On May, 16 2004 I considered myself extremely fortunate to watch (via TV, of course!) Pope John Paul II canonize Gianna Beretta Molla to become Saint Gianna. I was so moved that I accepted Saint Gianna as my patron saint. Perhaps you can tell me what she has been appointed patron/patroness of?
Also, I understand that somewhere in our country there has been created some type of memorial in her honor and that lay people like myself might become members of! Do you have such information? I would appreciate any help in this area that you can give me.
Saint Gianna is a patron saint for mothers, the unborn, and physicians. She is the inspiration behind the “Gianna Center” in New York City, a Catholic healthcare center for women. In LaCrosse, Wisconsin, at the magnificent Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, you will find a beautiful side altar to St. Gianna Beretta Molla with a first class relic under an original and inspiring oil painting. St. Gianna Physician’s Guild has also been established recently. For more information about the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and to arrange for a visit of the relic of this inspirational and heroic Christian mother, go to www.guadalupeshrine.org.
Rev. Francis J. Hoffman, JCD (Fr. Rocky) is Executive Director of Relevant Radio. Ordained as a priest for Opus Dei in 1992 by Blessed John Paul II, he holds a doctorate in Canon Law from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, an MBA from the University of Notre Dame, and a BA in History from Northwestern University. His Question and Answer column appears in several Catholic newspapers and magazines across the country.
