Today is the Feast of Saint Gianna Beretta Molla (1922 – 62), an Italian pediatrician who was willing to sacrifice her life by refusing an abortion during pregnancy with her fourth child. The Diocese of Lansing’s Director of Fertility & Life Ministries, Jenny Ingles, now reflects on power of Saint Gianna’s witness and heavenly intercession. Jenny writes:

“It’s been five months since the people of Michigan voted to enshrine abortion into our state constitution. In the wake of that I’ve done a tremendous amount of praying and thinking.”

“It has struck me several times since the passage of Proposal 3, how counter-cultural Saint Gianna Molla was. She chose not to abort her fourth child to save her own life. Her heroic self-sacrifice and her faith are inspirational.”

“As a mother of four living children (and three lost to miscarriage) myself, it’s difficult to imagine the pain she suffered knowing that her three living children would likely lose their mother so that her fourth could live (also motherless).”

“Undoubtedly, our culture would have told Saint Gianna to abort her precious child. Still, she chose life. Since her death in 1962, her children have given testimony throughout the world as to their mother’s strength and faith. Her story moves me to try and be a better mother and a better disciple of Christ.”

Saint Gianna Beretta Molla, pray for us!