The woman whose birth led to the canonization of a saint will visit the Parish of St. Gianna Beretta Molla in Northfield — a parish named after her mother — next month.
Dr. Gianna Emanuela Molla, who lives in Italy, will visit the parish during her coming trip to the United States. She will attend a 7 p.m. prayer service in St. Bernadette Church on Wednesday, July 13, where she will speak about her mother and answer questions. A reception will follow in the Family Memorial Center, the parish hall.
Gianna Emanuela Molla is the youngest daughter of St. Gianna Molla, an Italian laywoman and physician often referred to as the pro-life saint.
When she was two months pregnant and a tumor was discovered in her uterus, St. Gianna Molla opted for a risky operation to remove the tumor that preserved the life of her child rather than undergo a hysterectomy. Six days after giving birth to Gianna she died from complications.
Her canonization in 2004 was the first time that a saint was canonized while the saint’s husband and children were living and attended the canonization.
Dr. Gianna Emanuela Molla is a geriatrician and practiced medicine until taking leave to care full time for her father for several years until his death in 2010. She currently directs the St. Gianna Beretta Molla Foundation in Mesero, Italy.