Archbishop Burke Visits St. Gianna’s Home

From the St. Louis Review:

Archbishop Raymond L. Burke began the new year by making a pilgrimage to Milan, Italy, to venerate the tomb of St. Gianna Beretta Molla.

The archbishop met with the husband and relatives of St. Gianna and visited places of interest where the saint lived and died. Canonized in 2004, St. Gianna was a medical doctor, a faithful wife and a mother who sacrificed her own life that her last child could be born.

Archbishop Burke had three special intentions in his prayers during the pilgrimage. He was praying for a number of couples who are having difficulty conceiving and bringing to birth a child. He also was praying for the new archdiocesan St. Gianna Parish in Lake St. Louis, asking God’s blessing upon the parishioners and their pastor, Father Timothy Elliott. Thirdly, he prayed for St. Gianna’s intervention in the activities of a recently formed national association of Cath-olic physicians under her patronage, in which the archbishop is a collaborator.

The St. Gianna Physicians Guild aims to bring together doctors and others in the medical profession from across the country, united by their faith, to grow in the spiritual life and to voice Catholic positions on moral and ethical issues.

Thomas McKenna, a layman and longtime friend of the archbishop, founded the St. Gianna Physicians Guild in San Diego with Dr. Paul Morrow, professor and chairman of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department at the University of Southern California. McKenna visited the family of the saint earlier this year and helped with the arrangements of Archbishop Burke’s recent pilgrimage.

The organization will provide spiritual support for physicians and health care workers facing many challenges to their faith. "I have been very encouraged with the formation of the St. Gianna Physicians Guild and am pleased to support the members," said Archbishop Burke. "St. Gianna was a medical doctor, a wife and mother of four children and, above all, an active, practicing Catholic. She will serve as an inspiring example to physicians who want to bring the faith into their practice of medicine," he said.

After arriving in Milan on New Year’s morning, Archbishop Burke met Sister Virginia Beretta, St. Gianna’s sister, at her convent where he celebrated Mass in the community chapel. Following Mass, Archbishop Burke was invited to have tea with Sister Virginia as she recounted stories about the life and activities of the saint.

Sister Virginia later accompanied Archbishop Burke to visit her brother, Father Giuseppe Beretta, a priest of the Diocese of Bergamo. The archbishop was warmly received, and Father Giuseppe showed him many family photos and told stories about his saintly sister.

The archbishop was invited to stay for dinner and enjoyed a meal, listening to stories about St. Gianna’s life from the two family members.

"Throughout her life, my sister strove to bring others closer to God. She was especially connected to mothers. She wanted very much to have children, and she prayed constantly for this intention," Father Giuseppe said.

The next morning, Archbishop Burke traveled to the little town of Mesero to celebrate Mass at the tomb of St. Gianna. There he met Father Tiziano Sangalli, the recently appointed custodian of the Shrine and Family Spiritual Center of St. Gianna Beretta Molla. Mass participants included Laura Molla, one of the daughters of St. Gianna, a niece of St. Gianna, the sister of St. Gianna’s husband, Pietro, and the mayor of Mesero.

The archbishop had the opportunity to pray silently before the tomb. He was then shown a mosaic on the wall behind the altar, which depicts the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima. In place of the three shepherd children, contemplating Our Lady are St. Gianna, Mariolina, her deceased daughter, and Teresina, her husband’s deceased sister. Archbishop Burke then celebrated Mass on the altar inside the mausoleum beside the tomb.

After Mass, the archbishop visited Pietro Molla, the 94-year-old husband of St. Gianna, and his daughter, Dr. Gianna Emanuela, the one for whom St. Gianna had sacrificed her life. Archbishop Burke brought Communion to the family since they are unable to leave the house to attend Mass, due to Molla’s feeble health.

After administering the sacrament and giving his blessing, the archbishop showed them a copy of the article published in the Review in 2006 announcing the formation of the new parish named after St. Gianna.

They were pleased and presented the archbishop with a number of books and novena cards in English to be given out at the new parish. Most special of all was a first-class relic they presented to him in a beautiful gold reliquary. Archbishop Burke was thankful and plans to place it in the altar of the new church in the St. Louis Archdiocese.

Following the visit, the archbishop was the guest of honor at a lunch hosted in a nearby restaurant by the Italian pro-life organization, Voglio Vivere (I Want to Live). Members of the Molla family and Father Sangalli, as well as local dignitaries, attended.

That afternoon, Archbishop Burke was led on a tour of the town. The first stop was to see a local church which is undergoing a full restoration to serve as the chapel of the Shrine and Family Spiritual Center. He then visited the Basilica of San Martino, in which St. Gianna was baptized, received her First Communion and was married.

He also visited the house where she died, the small chapel of Our Lady of Good Counsel where she attended daily Mass after being married, as well as the high school she attended as a young lady.

Before leaving the next day, Archbishop Burke celebrated Mass in the crypt chapel of the 1,100-year old Cathedral (Duomo) of Milan. After Mass, the archbishop was invited to pray at the tomb of St. Charles Borromeo and was given a tour of the historic cathedral by Msgr. Giordano Ronchi. The visit included the ancient baptistery at which St. Ambrose baptized St. Augustine of Hippo. St. Gianna Beretta Molla is the first saint from Milan to be canonized since St. Charles Borromeo was canonized in 1610.

Regarding the pilgrimage, Archbishop Burke commented, "The two days of pilgrimage to the holy places of St. Gianna were a great blessing for me as archbishop. Having promoted devotion to St. Gianna since her beatification in 1994 and having enjoyed a correspondence with her saintly husband and her daughter, Gianna Emanuela, over the past 10 years, the archbishop found great grace in visiting the family and praying at the places in which St. Gianna lived.

"It pleased me especially to be able to pray, during the pilgrimage, for couples desiring to have a baby, for St. Gianna Parish at Lake St. Louis and for the recently established St. Gianna Physicians Guild," Archbishop Burke said. "I am certain that St. Gianna will intercede powerfully for the couples, parishioners and Catholic physicians who have been placed under her spiritual protection."

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Source: St Louis Review (Jan 26, 2007)