Gianna Beretta Molla
Italian saint (1922-1962)
Feast: 28 April (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Who they were
Gianna Beretta was born in Magenta, near Milan, on 4 October 1922. She qualified in medicine and surgery at the University of Pavia in 1949, opened a practice in nearby Mesero in 1950, and specialised in paediatrics in 1952. On 24 September 1955 she married Pietro Molla, and they had three children in four years.
In September 1961, two months into her fourth pregnancy, she developed a fibroma in the womb. She told the surgeons that if they had to choose between her and the child, they must choose the child. Her daughter Gianna Emanuela was born on 21 April 1962, and Gianna died a week later, on 28 April, aged 39. She is buried at Mesero.
The miracles
Lucia Sylvia Cirilo — Grajaú, Brazil — 1977
After a caesarean delivery, a young mother developed a serious fistula that could not be operated on locally, and the nearest suitable hospital was far away. A missionary sister prayed to Gianna, calling on her as the sister of Father Alberto, Gianna's brother, and asked her to heal it. The fistula healed at once and the transfer was no longer needed.
Elizabeth Comparini Arcolino — São Paulo state, Brazil — 1999–2000
At sixteen weeks of pregnancy the membranes ruptured and all the amniotic fluid was lost; doctors expected the baby to die. The local bishop brought her a life of Blessed Gianna and encouraged her to pray for her intercession. The pregnancy went on without infection or complications, and a healthy daughter, named Gianna Maria, was born on 31 May 2000.
Why that counted as sanctity
The case of Lucia Sylvia Cirilo was examined by the Church's doctors and theologians and approved as a miracle on 22 May 1992, opening the way to beatification. Beatification followed on 24 April 1994 by John Paul II. The case of Elizabeth Comparini Arcolino was examined by the Church's doctors and theologians and approved as a miracle on 20 December 2003, opening the way to canonisation. Canonisation followed on 16 May 2004 by John Paul II.
Connected on this site
- Vincent de Paul Saint“Molla also dedicated herself to charitable work amongst the elderly and was involved in Catholic Action; she also aided the Saint Vincent de Paul group in their outreach to the poor and less fortunate.” — Wikipedia
- Holy See - biography for the canonisation, 16 May 2004
- St Gianna Physicians' Guild - the miracles approved for her canonisation
- EWTN News / CNA - miracle in Brazil led to the canonisation
- Wikidata Q238963 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Gianna Beretta Molla (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.