St. Gianna's Daughter Visits U.S.
'All my mom's life has been a hymn to life.'
Dr. Gianna Emanuela Molla, the daughter of St. Gianna Beretta Molla, visited Priests for Life’s headquarters yesterday, July 11.
She brought with her a photo and relic (a piece of cloth) of her mother, who is regarded as a patron saint for pro-lifers.
“God loved my mother very much,” Molla told the staff. She added: “God chose her among many saint mothers. There must be many saint mothers in paradise.”
“I would not be here with you if I had not been loved so much,” shared Molla, who lives near Milan, Italy. Her saintly mother gave her own life so that she could live. (For more on St. Gianna’s life, see my last blog post.)
“All my mom’s life has been a hymn to life,” Molla said. “She died in the same exemplary way she lived. Her holiness represents something extraordinary … a holiness in which everyone can feel at home.”
She also told the staff, “I bring my mother with me to help you, too,” and “Nothing is possible without the gift of life,” reported the Staten Island Advance, which offers a picture slideshow of the day’s events.
During Mass, Father Frank Pavone, director of Priests for Life, said “the act of sacrifice she made at the end of her life was not an isolated act,” but the culmination of a holy life.
Molla will speak at several events around the country, including a July 23 conference in Kansas City, Mo., organized by the St. Gianna Physicians’ Guild.
St. Gianna, pray for us!
Amy Smith Amy Smith is a Register senior editor who edits features for the “Culture of Life” section. Fueled by prayer and coffee, she enjoys writing about everything from Jane Austen to saints for the Register. She is the author of The Plans God Has for You: Hopeful Lessons for Young Women (Emmaus Road Publishing). Her writing has also appeared in various other Catholic publications. She has a master’s degree in journalism and a B.A. in English.
