AMERICA/CANADA - First sanctuary in Canada for St. Gianna Beretta Molla: "She is like one of us"

Monday, 11 May 2015

Winnipeg (Agenzia Fides) - Yesterday many parts of the world celebrated "Mother's Day", but in Canada, in Winnipeg the day of celebration was special because the whole community celebrated the inauguration of the first sanctuary dedicated to an Italian woman who represents all the mothers in the world: Gianna Beretta Molla, canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2004. The daughter, Gianna Emanuela Molla, was in Canada yesterday for the blessing of the first Canadian Shrine dedicated to her mother.
St. Gianna (1922-1962), pediatrician, devoted wife and caring mother, died at the age of 39, after refusing medical care that would endanger the child she was carrying. "I know my mother very well thanks to the devotion of the community and the people. Everyone talked about her", her daughter explained to father Darren Gurr, who was only a week old when her mother died. "We chose her name because we felt best represented as a parish community. She was a young woman, a professional, a wife, a mother", said Fr. Gurr. "For many people, it is the first time we can say: she is like one of us", said one of the faithful of the parish. "She was a mother, she skied, loved beautiful clothes and went to work". (CE) (Agenzia Fides 11/05/2015)


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