St. Gianna Beretta Molla (1922–1962) was an Italian pediatrician, wife and mother of four who, during her last pregnancy, refused a treatment that would have saved her life by ending her unborn daughter’s, and died a week after the baby’s birth. Pope St. John Paul II canonized her in 2004, with her husband and their children present. She is honored as a patron of mothers, of physicians and of unborn children, and her feast day is April 28. Below are her story, what she is the patron saint of, Scripture, and prayers to St. Gianna for mothers, families and the unborn.
A short prayer to St. Gianna, written for this page:
St. Gianna, loving wife, mother and doctor,
you trusted God with your life and your child’s.
Pray for mothers and fathers, for doctors and nurses,
and for every child waiting to be born. Amen.
Who was St. Gianna Beretta Molla?
- Childhood. Gianna Beretta was born on October 4, 1922, in Magenta, near Milan, the tenth of thirteen children in a devout family. Several of her brothers and sisters became priests and religious.
- Doctor. She studied medicine at Milan and Pavia, qualified as a physician in 1949, and later specialized in pediatrics. She opened a clinic in Mesero, caring especially for mothers, children, the elderly and the poor, while staying active in Catholic Action. She also loved skiing, mountain climbing, music and painting.
- Wife and mother. She had hoped to join her brother, a missionary doctor in Brazil, but discerned a call to marriage. In 1955 she married Pietro Molla, an engineer, and they had three children: Pierluigi, Mariolina and Laura. She also suffered miscarriages.
- Her last pregnancy. In 1961, two months into her fourth pregnancy, doctors found a large fibroid tumor in her uterus. She chose the operation that removed the tumor but saved the pregnancy, though it put her own life at greater risk, and she told her family that if they had to choose, they should save the child.
- Her death. Her daughter Gianna Emanuela was born on April 21, 1962, Holy Saturday. Gianna died of infection a week later, on April 28, 1962, at thirty-nine. Gianna Emanuela grew up to become a doctor herself.
Canonization
Pope St. John Paul II beatified Gianna in 1994 and canonized her on May 16, 2004. Her husband Pietro, then in his nineties, and their children attended, the first time a husband saw his wife declared a saint. The miracle for her canonization was the healing of a Brazilian mother, Elizabeth Comparini, and the survival of her baby, after she lost the amniotic fluid early in her pregnancy.
What is St. Gianna the patron saint of?
St. Gianna Beretta Molla is the patron saint of:
- Mothers and expectant mothers
- Physicians and women doctors
- Unborn children and the pro-life cause
- Wives and families
Feast day
The feast of St. Gianna is April 28, the day of her death. It is not on the general calendar of the Church, but she is widely honored in Italy and the United States on that day. To make a novena to St. Gianna, pray one of the prayers below each day from April 19 to April 27.
Scripture
God’s care for every child from the womb (Psalm 138:13–14, Douay-Rheims; Psalm 139 in modern Bibles):
For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast protected me from my mother’s womb.
I will praise thee, for thou art fearfully magnified: wonderful are thy works, and my soul knoweth right well.
And the greatest love (John 15:13):
Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Prayers to St. Gianna
Written for this page.
For an expectant mother
St. Gianna, you knew the joy and the worry of waiting for a child.
Pray for (name) and the baby she is carrying.
Keep them both safe, give her doctors wisdom, and bring them to a happy birth. Amen.
For a difficult pregnancy
Lord, our pregnancy is in danger and we are afraid.
Through the prayers of St. Gianna, protect mother and child,
guide our doctors, and give us courage to trust you whatever comes. Amen.
For doctors
St. Gianna, you served your patients as you would serve Christ.
Pray for all doctors, that they may respect every human life
and care for their patients with skill and love. Amen.
For married couples
St. Gianna, you and Pietro built your home on love and faith.
Pray for our marriage, that we may love each other generously and welcome the gift of life. Amen.
See also the Catholic prayer for pregnancy and the St. Gerard prayer.
Frequently asked questions
When is St. Gianna’s feast day?
April 28.
Why is St. Gianna a saint?
She lived an ordinary life of extraordinary faith and love as a doctor, wife and mother, and gave her life for her unborn daughter. Two miracles were attributed to her prayers.
What happened to St. Gianna’s daughter?
Gianna Emanuela Molla, born in 1962, grew up to become a doctor like her mother and has often spoken about her mother’s life and sacrifice.
More saints and prayers
- Patron saint of mothers
- St. Gerard prayer
- Catholic prayer for pregnancy
- Catholic prayer after a miscarriage
- Patron saint of children
- Saint feast days
Texts and sources
- Psalm 138:13–14 and John 15:13 (Douay-Rheims).