St. Gianna Beretta Molla was an Italian pediatrician born in Magenta in the Kingdom of Italy on Oct. 4, 1922. The tenth of thirteen children in her family, she was prayerful even at a young age and viewed all of life as God’s beautiful gift.
Pediatric Physician
In 1942, she began studying medicine and was diligent and hardworking. By the early 1950s, Gianna specialized in pediatrics at the University of Milan and was especially drawn toward mothers, babies, the elderly, and the poor. She considered the field of medicine to be her mission and treated it as such.
Wife & Mother
In 1955, Gianna married Pietro Molla and understood the vocation of marriage to be a gift from God. They had three children—Pierluigi, Maria Zita, and Laura. Dedicating herself to “forming a truly Christian family,” she handled motherhood with grace and was able to harmonize all aspects of her demanding life.
Sacrificial Love
Early in her fourth pregnancy, doctors discovered that Gianna had both a child and a tumor in her uterus. Willing to give her own life to save her child, Gianna pleaded with her surgeons to save her child’s life over her own. Seven months later, in April 1962, Gianna Emanuela Molla was born, and her mother died a week later.
The Gianna Center
St. Gianna Beretta Molla became the inspiration behind the first pro-life Catholic healthcare center for women in New York—the Gianna Center—and the daughter whose life she saved became a pediatric physician. St. Gianna is the patron saint of mothers, physicians, and unborn children. Her feast day is celebrated on April 28.
