SAINT GIANNA BERETTA MOLLA MASS GUILD
Patroness of Expectant Mothers
Ask for Saint Gianna’s intercession!
Members enrolled in the guild receive the benefit of being remembered in Shrine Masses invoking the intercession of Saint Gianna Molla. St. Gianna Guild Masses take place every second Monday of each month at 12:15 p.m. CT.
The Saint Gianna Guild offers:
- Monthly remembrance in Holy Mass on the second Monday of each month
- Receive intercession from Saint Gianna, patroness of expectant mothers
- A card can be sent to you upon request so that you may send it to the enrollee
- Find strength and support in a compassionate community
About Saint Gianna Beretta Molla
Saint Gianna was a devoted wife and mother as well as a pediatric surgeon who lived a joy-filled life in Italy.
When she was pregnant with her fourth child she developed a cancerous uterine tumor. The doctors advised her to terminate the life of her baby or risk possible death herself. She chose the life of her baby and died a few days after giving birth. Saint Gianna is considered a pro-life saint, and many Shrine pilgrims have benefited from her intercession for conception and for the safe delivery of children. This guild is especially for expectant mothers, those who wish to be mothers, and physicians.
St. Gianna Relics
At her side altar in the Shrine Church, a first-class relic of Saint Gianna is permanently on display for veneration by the faithful, especially those seeking her intercession.
Painting: Saint Gianna Beretta Molla
Side-Aisle Shrine, Oil on Linen – 133″ x 54″
“When I received the commission, I was told only one thing by Cardinal Burke: ‘Think the Sound of Music’.”
Thus, the scene in this painting depicts Saint Gianna in the hills above Magenta, Italy, surrounded by the “Gianna Babies,” children whose births were attributed to her intercession. Saint Gianna is depicted as wearing her lab coat with stethoscope in her pocket, accoutrements of her profession as a pediatrician. What might not be readily noticeable is that she is wearing a maternity top and is, therefore, pregnant.
The design leading up to Our Lady is based on the double-helix, alluding to her position as the Patroness of the Unborn. The flowers offered by the children are pink, a color which is a combination of red (symbolizing the life Saint Gianna offered for her child) and white (purity of spirit).
I wanted the color of the flowers to progress from pink to white – from earthly to spiritual. Thus, the color transitions from solid pink (flesh) to white (purity). The children above who attend Our Lady in purity and bliss hold white flowers.
The three children in the air around Saint Gianna’s shoulders are “Gianna Babies”, born through the intercession of Saint Gianna, as are the children at her side and the child in her arms. In the original design, the child in her arms was supposed to be Laura, Saint Gianna’s third child. The child in her womb is Gianna Emanuela Molla.
“Love is the most beautiful sentiment the Lord has put into the soul of men and women.” —St. Gianna Molla
What Is a Mass Guild?
A Mass Guild is a sacred spiritual enrollment. Those who join are prayed for in monthly Masses offered by the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe. You may enroll yourself or a loved one, living or deceased.
The Guild of Saint Gianna Molla is one of the seven current Mass Guilds at the Shrine. The guilds unite prayer intentions under a patron saint and your intentions are then offered in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass by one of the Shrine’s priests.
Add your prayer intention!
Enroll yourself or a loved one in this guild with the intention for an expectant mother, those who wish to be mothers, and physicians.
