# Saint Gianna

An episode of [Saints Alive Podcast](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1598392451), 15 Apr 2024, 42 min.

Audio: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1882754/episodes/14888806-saint-gianna.mp3

“Whatever God wants” Today, we bring you the story of an ordinary mother who had a zealous love for life and the souls she encountered. Saint Gianna lived a simple life as a wife, mother and doctor and found Christ by making every moment holy. Many remember Gianna for her heroism in the final days of her life, but the reality is that she lived a life of heroic love the entirety of her life. That is what made her a saint, and what makes this story the type of adventure that can only be found in the saints! Come listen to her story like never before! Parental Guidance: True to the story, Saint Gianna died at the age of 39 after giving birth to her fourth child. For little listeners, you can pre-screen and/or skip 28:19-35:00 Saints Alive is brought to you by the #1 Catholic Prayer App, Hallow! Sign up today with a 30-day free trial! Please rate, review and share with friends and family! Find out more about Saints Alive at our website: https://www.saintsalivepodcast.com/

## Transcript

[0:02] SPEAKER_00: Welcome to Saints Alive, where we take you with us to meet God's most heroic followers.
[0:08] SPEAKER_00: The saints were just ordinary boys and girls who allowed God's love to transform them into real life superheroes.
[0:15] SPEAKER_00: Their love for God changed our world.
[0:18] SPEAKER_00: Did you know that God has sent you here to become a saint?
[0:21] SPEAKER_00: It's up to you to choose love over fear, to be courageous, faithful, and kind.
[0:26] SPEAKER_00: The choice to become a saint won't be easy, but it will be worth it.
[0:30] SPEAKER_00: So listen closely and open your hearts.
[0:33] SPEAKER_00: These real life tales of the saints from the past may just inspire you how to live your story.
[0:39] SPEAKER_00: Let's go on this adventure together.
[1:05] SPEAKER_00: Did you know that in order to become a saint, there are two miracles that have to be verified that attribute to your sainthood?
[1:12] SPEAKER_00: Once the first miracle is proven, the person is called blessed.
[1:16] SPEAKER_00: And once the second miracle is proven, that person is canonized a saint by the Pope.
[1:22] SPEAKER_00: Today, we will hear the story of an ordinary mother who had a zealous love for life and the souls she encountered.
[1:30] SPEAKER_00: She spent her life striving to make each moment holy.
[1:35] SPEAKER_00: She became a saint for her life of heroic love and virtue.
[1:40] SPEAKER_00: But before she was canonized, she interceded for one young mother in desperate need of her help.
[3:05] SPEAKER_09: I understand.
[3:08] SPEAKER_12: Thank you, Doctor.
[3:18] SPEAKER_13: Elizabeth, Carlos, how wonderful to bump into you both.
[3:22] SPEAKER_13: I was just on my way to a oh what is it?
[3:28] SPEAKER_13: Is something wrong?
[3:30] SPEAKER_09: Oh Bishop Mathis.
[3:33] SPEAKER_09: It's my baby.
[3:35] SPEAKER_09: There's a complication and nothing can be done.
[3:40] SPEAKER_13: No.
[3:41] SPEAKER_13: Oh no.
[3:42] SPEAKER_13: I I'm so sorry to hear this.
[3:46] SPEAKER_12: The doctor said both their lives could be lost.
[3:49] SPEAKER_12: I don't understand.
[3:51] SPEAKER_12: I don't understand why this is happening.
[3:54] SPEAKER_13: Come with me.
[3:55] SPEAKER_13: There is a chapel here in the hospital.
[3:57] SPEAKER_13: It is time to ask for a miracle.
[4:13] SPEAKER_13: Turn to the one that does.
[4:16] SPEAKER_13: Elizabeth, do what blessed Gianna did and entrust this child to the Lord.
[4:27] SPEAKER_09: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
[4:32] SPEAKER_13: Blessed Gianna.
[4:35] SPEAKER_13: You know what it meant to give everything.
[4:40] SPEAKER_13: You laid down your life.
[4:42] SPEAKER_13: You modeled our Lord when he said, This is my body given up for you.
[4:51] SPEAKER_13: Now Elizabeth is faced with the same cross.
[4:56] SPEAKER_13: Please, please protect this mother and child.
[5:01] SPEAKER_13: They need your intercessions, Jan.
[5:05] SPEAKER_13: Now has arrived the opportunity for you to be canonized.
[5:11] SPEAKER_13: Intercede before the Lord for the grace of a miracle and save the life of this little child.
[5:19] SPEAKER_13: Gianna, please.
[5:22] SPEAKER_13: Gianna.
[5:24] SPEAKER_13: Gianna.
[5:54] SPEAKER_10: If you don't hurry, we'll be late again.
[5:57] SPEAKER_10: Aspectami.
[5:58] SPEAKER_10: I'm coming, I'm coming.
[6:06] SPEAKER_08: I admire your piety, but you pray so long after mass.
[6:10] SPEAKER_08: You're always making us late.
[6:14] SPEAKER_10: Trust me, you would rather meet tardi than without prayer.
[6:20] SPEAKER_00: The year was 1942, and the Beretta sisters walked quickly down the city streets of Magenta, Italy, arm in arm.
[6:28] SPEAKER_00: Though they were new to the city, everyone had quickly come to know and admire them.
[6:33] SPEAKER_00: They were both strikingly beautiful with dark curly hair, broad, gracious smiles, and deep brown eyes.
[6:41] SPEAKER_00: Gianna was the tenth of the 13 Baretta children, only eight having survived into adulthood.
[6:47] SPEAKER_00: And she had a particular zeal for life and a love of Christ that was infectious to those around her.
[7:13] SPEAKER_10: See, just a minute later.
[7:17] SPEAKER_10: Well then, how is everyone today?
[7:23] SPEAKER_10: Sleepy.
[7:24] SPEAKER_10: Remember, we are apostles, and if we want our apostolate to be effective and not in vain, there is only one infallible method: prayer.
[7:33] SPEAKER_10: So, let's begin.
[7:35] SPEAKER_10: In Nomine Patris et Pili, it's Gianna was a natural leader.
[7:42] SPEAKER_00: She looked around the room and smiled broadly at the girls that admired her.
[7:47] SPEAKER_00: She cared for them deeply and ardently desired to lift their souls to Christ.
[7:54] SPEAKER_10: All right, today we're going to pay a visit to the elderly who need our care, our love, and compassion.
[8:01] SPEAKER_10: Please see my sister Virginia with your assignment and remember to group together.
[8:11] SPEAKER_08: Gianna, may I speak with you for a moment?
[8:13] SPEAKER_08: Of course.
[8:15] SPEAKER_08: I I just wanted to um talk about your workload.
[8:19] SPEAKER_08: I I know you've been accepted to medical school, and I don't want you to feel overburdened with so much on your plate.
[8:26] SPEAKER_08: That's very kind, Carla.
[8:28] SPEAKER_10: But I'm quite resolute on continuing my work for Catholic action.
[8:32] SPEAKER_10: It won't be easy.
[8:34] SPEAKER_10: Especially for me.
[8:36] SPEAKER_10: You know how I've struggled in school, but saving the world has never been easy.
[8:41] SPEAKER_10: Neither for the Son of God nor for the apostles.
[8:45] SPEAKER_10: I thought you might say so.
[8:47] SPEAKER_08: You Baretta's astound me.
[8:49] SPEAKER_08: A priest?
[8:50] SPEAKER_08: A doctor?
[8:50] SPEAKER_08: And Ginia just told me she's thinking about becoming a nun?
[8:54] SPEAKER_08: You're also accomplished.
[8:56] SPEAKER_10: We're blessed.
[8:58] SPEAKER_08: Hmm.
[8:58] SPEAKER_08: Well, I don't want to hold us up any longer.
[9:01] SPEAKER_08: It looks like I'm in your group today.
[9:03] SPEAKER_10: Oh, wonderful.
[9:04] SPEAKER_10: Look like we're visiting Mr.
[9:08] SPEAKER_10: Giordano.
[9:09] SPEAKER_10: Come, I don't want to keep him waiting.
[9:23] SPEAKER_00: And so Gianna began medical school while never abandoning her commitment to prayer and the sacraments.
[9:31] SPEAKER_00: She began each day with holy mass and offered her day up to God on her knees.
[9:40] SPEAKER_10: Lord, may this light you have lit in my soul never be extinguished.
[9:46] SPEAKER_10: Please help me make holy each moment of my day for love of you.
[9:52] SPEAKER_10: Amen.
[9:57] SPEAKER_00: And that's just what she did.
[9:59] SPEAKER_00: Gianna sought the Lord through her studies, in each soul that she encountered, and through her pursuit of a life lived to the fullest.
[10:08] SPEAKER_00: She had a conviction and serenity to her character that made people feel at ease.
[10:14] SPEAKER_00: But what was even more noticeable than her peace was her joy.
[10:18] SPEAKER_00: After graduating from medical school, she began working as a physician.
[10:23] SPEAKER_00: Gianna cared for the sick with a tenderness and intensity.
[10:27] SPEAKER_00: She saw each patient as a part of the body of Christ.
[10:32] SPEAKER_00: And because of this, the little town of Mecero came to trust and adore her.
[10:38] SPEAKER_00: It was during this time that she contemplated becoming a missionary with her brother, who was serving in Brazil.
[10:44] SPEAKER_00: But God had another plan in mind that he soon made known to Gianna.
[11:02] SPEAKER_11: Dr.
[11:02] SPEAKER_11: Beretta, patient in 306 is asking to see you.
[11:06] SPEAKER_11: Thank you.
[11:07] SPEAKER_11: I'll be right there.
[11:09] SPEAKER_00: The day was April 16th, and Gianna glanced through her charts at the hospital, not knowing that this ordinary day would change the course of her life entirely.
[11:19] SPEAKER_00: Her heart sank as she looked at the vital signs of her patient in room 306, a young woman named Teresina.
[11:28] SPEAKER_00: Gianna knew she was in her final days on earth and offered a quiet prayer for her soul before opening the door.
[11:36] SPEAKER_10: Jesus, please make yourself visible through me.
[11:39] SPEAKER_10: I love you, Jesus.
[11:44] SPEAKER_10: Good morning, Teresina.
[11:47] SPEAKER_10: Doctor Beretta, I am so glad to see you.
[11:51] SPEAKER_10: Oh, but I am the one glad to see you.
[11:54] SPEAKER_10: And look at these lovely daisies.
[11:57] SPEAKER_10: Did you bring this?
[11:58] SPEAKER_02: Yes.
[12:00] SPEAKER_02: Yes, it reminded me of my sister.
[12:03] SPEAKER_02: Thank you so much, Doctor.
[12:05] SPEAKER_10: Gianna.
[12:06] SPEAKER_02: Pietro, Teresina's older brother.
[12:10] SPEAKER_10: Wonderful to meet you.
[12:12] SPEAKER_10: I just came in to check on this infusion.
[12:14] SPEAKER_10: How are you feeling?
[12:15] SPEAKER_10: Can I get you something for the pain?
[12:18] SPEAKER_10: Please.
[12:20] SPEAKER_10: Of course.
[12:21] SPEAKER_10: I'll be right back with your medication.
[12:28] SPEAKER_00: As Gianna walked out the door, Pietro felt her stay near his heart.
[12:33] SPEAKER_00: He was suddenly captivated by the beautiful woman in the white coat.
[12:38] SPEAKER_00: She had a compassion and serenity in her eyes and a smile that filled him with a deep sense of joy.
[12:51] SPEAKER_02: Oh Lord, what are you up to?
[13:02] SPEAKER_00: Months passed, and Pietro and Gianna's paths never crossed.
[13:07] SPEAKER_00: He was a quiet, diligent engineer, and she was a selfless, devoted physician.
[13:12] SPEAKER_00: It wasn't until a mutual friend's priestly ordination that the Lord brought them together again.
[13:22] SPEAKER_00: Pietro noticed Gianna following the ordination mass, kneeling in prayer, and felt an indescribable sense that the Immaculate Mother had blessed him with Gianna.
[13:36] SPEAKER_00: He tried to steady his fluttering heart, his stomach somersaulting, and nervously waited while she prayed.
[13:52] SPEAKER_10: Pietro, of course I remember you.
[13:55] SPEAKER_10: I didn't know you were friends with Lino.
[13:57] SPEAKER_10: I mean Father Lino.
[14:00] SPEAKER_02: Yes, I am.
[14:03] SPEAKER_10: Well, I actually have to get going.
[14:08] SPEAKER_02: Of course.
[14:09] SPEAKER_02: Um wonderful to to see you again, uh Dr.
[14:12] SPEAKER_02: Beretta.
[14:17] SPEAKER_10: Would you like to walk me home?
[14:18] SPEAKER_02: Walk you home?
[14:21] SPEAKER_02: Yes, I would love that.
[14:24] SPEAKER_10: Perfect.
[14:26] SPEAKER_10: There's just one condition.
[14:28] SPEAKER_02: What's that?
[14:29] SPEAKER_10: Call me Gianna.
[14:31] SPEAKER_02: That's that is easy enough.
[14:34] SPEAKER_02: Uh, what way are we headed, Gianna?
[14:37] SPEAKER_10: This way.
[14:44] SPEAKER_00: And the rest, as they say, is history.
[14:47] SPEAKER_00: Gianna and Pietro fell in love quickly, but in some ways, it felt as though they had always known one another.
[14:55] SPEAKER_00: There was a deep familiarity founded in their love of Christ and zeal they shared for life.
[15:02] SPEAKER_00: They fell in love over cups of coffee.
[15:10] SPEAKER_10: Anyway, as a child, we would always picnic on Lake Maggiore.
[15:14] SPEAKER_10: It was just sublime.
[15:16] SPEAKER_10: Have you been?
[15:17] SPEAKER_02: No, I I've always wanted to.
[15:20] SPEAKER_02: You'll have to bring me there someday.
[15:23] SPEAKER_10: I think that can be arranged.
[15:26] SPEAKER_00: They went skiing down the mountains of the real.
[15:30] SPEAKER_00: Are you with me, Gianna?
[15:32] SPEAKER_11: Right on your tail!
[15:34] SPEAKER_02: Where are you going?
[15:36] SPEAKER_11: The Siperslocks are calling our name.
[15:39] SPEAKER_11: Come on, it'll be an adventure.
[15:41] SPEAKER_02: Everything's an adventure with you, huh?
[15:47] SPEAKER_00: They went to the opera, the movies, and theater.
[15:54] SPEAKER_10: What do you think?
[15:57] SPEAKER_02: I think.
[15:59] SPEAKER_10: Yes.
[16:01] SPEAKER_02: I think.
[16:03] SPEAKER_02: No, I I know.
[16:05] SPEAKER_02: I've never been happier.
[16:29] SPEAKER_00: Pietro and Gianna sought beauty together, and life became the type of adventure that they had read about in books and longed for all their life.
[16:39] SPEAKER_00: They both had demanding careers.
[16:42] SPEAKER_00: Pietro working as an engineer and Gianna a doctor, and spent much time apart during courtship.
[16:48] SPEAKER_00: But when they were apart, they would write to one another to stay in touch.
[16:56] SPEAKER_10: My dearest Pietro, I want to make you happy and to be what you desire.
[17:02] SPEAKER_10: Good, understanding, and ready for the sacrifices that life will require of us.
[17:15] SPEAKER_02: A new life is beginning for me.
[17:18] SPEAKER_02: The life of your great affection and your radiant your radiant goodness.
[17:23] SPEAKER_02: We are starting the journey of our love.
[17:27] SPEAKER_10: Now that is you, whom I already love, and to whom I intend to give myself to form a true Christian family.
[17:37] SPEAKER_02: My love is yours.
[17:40] SPEAKER_10: Arrivederci with affection, Donna.
[17:46] SPEAKER_02: With all my love, Pietro.
[17:59] SPEAKER_00: On April 11th, 1955, Pietro got down on one knee and asked the question that had been on his heart since the moment he first met Gianna.
[18:15] SPEAKER_02: Gianna, you say you want to make me happy.
[18:21] SPEAKER_02: You have made me the happiest man.
[18:26] SPEAKER_02: In return.
[18:30] SPEAKER_02: In return for the gift of your heart and your love, my heart is all yours.
[18:38] SPEAKER_02: And my love will be only and always for you.
[18:44] SPEAKER_07: Oh Pietro.
[18:46] SPEAKER_02: Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?
[18:49] SPEAKER_07: Yes.
[18:50] SPEAKER_02: Yes.
[18:54] SPEAKER_07: Yes, yes, yes.
[18:55] SPEAKER_07: Yes.
[19:01] SPEAKER_10: Oh, and Pietro.
[19:03] SPEAKER_10: I have something for you too.
[19:06] SPEAKER_10: To mark this day.
[19:08] SPEAKER_10: I've been carrying it around with me, knowing that this question was on the horizon.
[19:15] SPEAKER_02: Watch! Janna, it's it's beautiful.
[19:20] SPEAKER_10: It's to mark our time together.
[19:23] SPEAKER_10: The most beautiful and serene time in our lives.
[19:33] SPEAKER_00: Just five months later, on September 24th, 1955, Gianna and Pietro were married.
[19:40] SPEAKER_00: Gianna's joy always seemed to radiate from her.
[19:45] SPEAKER_00: But that day, as she walked down the aisle in her flowing ivory dress towards the love of her life, her joy was indescribable.
[20:03] SPEAKER_02: I, Pietro, take you, Gianna, to be my wife.
[20:08] SPEAKER_10: I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad.
[20:13] SPEAKER_02: In sickness and in health.
[20:16] SPEAKER_10: I will love you and honor you.
[20:19] SPEAKER_02: All the days of my life.
[20:42] SPEAKER_00: And on November 19th, 1956, Pierre Luigi was born.
[20:49] SPEAKER_00: Though the years passed quickly, Gianna continued to make each moment holy.
[20:55] SPEAKER_00: She would slip out to morning mass before the baby was awake and offer her day to God.
[21:00] SPEAKER_00: Her prayer sustained her appetite for the beauty of a life lived to the fullest for Christ.
[21:08] SPEAKER_02: Gianna, I was thinking it would be nice to vacation in Courmayer again in uh December.
[21:14] SPEAKER_10: Well, I don't think that timing will work.
[21:18] SPEAKER_02: No.
[21:18] SPEAKER_10: I think Pierre Luigi's sibling will arrive that month.
[21:23] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, see, that's right.
[21:26] SPEAKER_02: Wait.
[21:27] SPEAKER_02: Sibling?
[21:28] SPEAKER_02: Gianna, are you is there two two babies?
[21:47] SPEAKER_00: Little Mariolina arrived in December, and just two years later, her sister Loretta was born.
[21:53] SPEAKER_00: Pietro and Gianna called their three children their treasures and truly cherished each of them.
[22:00] SPEAKER_00: Them.
[22:00] SPEAKER_00: Pietro continued to work hard as an engineer, and Gianna continued to practice medicine.
[22:06] SPEAKER_00: She gave of herself entirely to her husband, children, and patients.
[22:12] SPEAKER_00: She delighted in the chaos of it all.
[22:15] SPEAKER_00: Life was simple, ordinary, and wonderful.
[22:25] SPEAKER_00: The years went by, and on a warm day in September 1961, Gianna was out tending her garden, her three little ones happily playing in the grass beside her.
[22:37] SPEAKER_00: Gianna was expecting again and couldn't help but smile, knowing that a fourth little one would soon be joining the family.
[22:49] SPEAKER_07: Hey hey, hey, hey! Pierre Luigi, listen to your sister.
[23:01] SPEAKER_10: Yes, yes, but will you run inside and get your father?
[23:10] SPEAKER_02: Jenna, are you all right?
[23:13] SPEAKER_10: I I'm having an unfamiliar pain.
[23:19] SPEAKER_10: I think we'd better get to the hospital.
[23:32] SPEAKER_01: Well, Gianna, your intuition was right.
[23:35] SPEAKER_01: You have a large but benign fibroid tumor that is causing this pain.
[23:40] SPEAKER_10: And my baby?
[23:41] SPEAKER_01: Completely healthy, from what I can see.
[23:45] SPEAKER_01: No.
[23:46] SPEAKER_01: You have three options, but we must take action.
[23:49] SPEAKER_01: You can remove the tumor and carry on with your pregnancy.
[23:53] SPEAKER_01: Or there are other options.
[23:56] SPEAKER_01: As a physician, I'm sure you know that the hysterectomy would completely No.
[24:01] SPEAKER_10: Save us both.
[24:03] SPEAKER_10: You have to save us both.
[24:05] SPEAKER_01: Jara!
[24:06] SPEAKER_10: Pietro, I know what I'm doing.
[24:09] SPEAKER_10: God knows what he's doing.
[24:12] SPEAKER_01: Very well.
[24:13] SPEAKER_01: If your mind is made up, then we'll schedule surgery right away to remove the tumor.
[24:20] SPEAKER_01: We will do everything we can to save you both.
[24:22] SPEAKER_10: Thank you.
[24:24] SPEAKER_01: Of course.
[24:26] SPEAKER_01: And just you know the risks with this decision, Dr.
[24:32] SPEAKER_01: Mola.
[24:33] SPEAKER_10: Yes.
[24:34] SPEAKER_10: And more importantly, I know the value of my child's life.
[24:44] SPEAKER_00: At 16 weeks pregnant, Gianna underwent surgery, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief that both Gianna and her baby were well.
[24:58] SPEAKER_00: Time passed, and as the weeks drew near to the due date, Gianna began to tidy, clean, and prepare in a way she never had before.
[25:09] SPEAKER_00: Almost like she was packing for a long voyage.
[25:16] SPEAKER_00: When she was nine months pregnant, on an overcast morning in April, Gianna leaned against the wingback chair in the entryway, her hands resting on her belly, feeling their reassuring kicks from her baby inside.
[25:30] SPEAKER_02: I have to go into the factory for a bit.
[25:33] SPEAKER_02: I'll see you tonight.
[25:35] SPEAKER_10: Pietro.
[25:36] SPEAKER_02: What is it?
[25:37] SPEAKER_10: Pietro, if you have to decide between me and the child, don't hesitate at all.
[25:43] SPEAKER_10: Choose the baby.
[25:44] SPEAKER_10: I insist.
[25:46] SPEAKER_10: Save the baby.
[25:50] SPEAKER_00: There was something in her eyes that caught him off guard.
[25:54] SPEAKER_00: A resolute serenity and strength.
[25:58] SPEAKER_00: His heart sank as he processed her words.
[26:01] SPEAKER_00: Kissing her cheek lightly, he smiled the way he had done a thousand times before and turned to leave.
[26:09] SPEAKER_00: I'll see you tonight.
[26:12] SPEAKER_02: I love you.
[26:14] SPEAKER_10: And I love you.
[26:24] SPEAKER_00: It was only when the door clicked behind him that he let himself feel a fragment of the reality of letting her go.
[26:32] SPEAKER_00: Tears filled his eyes, and he struggled to breathe, thinking of life without her.
[26:39] SPEAKER_00: Brushing it from his mind, he walked on.
[26:50] SPEAKER_00: Two weeks later, on Good Friday, the day our Lord suffered his passion and death, Gianna left for the hospital to give birth.
[27:06] SPEAKER_10: I'll miss you more.
[27:08] SPEAKER_10: Now be a brave big brother while I'm gonna write.
[27:11] SPEAKER_10: I'll be right back.
[27:13] SPEAKER_10: Ciao mama.
[27:15] SPEAKER_10: Ciao.
[27:20] SPEAKER_00: Two days passed of a long and arduous labor.
[27:25] SPEAKER_00: And on Holy Saturday, the fourth Mola baby finally entered this world.
[27:32] SPEAKER_09: Oh, she's here.
[27:35] SPEAKER_09: She's here.
[27:36] SPEAKER_09: Let me see her.
[27:38] SPEAKER_02: She's beautiful.
[27:39] SPEAKER_02: Just the perfect.
[27:43] SPEAKER_10: What shall we name her?
[27:46] SPEAKER_02: Gianna.
[27:48] SPEAKER_10: Yes?
[27:49] SPEAKER_02: No.
[27:50] SPEAKER_02: Her name is Gianna.
[27:52] SPEAKER_02: After incredibly brave mama.
[28:00] SPEAKER_00: Gianna gazed at her baby for a very long time in silence.
[28:05] SPEAKER_00: She held her with an indescribable tenderness and caressed her gently without saying a word.
[28:14] SPEAKER_00: These were the final gentle moments.
[28:17] SPEAKER_00: She held her baby.
[28:20] SPEAKER_00: And then without warning, she was overcome with pain.
[28:30] SPEAKER_02: What is it?
[28:31] SPEAKER_02: Are you right?
[29:08] SPEAKER_01: I'm glad to see you awake.
[29:13] SPEAKER_10: Tell me.
[29:15] SPEAKER_01: Um I'm afraid Gianna is septic burning tonight.
[29:26] SPEAKER_01: I'm afraid there's nothing we can do.
[29:35] SPEAKER_10: Thank you for saving my baby.
[29:40] SPEAKER_01: I'm just I'm sorry.
[29:45] SPEAKER_01: I couldn't save you both.
[29:50] SPEAKER_09: Whatever God wants.
[30:00] SPEAKER_00: And so, after entering the hospital on Good Friday, Gianna's own cavalry had begun.
[30:08] SPEAKER_00: Pietro never left her side.
[30:12] SPEAKER_00: His quiet, steadfast love for his bride only seemed to grow as she entered into the final days of her life.
[30:22] SPEAKER_00: By a small miracle, Gianna's beloved sister, who had joined the Kenossian Order and was now Mother Virginia, was able to make it from her mission in India.
[30:34] SPEAKER_00: Just in time to say goodbye.
[30:44] SPEAKER_09: Finally, you're here.
[30:47] SPEAKER_09: Oh I'm so glad I made it in time.
[30:53] SPEAKER_09: If you only knew, Genia How painful it is to have to die and leave the children who are so little.
[31:13] SPEAKER_09: Oh my sweet sister.
[31:17] SPEAKER_09: They will never be alone.
[31:22] SPEAKER_09: I'm just so sorry you have to suffer like this.
[31:28] SPEAKER_09: We cannot love without suffering.
[31:32] SPEAKER_09: Or suffer without loving.
[31:35] SPEAKER_00: Gianna wipes the tears that had trickled down her cheeks and turned to her husband.
[31:44] SPEAKER_09: Pietro, we don't have much time left.
[31:50] SPEAKER_09: I want to go home.
[31:55] SPEAKER_09: I want to hear our little treasures one last time.
[32:02] SPEAKER_02: Let's go home.
[32:25] SPEAKER_00: The sun rose on her final morning here on this earth.
[32:34] SPEAKER_00: The dawn filled the room with a warm light, giving hope to their broken hearts.
[32:41] SPEAKER_00: Pietro had never left her side.
[32:44] SPEAKER_00: The morning light reflected off his gold watch.
[32:48] SPEAKER_00: Their final minutes together ticked by faster than he could control.
[32:54] SPEAKER_00: Gianna turned to him, her eyes still full of the love that had captured his heart seven years ago.
[33:03] SPEAKER_00: He smiled softly as the tears flowed, slowly rocking their baby back and forth.
[33:30] SPEAKER_06: We had more time.
[33:41] SPEAKER_09: But we were made for time.
[33:45] SPEAKER_09: We were made for eternity.
[33:52] SPEAKER_00: And then the mother that gave everything let her gaze fall on her sweet little one, swaddled in a soft blanket.
[34:04] SPEAKER_00: Her baby slept soundly, safe, and warm in her father's arms.
[34:15] SPEAKER_00: And now, Gianna ached to be in her own father's embrace.
[34:22] SPEAKER_00: She turned toward the morning light streaming in through the window and listened to the angelic sounds of her children in the next room.
[35:17] SPEAKER_00: But she left something behind that would change it.
[35:22] SPEAKER_00: Her joy, her zeal for life, her love for God.
[35:30] SPEAKER_00: It had been a short life, but all of it, every moment she made holy, mattered.
[35:49] SPEAKER_02: Thank you so much, Doctor.
[35:51] SPEAKER_10: Dan, would you like to walk me home?
[35:55] SPEAKER_02: Yes, I would love that.
[35:58] SPEAKER_11: The steeper slopes are calling our names.
[36:01] SPEAKER_11: Come on, it'll be an adventure.
[36:03] SPEAKER_02: Everything's an adventure with you, huh?
[36:07] SPEAKER_10: My dearest Pietro, I want to make you happy and to be what you desire.
[36:13] SPEAKER_02: You have made me the happiest man.
[36:16] SPEAKER_02: Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?
[36:20] SPEAKER_07: Yes.
[36:21] SPEAKER_02: Yes.
[36:24] SPEAKER_07: Yes, yes, yes.
[36:47] SPEAKER_00: Those little moments accumulated into a life of holiness, a life of sainthood, and her work here on earth had only just begun.
[36:59] SPEAKER_00: After her death, her story began to spread, and soon thousands, millions were inspired by the mother from Italy.
[37:10] SPEAKER_00: One mother, in particular, called upon Gianna in her hour of need.
[37:26] SPEAKER_05: Carlos, I'm scared.
[37:30] SPEAKER_04: I know.
[37:31] SPEAKER_04: I am too.
[37:32] SPEAKER_04: But we have to trust in God's will.
[37:34] SPEAKER_04: Keep praying for Gianna's intercession.
[37:37] SPEAKER_04: She's gotten us this far.
[37:44] SPEAKER_03: Elizabeth, are you ready?
[37:47] SPEAKER_05: Yes.
[37:48] SPEAKER_05: I think so.
[37:56] SPEAKER_05: Gianna.
[37:58] SPEAKER_05: Please help me.
[38:00] SPEAKER_05: Please save my baby.
[38:04] SPEAKER_04: Please, Gianna.
[38:05] SPEAKER_04: Please.
[38:15] SPEAKER_09: Congratulations.
[38:17] SPEAKER_09: It's a girl.
[38:19] SPEAKER_09: Thank you.
[38:22] SPEAKER_09: Thank you.
[38:29] SPEAKER_03: Elizabeth.
[38:31] SPEAKER_03: I I've never seen anything like this.
[38:36] SPEAKER_09: This truly is a miracle.
[38:42] SPEAKER_09: A miracle.
[38:44] SPEAKER_09: Did you hear that?
[38:46] SPEAKER_09: You are a miracle.
[38:51] SPEAKER_09: What will you name her?
[38:54] SPEAKER_09: Gianna.
[38:55] SPEAKER_09: Her name is Gianna.
[38:58] SPEAKER_09: You're named after a saint little one.
[39:01] SPEAKER_09: The saint who saved your life.
[39:54] SPEAKER_00: Gianna had always wanted to go on mission in Brazil, and as it came to be, both miracles that led to her canonization took place in Brazil.
[40:06] SPEAKER_00: On May 16, 2004, Gianna was canonized and became the first married laywoman to become a saint in the Catholic Church.
[40:16] SPEAKER_00: Among the crowd of thousands stood Pietro and their daughter Gianna.
[40:22] SPEAKER_00: Making history as the first spouse of a saint to attend to canonization, Gianna is the patron saint of physicians, mothers, and unborn children.
[40:33] SPEAKER_00: Many remember Gianna for her heroism in the final days of her life, but the reality is that she lived a life of heroic love the entirety of her life.
[40:45] SPEAKER_00: That is what made her a saint.
[40:48] SPEAKER_00: Her courage at the end was only the final touch on her life of sainthood.
[40:54] SPEAKER_00: Gianna had a zeal for life, for the beauty of God's creation, and for each soul she encountered.
[41:02] SPEAKER_00: What are ways that you can adopt Gianna's passion for life?
[41:07] SPEAKER_00: How can you seek to make holy each moment?
[41:11] SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's in stepping outside and marveling at the beauty around you.
[41:16] SPEAKER_00: Or in treating each person you encounter as the body of Christ.
[41:23] SPEAKER_00: Saint Gianna, pray for us.

Shows are listed from Apple Podcasts' charts and directory, and Podcast Index where it is used. Every show and episode belongs to its publisher and plays from the publisher's own feed; this site hosts none of them.