About Saint Gianna Molla
Born in Milan to a large family, St. Gianna Beretta Molla felt called to give her life to God from a young age. She became a physician, earning her degree in pediatrics in 1952, and devoted herself to caring for mothers, babies, the elderly, and the poor. With joy and simplicity, she embraced her vocations as doctor, wife, and mother.
In 1961, while pregnant with her fourth child, Gianna was diagnosed with a life-threatening uterine tumor. Faced with a difficult decision, she insisted that her child’s life be saved over her own. “If you must decide between me and the child, choose the child,” she told her surgeon.
Her daughter, Gianna Emanuela, was born on April 21, 1962. One week later, after repeating, “Jesus, I love you,” Gianna died at age 39. Beatified in 1994 and canonized in 2004, she is remembered as a heroic witness to faith and sacrificial love.
Get Involved!