SAINT GIANNA SHRINE
Saint Gianna Beretta molla: the heroic modern day saint
Saint Gianna Beretta Molla (1922-1962) was an Italian wife, mother, and physician who sacrificed her own life so that her unborn child would live. Gianna and her husband Pietro had three children, followed by two miscarriages and then Gianna conceived for the last time. During this pregnancy doctors discovered that Gianna had a painful uterine tumor. To have it removed would have caused the death of her unborn child.
She declined the medical procedure during the pregnancy and told her husband, "I renew the offering of my life to the Lord. I am ready for anything as long as my baby is saved." Eight days after giving birth, Saint Gianna died on April 28th.
The foundation of Gianna's spiritual life was a fervent prayer life that began at an early age. She saw her husband Pietro and the children that they bore together as gifts from God, given to her simply as signs of His abundant love, and this instilled in her heart a profound sense of gratitude. They prayed that their family would be a "cenacle where Jesus may reign over all affections, desires, and actions." She sanctified each day and all of the activities in it because of her desire to serve the Lord. She provides a lesson for all of those who strive for holiness in their everyday lives.
Saint Gianna's shrine within the walls of the home
On the Feast of the Visitation, May 31st, with a crowd of almost 500 people and 17 priests, we officially opened the Shrine of Saint Gianna Beretta Molla, a side addition to our chapel at Saint Gianna & Pietro Molla Maternity Home.
Many come here to pray for healing in relationships. Some come as they enter engagement and married life. Some come with health struggles. Most who come here leave filled with great hope and peace.
Indeed, we feel so blessed! We are grateful to the children of Saint Gianna for entrusting these sacred relics to us. We are also grateful to Bishop Folda who gave his blessing on this new venture and to ALL who helped in ways great and small to make this Shrine a reality. This project is truly a beautiful tribute to God through His beloved Saint Gianna.
what we believe
To honor our beloved Saint, we felt called to erect this beautiful shrine to prayerfully lift our hearts and minds to God. Gianna's powerful intercession has saved lives of mothers and children across the world. Her intercession has helped women conceive children they have longed for.
We want to foster the power of prayer and faith by giving our residents, staff, and visitors the chance to honor Gianna and pray for her intercession as one among the Saints in heaven. As Catholics, we believe that the Saints are more alive in heaven than they were on earth. Because of this and the power of God, this "cloud of witnesses" (Hebrews 12:1) is able to pray on our behalf (intercede). Many miracles have been attributed to Saint Gianna's intercession.
How it came to be
After receiving the relics of Saint Gianna from Gianna Emanuela, we prayed and discussed at length how we would display them. We wanted them properly shared and venerated. With the approval of Bishop Folda, we decided to build a shrine as an addition to the side of our chapel. The shrine was designed to match the Saint Gerard Shrine that was already in the back of our chapel.
come and see
The Shrine of Saint Gianna Beretta Molla is open for private veneration. Call 701-248-3077 or email saintgiannahome@hotmail.com to schedule a visit. It is available according to the schedule and availability of Saint Gianna & Pietro Molla Maternity Home. Because it is a home for our moms and their little ones, we are not always open to the public.
Love and Sacrifice by Saint Gianna
Love and sacrifice are as intimately tied together as sun and light. One cannot love without suffering and suffer without loving. Look at mothers who really love their babies…how many sacrifices they do and how ready they are even to shed their own blood as long as their babies grow to be good, healthy, and strong!
And hasn’t Jesus died on the cross for us, for our love? The blood of sacrifice is what affirms love and confirms it.
When Jesus, in Holy Communion, shows us His wounded heart, how can we tell Him we love Him if we make no sacrifices to be united to His and offered to Him in order to save souls?
And which is the best way to do sacrifice? It is to adore the will of God every day in all the small things that make us suffer, and to say, whenever something happens to us, “Thy will be done, O Lord!” Souls are sanctified not only through great penances such as wearing a hair shirt, fasting, giving up sleep, sleeping on a table and such. The real sacrifice is to accept with love, joy, and resignation the cross that God sends us…
…Let us love the Cross and remember that we are not carrying it alone – Jesus is helping us; and that, as Saint Paul says, "We can do all things in Him Who empowers us."
~Saint Gianna Beretta Molla
© 2023 Saint Gianna & Pietro Molla Maternity Home
15605 County Road 15
Minto, North Dakota, 58261
701-248-3077 | sgpmollahome@outlook.com | Facebook: Saint Gianna & Pietro Molla Maternity Home | Instagram: @sgpmollahome
As a not-for-profit corporation designated by the IRS as tax exempt under Section 501(c)(3), we rely on the generosity and kindness of others. We welcome your financial support and generosity as we serve mothers and their children by promoting a culture that values LIFE. Give HERE.