Painting by Neilson Carlin at Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine
St. Gianna Molla, mother and physician, is called “the martyr of maternal love.” If you’re not familiar with St. Gianna’s life, read St. Gianna’s story here or here. Quick facts:
Born: 4 October 1922
Died: 28 April 1962
Canonized: 16 May 2004 by Pope John Paul II
Feast Day: April 28
Patron Saint of: mothers, physicians
Imagine the extraordinary occasion of attending the canonization to sainthood of your own spouse. Many people love and admire their husband or wife dearly, and many even have attained great virtue. Even of the holiest of laypeople, could you imagine attending a Mass declaring the heroic virtue and miraculous intercession of your deceased beloved surrounded by multitudes and lead by the Vicar of Christ?
On May 16, 2004 Pietro Molla, husband of Gianna Beretta Molla, did just that, with his three living children in attendance, including the youngest, Gianna Emmanuella, for whom her mother died.
St. Gianna is the first laywoman and doctor to be canonized, and is truly a saint for modern times. Pope John Paul II said in his homily on the day of her canonization,
Following the example of Christ, who “having loved his own… loved them to the end” (Jn 13: 1), this holy mother of a family remained heroically faithful to the commitment she made on the day of her marriage. The extreme sacrifice she sealed with her life testifies that only those who have the courage to give of themselves totally to God and to others are able to fulfil themselves. Through the example of Gianna Beretta Molla, may our age rediscover the pure, chaste and fruitful beauty of conjugal love, lived as a response to the divine call! “
But before St. Gianna decided God was calling her to the vocation of Holy Matrimony, though, she discerned very carefully, and even considered a consecrated vocation. She meditated, spent time in silent prayer, and patiently waited for the Lord to reveal His will. We should all do the same thing, waiting for the Lord in His own time, never forcing his hand, and obeying with great swiftness and generosity once we do understand His will.
Helen Hull Hitchcock, director of Women for Faith & Family, explains very eloquently St. Gianna’s beautiful balance between her vocational life as wife and mother, and her professional life as physician,
“In canonizing Gianna Beretta Molla this spring (2004), the Church officially recognized the extraordinary sanctity of a woman who chose to live an ordinary life – as a professional and, later, as a wife and mother. Though she had once considered entering a religious order, instead she practiced medicine (receiving her medical degree in 1949, and her specialty in pediatrics in 1952). She devoted herself to caring for her patients, and her selflessness and dedication as a physician endeared her to the people. But it was not only her practice of medicine that influenced them. She regarded her profession as a mission through which she could aid and nurture both bodies and souls. The young doctor’s devotion to her Catholic faith was well known in her community, and especially her instruction of young Catholic girls in their faith.”
So today, give thanks for the life and death of St. Gianna Beretta Molla, and pray for the unity of families and the holiness and conversion of physicians, that they may serve unselfishly, choose life and stop prescribing contraception.
Ways to celebrate St. Gianna’s feast day (honestly, it’s tough because it’s also the feast day of two other great saints, St. Peter Chanel & St. Louis Mary de Montfort):
- Thank a mother for their heroic and ordinary sacrifices.
- Thank a medical professional that doesn’t prescribe contraception or perform/ cooperate in sterilizations
- Read a book on the life of St. Gianna–St. Gianna Molla: Wife, Mother & Doctor by Pietro Molla, Elio Guerriero, James G. Colbert (Ignatius Press)
- Pray for a physician or pharmacist you know who still prescribes contraception, and give them Patty Schneier’s “Prove It, God! CD” or the book, “Physicians Healed.”
- Make a donation to the Catholic Medical Association.
- Order St. Gianna Holy Cards, and include them in your Mother’s Day cards.
- Check out St. Gianna on Facebook, or see one of her Facebook Groups here.
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This is a beautiful page with a very inspiring witness for all Women and for those who have chosen to work in the healthcare industry.
Laura, thank you so much! St. Gianna was an amazing women, and in an age where selfishness imitates compassion, it’s a truly challenging and inspiring thing to have Catholic women such as yourself keeping the faith in a secular healthcare world.
Hi,
Nice photo used in this post! It is a photo that I took and posted on Flickr.com under Copyright, All Rights Reserved.
Unfortunately, violating copyright is considered a mortal sin: http://catholicparents.org/oxcart/Examination%20of%20Conscience.pdf
In this case, out of Christian charity, I’m hoping it is just a sin of “serious matter” (not actually mortal) and that you were just acting out of ignorance. Nevertheless, I’d like to you hear from you about this.
I’m pretty sure that I know what mortal sin is, Jeff, but thanks for the link there (doesn’t work). By the accusatory tone in your comment, it sounds like you think I was committing an act of villany. I don’t believe I had full knowledge that your picture was copywritten, though I now see it is clearly marked on the page. I apologize for any artistic poaching. It was not intentional, and I’d be happy to remove your picture *out of Christian charity.*
It is interesting to note that I’ve linked to your flickr page, which a number of people have found thanks to this particular blog post. It’s also interesting to note that your art is published (and award-winning, evidently) from other peoples’ works of art. You take great photographs! Taking pictures of other peoples’ art is a real compliment to them. You know what is also a compliment? Linking your photos to their web page (as I did you your case), or say, giving them credit in the caption, which I didn’t see in
You may already know that the painter of this particular work is Neilson Carlson, who’s web page is here, FYI: http://www.neilsoncarlin.com/portfolio.html
Actually, the image is copyrighted by the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse, WI. All the artwork commissioned by the shrine is under this copyright as the shrine holds full title. What was used here happens to be a “photocopy” of the original painting by Neil Carlin.
Granted the photocopy may have been used without permission of the photographer, but the authority to use this image rests with the Executive Director of the shrine. As the fine arts coordinator for the shrine, I will bring this to her attention.
However, in the meantime, I do not see any credits given to the “author” or artist and the “publisher”, or owner, posted by the photographer of Mr. Carlin’s painting. Remember folks, these works are not “public domain”!
Thank you for your fraternal correction, Tony. The picture is removed, and hopefully we’ll be able to post it with the Shrine’s permission soon.
People: Are we not Christians? Then act as such. Be apologetic for your behaviors, ask His Lord’s forgiveness, and get on. The point here is to remember to be as God instructs us. I seldom hear of three year-olds bickering so! That being resolved…the point here really is remembering what God instructs us…and the celebration of one beautiful life that did in fact remember in the face of so much working against that very effort.
I was not cognitively aware of Gianna Beretta Molla until after the birth of my youngest child in September of 2000. Alia-Giana was born with great effort at the very miraculous gestational age of 4 1/2 months! Yes, exactly half-term. Things went terribly bad during my pregnancy. (A pregnancy that in and of its, is a miracle.) I was given very little chance to live to a point of a “viable” birth. One fetus lost its earthly battle and was then absorbed by Alia-Giana (giving her the heart and soul of two). I stood-fast to my intigrity and would not consent to the persistent pleas and persuasions to abort.
I confided in no one. God and I shared our own talks as he kept me strong for my impeding imminent demise, whilst I made ready for the care and upbringing of the two well-loved and wanted boys I would be leaving behind. God supported me and kept me strong as I sat isolated late in the evenings, preparing letters to each for each imaginable future occassion.
God allowed me my own decisions, but He also verified my choices in manners I never expected. In what was to be my end, I turned everything over to Him, as it should. I cried for my own selfish denial to be part of seeing my boys raise-up. Mother Mary came to me and I understood through Her the sacrafice She had made in giving Jesus to the world, and having to allow Him to die. I never bartered, I accepted. I accepted that I would not ever know or understand His reasons. But, I also concluded that I knew God would never take me away from them, unless He knew that they would be alright.
Amist tears behind the operating room’s masks, I said a prayer that each would forgive themselves because it was not their will that would be done. (There had been many medically-neglectful transgressions that had taken place that had caused all the medical difficulties during the pregnancies.)
Later, I awoke! I was never supposed to have woken up. I felt pain! I was alive. I had a daughter! I was not even supposed to have a vegetable. I thanked God for my daugter, for being awake, and especially for the pain I was so excruciately feeling! Then He whispered her name for me.
Our secondary priest came to the hospital to Baptize Alia-Giana and spoke to me of all that had transpired. He smiled, and told me the truths of Gianna. While her life ended and God saw fit to call her to Him, I could only realize that I still had unfinished work he intended for me to finish.
Thank you, miracles, for your (less than gentle) correction. You’re right about it all, and after Tony submitted his commented, I contacted the Shrine for permission. Jeff and I corresponded by email and reconciled. I might suggest, however, that if you find this too scandalous that you might want to stay off the internet and blogs altogether, because *this* is nothing. There’s absolutely no excuse for uncharity, not even with the tendency to lose discretion and inhibition in a combox (it’s easier to offend by email/ combox than in person).
Having said that, I do appreciate that you’ve shared your story. What a cross the Lord gave you, and how many blessings you’ve received. Have you read the life of St. Gianna yet?