holy Communion which
was for her a support and source of light throughout her childhood and
youth.
Those years were not
easy for Gianna. She changed schools, had health problems, her family
moved several times, and her parents died. All this did not shock or upset
Gianna very much, her sensitivity and good qualities grew thanks to the
support she received from her deep spiritual life.
She was a good student
both at high school and university. She lived her faith with generosity
among the young women who were part of the “Azione Cattolica”
(Catholic Action). Gianna also put her faith in action amidst the
old and needy through the work of the St. Vincent de Paul Society.
In 1949 Gianna received a degree in medicine at the University of Pavia.
The following year she opened a “doctor’s office” in Mesero and continued
her studies with a specialization in pediatric medicine at the University
of Milan in 1952.
For Gianna, being a
doctor was not just a profession but a vocation. She got more
and more involved in Catholic Action. In those years she expressed her
great love for life and God’s creation through music and painting,
skiing and mountain climbing.
Gianna prayed and asked
for prayers from others to help her to discern her life’s vocation, what
God had intended for her. At first, she thought she could be a lay
missionary in Brazil to help her brother, Father Alberto, a doctor and
Capuchin missionary in Grajaù, Brazil. Later on, Gianna felt that God had
chosen marriage for her and she followed this choice with her innate
enthusiasm. Her wish was "to form a truly Christian family".
On September 24, 1955
Gianna and Pietro Molla were married in St Martin’s Basilica in Magenta.
Gianna was delighted to be a wife. In November 1956, her first son
Pierluigi was born. Mariolina was born in December 1957 and Laura in July
1959. Gianna was a happy mother. Gianna knew how to balance
her duties as mother, wife, doctor in Mesero and in Ponte Nuovo (near
Magenta) with her great "joie de vivre".
In September 1961
Gianna had been pregnant for two months when she started facing pain and
suffering. She was diagnosed with a large fibroma - a benign tumor, in the
uterus. Gianna knew that pregnancy would entail great risks to her life.
However she asked the surgeon to operate to remove fibroma in
such a way as to save the life of the baby she was carrying. She never
stopped praying and trusting in God’s Providence. The baby’s life was
saved. Gianna thanked God and spent the following seven months attending
to her duties of mother and doctor with great commitment and strength.
When the days of the
childbirth were near, always trusting God’s Providence, Gianna was ready
to give her life to save the baby’s life, and she said to her husband
Pietro: "If you have to choose, there should be no doubt: choose - I
demand it - the life of the baby. Save him."
On April 21, 1962
Gianna Emanuela was born by caesarian section at the hospital in Monza.
Immediately after the operation, Gianna’s general condition started to
worsen. She had a very high fever and terrible abdominal pains caused by
septic peritonitis. Despite all human efforts, her conditions worsened. On
April 28, 1962, at dawn, she was taken back to the family home in Ponte
Nuovo where she died at 8 a.m. She was 39 years old. She was buried in the
cemetery of Mesero. She soon became known for the sanctity of her life and
her final gesture of great love.
Gianna was proclaimed
Blessed by Pope John Paul II on April 24, 1994. She was
canonized on May 16, 2004. Her feast day is on April 28,
the day of her death.
God, our
Father,
we praise
You and we bless You
because in
Saint Gianna Beretta Molla
You have
given and made Known to us
a woman
who witnessed the Gospel
as a young
person and bride, as a mother and doctor.
We thank
You because,
through
the gift of her life,
we learn
to accept and honour every human being.
Lord
Jesus,
You were
for her a privileged reference.
She was
able to see You in the beauty of nature.
she was
searching for You and for the best way to serve You.
Through
her married love, she became a sign
of your
love for the Church and for all men and women.
Like You,
Good Samaritan, she stopped at the side
of every
sick person, of the small and the weak.
Following
your example,
she
lovingly offered up her life, while giving new life.
Holy
Spirit, source of all perfection,
give also
to us wisdom, intelligence and courage
so that,
following Saint Gianna’s example
and
through her intercession,
we may
serve every person
in our
personal, family and professional life,
and thus
grow in love and holiness.
Amen.
With ecclesiastical approval
N O V E N A
t o o b t a i n g r a c e s t h r o u g h t h e i n t e r c e s s i o
n
o
f S a i n t G I A N N A B E R E T T A M O L L A
Jesus, Redeemer of
humanity, You called Saint Gianna to become a doctor, a role she lived as
a mission for the comfort of bodies and souls. She saw You in all the
sick, in the needy and the weak.
We thank
You because, through this servant, You revealed yourself to us as «one who
serves» and who alleviates the sufferings of all men and women. As we
treasure her example may we become generous Christians at the service of
our brothers and sisters, especially of those with whom You deign to share
your Cross.
God,
Sanctifying Spirit, You who love the Church as your bride, You poured into
the heart of Saint Gianna a share of your Love so that she could give it
to her family, and thus cooperate with You in the wonderful plan of
creation, and give life to new children who could know and love You.
We thank
You for this model wife and for her encouraging example. Grant our
families the serene and Christian presence of mothers committed to
transform them into cenacles of faith and love,
capable of
generous actions and sanctifying service.
Trusting
You alone and aware of your commandment to respect human life, Saint
Gianna found the courage to do her duty as a mother and to say «yes» to
her baby’s life, thus generously giving her own.
Through
the intercession of Mary, Mother of Jesus, and after the example of Saint
Gianna, inspire all mothers to welcome with love the seeds of a new life.
Help us all to have great respect for human life.
Grant us
the grace we seek… and the joy to find an inspiration in Saint Gianna who,
as a model spouse and mother, after the example of Christ, gave up her
life for the life of others.
With ecclesiastical
approval - + Angelo Mascheroni, Auxiliary Bishop of Milan
and biographical
documentations you have to write to:
Fondazione Santa Gianna
Beretta Molla
Via Monte Rosa, 2 - 20010 Mesero (Milan)
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