Father Matt Lamoureux, MIC, and St. Gianna’s daughter, Dr. Gianna Emanuela, on May 22, 2024 at the Shrine at St. Patrick Parish in Yorkville, Illinois. She gave a talk and witnessed Bishop Ronald A. Hicks bless the St. Gianna Shrine as an official shrine of the Diocese of Joliet.
Let us honor St. Gianna Molla and follow her example of trusting our whole life to the will of God, remembering that Gianna was able to do this because she followed the example of our Blessed Mother, who is the best example of trusting God’s plan even when it is difficult.
By Fr. Matt Lamoureux
I’ve always been interested in spreading the pro-life cause, and doing it in a merciful way. I was trained in seminary how to counsel women who have had an abortion.
As a pastor, I wanted to bring both of my passions —for spreading the pro-life cause and the message of God’s Divine Mercy — to our Marian parish, St. Patrick Parish in Yorkville, Illinois about an hour west of Chicago. When I mentioned this to the parishioners, the idea of a shrine to St. Gianna Molla (feast day: Apr. 28) came about.
Gianna's life
Saint Gianna Beretta Molla was a 20th century woman who lived a rich life of heroic love, selfless giving, and joyfulness. She was born into the Beretta family near Milan, Italy, on Oct. 4, 1922. In the fertile soil of her parents’ deeply Christian home, Gianna’s own deep faith took root very early in life. She attended daily Mass with her mother, her father led the family in the Rosary each evening, and she was encouraged to share her gift of faith with others.
Through her vocation to become a doctor, Gianna knew she could help heal bodies and souls. Gianna studied medicine and became a pediatrician and surgeon. Even during her studies, she always made time for daily Mass, the Rosary, volunteering, mountain climbing, and enjoying God’s creation. She served those in need both personally and through her own medical practice.
Gianna married Pietro Molla in 1955 and welcomed three children. She and Pietro also suffered the loss of two children by miscarriage. Gianna always trusted in God’s plan and continued her devotion to the Blessed Mother by dedicating each of her children to Mary at their baptisms.
When she was expecting her fourth child, doctors discovered a life-threatening tumor and recommended either a hysterectomy or abortion of the child and removal of the tumor. She chose instead to have just the tumor removed to save the life of her unborn baby.
Seven months later, on Holy Saturday, she delivered a healthy baby girl, Gianna Emanuela. Hours after delivering the baby, Gianna developed septic peritonitis, an infection of the membrane lining the abdominal cavity. She died a week later on April 28, 1962, at the age of 39.
In 2004, Gianna was declared a saint by Pope St. John Paul II.
Building a shrine
My parishioners, the Knights of Columbus, and others from the area were a great support in making the St. Gianna Shrine happen. We wanted an example of a modern-day saint to remind people that saints are real, they lived among us, they experienced our culture, and that each and every one of us can become a saint as well. Saint Gianna is a great example of the sanctity of life, living out one’s vocation, and the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony.
In May 2014, a statue of St. Gianna Molla was installed at the parish. Ten years later, in February 2024, Bishop Ronald Hicks declared our shrine an official shrine of the Diocese of Joliet.
We wanted a place in which people could pray, and so we designed the path around the outdoor shrine to be a Rosary Walk. The graceful gardens, brick pathways, water feature, and biographical storyboards combine to create an atmosphere for relaxation and contemplation. The engraved bricks along the Rosary pathway can be personalized with your family’s name(s), to mark an event like a wedding anniversary, or to commemorate a memorial to honor a loved one who has passed away, or a child who was lost through miscarriage.
We pray that the St. Gianna Shrine provides everyone a space of hope, healing, and encouragement, as well as a unique strength to those called to the vocation of married and family life.
Live like St. Gianna
In this month of April, let us honor St. Gianna and follow her example of trusting our whole life to the will of God, remembering that Gianna was able to do this because she followed the example of our Blessed Mother, who is the best example of trusting God’s plan even when it is difficult.
In the end, suffering and death do not have the final answer, but the Resurrection of Christ made it possible for us to be saints (canonized or not) and be with Him in Heaven.
Father Matt Lamoureux, MIC, the former pastor of St. Patrick's, is now the assistant chaplain for the English-speaking Chaplaincy in Medjugorje. Abby Herwaldt assisted in the writing of this article.
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