Saint Gianna Beretta Molla – 19th April

In less than 40 years, Gianna Beretta Molla became a pediatric physician, a wife, a mother and a saint!

She was born in Magenta near Milano, the tenth of Alberto and Maria Beretta’s 13 children. An active member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society and a leader in the Catholic Action movement, Gianna also enjoyed skiing and mountain climbing. She earned degrees in medicine and surgery from the University of Pavia, eventually specializing in pediatrics. In 1952, Gianna opened a clinic in the small town of Mesero, where she met engineer Pietro Molla.

Gianna Emanuela went on to become a physician herself. Gianna Beretta Molla was beatified in 1994 and canonized 10 years later. Her liturgical feast is celebrated on April 28.

Prayer to St. Gianna

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.
As she questioned her choice of life,
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.

St. Gianna Beretta Molla Novena

Dear holy servant of God, Saint Gianna Beretta Molla, we pray to you because you were once the selfless and suffering mother who chose the life of her child over her own life. Your faithfulness to God brought you so close to God that you are now resting in His divine splendour. We humbly pray for your holy intercession.

(Mention your intentions here)

In the midst of your suffering, you continued your mission to care for the sick, needy and weak. And so we bring our needy hearts to you and ask that you pray for us to God our Father…

Day 1: Pray for all those who suffer from infertility or miscarriage. That they may be comforted.

Day 2: Pray for us, that we may be filled with love for children.

Day 3: Pray for us, that we may seek the will of God in all things.

Day 4: Pray for us, that we may be generous with those in need.

Day 5: Pray for us that we may be patient in suffering.

Day 6: Pray for all those who work in the field of medicine, that they may know the dignity of the human person.

Day 7: Pray for us, that we may be witnesses to the sanctity of human life.

Day 8: Pray that there may be an end to abortion.

Day 9: Pray for all mothers, that they may be the face of God within their families.

Most holy Saint Gianna, you said “yes” to the new life of your baby, generously sacrificing your own life. Show us how to say “yes” as you did to God’s will so that we may come to eternal rest with God in heaven.

Hail Mary…, Glory Be…

Saint Gianna Beretta Molla, pray for us!
Amen.

Novena To Obtain Graces Through Saint Gianna Beretta Molla

God, our Father, you have granted to Your church the gift of Gianna Beretta Molla. In her youth she lovingly sought You and drew other young people to You, involving them, through apostolic witness and Catholic Action, in the care of the sick and aged, to help and comfort them.
We thank You for the gift of this young woman, so deeply committed to You. Through her example grant us the grace to consecrate our lives to Your service, for the joy of our brothers and sisters.
Glory be …
Jesus, Redeemer of mankind, you called Saint Gianna to exercise the medical profession as a mission for the comfort of bodies and souls. In her suffering fellow men and in the little ones, deprived of all support, she saw You.
We thank You for having revealed Yourself to this servant as “one who serves” and who soothes the sufferings of men. Treasuring her example may we become generous Christians at the service of our brothers and sisters, especially those with whom You deign to share Your Cross.
Glory be…
God, Sanctifying Spirit, who love the Church as Your Bride, You poured into the heart of Saint Gianna a share of Your Love so that she could radiate it in 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, through her encouraging witness, we beg You to grant to our families the serene and Christian presence of mothers committed to transform their homes into cenacles of faith and love, rich with generous activity and sanctifying service.
Glory be…
O God, Creator and lover of mankind, you were close to Saint Gianna when, affected by illness, she was in the painful dilemma of choosing between her own life and the life of the child whom she was carrying in herself, a gift long-awaited. Trusting You alone, and aware of Your Commandment to respect human life, Gianna found the courage to do her duty as a mother and to say “yes” to the new life of her baby, generously sacrificing her own. Through the intercession of Mary, Mother of Jesus, and after the example of Gianna, inspire all mothers to welcome with love the sparkle of new life.
Grant us the grace we are praying for …………. 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.
Hail Mary…

LITANY OF SAINT GIANNA BERETTA MOLLA

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us
Response: Have mercy on us
God the Father in Heaven.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world.
God the Holy Spirit.
Holy Trinity, one God.
Response: Pray for us
Holy Mary.
St. Michael the Archangel.
St. Joseph.
St. Gianna, filled with love for God.
St. Gianna, filled with love for children.
St. Gianna, filled with love for Our Lady and her Rosary.
St. Gianna, filled with love for the Most Blessed Sacrament.
St. Gianna, who sought the will of God in all things.
St. Gianna, generous with those in need.
St. Gianna, devoted to prayer.
St. Gianna, willing to lay down your life for the sake of the gospel.
St. Gianna, patient in suffering.
St. Gianna, united to Jesus on the Cross.
St. Gianna, called to the vocation of marriage.
St. Gianna, who welcomed children as a blessing.
St. Gianna, physician to the ill.
St. Gianna, faithful daughter of the church.
St. Gianna, witness to the sanctity of human life.

Response: Deliver us Lord through the intercession of
St. Gianna From neglecting God through prayer.
From refusing to se God in the sick and poor.
From callousness to the sufferings of others.
From selfishness.
From a lack of trust in God’s providence.
From blindness to the dignity of the human person.
From denial that human life begins at conception.

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world,
Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world,
Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us.

Let us pray

Lord of life, we thank You for the heroic witness of Saint Gianna Beretta Molla. You have taught us that there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for others. Saint Gianna did this, not only as she gave birth to her last child, but also in her everyday life as she died to herself so that she could live wholly for You. What selflessness we see in her!
Help us, we pray, that through the intercession of Saint Gianna, our society may regain a sense of the sacredness of all human life. Fill us with her spirit of courage to suffer any struggle rather than deny You and the sanctity of human life. We ask You this through our Lord, Jesus Christ, your son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
Amen.