Much to my disappointment, many Catholics do not know about a modern-day pro-life saint, St. Gianna Beretta Mollo, whose feast day we celebrate on April 28. She is the patron saint of mothers, physicians and unborn children. She is called the “Martyr of Maternal Love.”
St. Gianna’s story is a beautiful one. She was an Italian physician, working mother and loving wife. The sacrament of marriage and the Christian family were very important to her. She is a heroic modern day mother and pro-life saint, teaching us through her life as a faithful Catholic, a successful working woman, a devoted wife, and a loving mother of four children.
Gianna married Pietro Mollo in 1955 and they had three children. In 1961, she became pregnant with her fourth child. During this pregnancy, Gianna developed a uterine fibroid. Her doctors gave her three options: abortion, hysterectomy or risky surgery to remove the tumor from her uterus. The surgery would allow her to continue the pregnancy, the doctors said, but it would probably put her own life in danger. She chose the last option, which saved her unborn child.
After a complicated pregnancy, Gianna gave birth to a daughter, Gianna Emanuela. One week later, on April 28, St. Gianna died from sepsis at the age of 39. Her last words were “Jesus, I love you.”
On May 16, 2004, she was canonized by St. John Paul II. Her husband and children attended the canonization, making it the first time that a husband ever witnessed his wife’s canonization.
Learn about St. Gianna at www.saintgianna.org, and then spread the word about this modern-day pro-life saint!
Patricia A. Rodite is a member of St. Matthew Parish in Charlotte.