St. Gianna, the woman who did it all

The role of women in the Catholic Church is something we’ve discussed here before. There have been a number of criticisms over the years, but Blessed John Paul II helped us to see that the Church truly needs and appreciates the contribution of women. 

There is still unrest among women, though, especially those who are called to the married life. Some worry about holding a career while raising children, while others wonder if the challenges of their vocation can be sanctified.

In Him, it is always Yes—a woman can hold career, can be a good mother, and can also be a saint! Just look to St. Gianna Molla, who died on this day in 1962.

St. Gianna is often remembered as the mother who gave up her life to save her child. When she was pregnant with her third daughter, doctors discovered that Gianna had developed a fibroma in her uterus. Before undergoing surgery, Gianna begged the surgeon to save her child’s life. After the surgery and throughout her pregnancy, she turned these pleadings to God. She insisted that He choose the child’s life over hers. And He did—Gianna Emanuela was born on the morning of April 21, and her mother died one week later, despite all efforts to save her. In the pain of death, St. Gianna repeated over and over, “Jesus, I love you.”

St. Gianna was 39 when she died, and she had been preparing for that moment of sacrifice her whole entire life.

The contribution of women

The general papal intention for March is: “That the whole world may recognise the contribution of women to the development of society.”

This intention is a powerful one, because through the centuries people have questioned the role of women in the Catholic Church. Are women worth less because they can’t be priests, people have asked, and are they born only to serve lesser roles in society?

Blessed John Paul II’s “Letter to Women” addresses these issues and makes it quite clear that the Catholic Church values women and what they give to the world.

Women have had their dignity questioned for centuries, Blessed John Paul II wrote, and this is a shame. If one simply looks back to the “attitude of Jesus Christ himself,” they will see that He transcended “the established norms of his own culture,” and “Jesus treated women with openness, respect, acceptance and tenderness.” This message should be heard and acted upon in Third Millennium, Blessed John Paul II said. Women deserve affirmation because they are children of God, he wrote, and society greatly benefits when they participate: