(WNY News Now) – Buffalo – Dr. Gianna Emanuela Molla, daughter of St. Gianna Beretta Molla, plans a transformative visit to the Diocese of Buffalo from July 11 to 14, 2024, celebrating the legacy of her mother, a revered figure in Catholicism.

Dr. Gianna Emanuela Molla, the daughter of St. Gianna Beretta and Pietro Molla, will visit the Diocese of Buffalo July 11 to 14. St. Gianna is the patron saint of mothers, physicians, and unborn children.

The primary purpose of Dr. Molla’s visit is to meet with Cheryl Calire, director of the Office of Life Ministries for the diocese, who is retiring at the end of this year. Dr. Molla will also make numerous visits throughout the diocese during her stay, including:

Thursday, July 11

• 10 a.m. – Dedication of the new St. Gianna and Pietro Molla Family Garden and Statue, Mt. Olivet Cemetery, 4000 Elmwood Ave., Kenmore
• 4 p.m. – Mass and Blessing of the new St. Gianna Molla Pregnancy Outreach Center (the 8^th to open in WNY), St. Mary’s Church, 13 South Main St., Town of Holley

Friday, July 12

• 2:30 p.m. – Adventures in Sainthood/Respect Life Art Contest, Our Lady of Victory National Shrine & Basilica, 767 Ridge Road, Lackawanna
• 5 p.m. – Benediction & Praying of the Rosary, followed by remarks from special guest Robert G. White, president and presentation director of the Society of St. Gianna Molla, Our Lady of Victory National Shrine & Basilica, 767 Ridge Road, Lackawanna

Sunday, July 14

• 10:30 a.m. – Mass in honor of the visit of Dr. Gianna Emanuela Molla, St. Joseph Cathedral, 50 Franklin St., Buffalo. A luncheon in her honor will follow at 12:30 p.m. with remarks by Dr. Molla at the Admiral Room, 237 Main St., Buffalo.

St. Gianna Beretta Molla is the patron saint of mothers, physicians, and unborn children. Born in 1922, she was a devoted Catholic, wife, mother, and pediatrician. During her fourth pregnancy in 1962, she developed a fibroma on her uterus, which put her pregnancy and her life in danger. When offered the options of abortion, a full hysterectomy or removal of the fibroma, she opted for the latter, informing doctors that saving the life of her child was a higher priority to her than her own life. 

Gianna Emanuela Molla was born April 21, 1962. One week later, following the onset of septic peritonitis, Gianna Beretta Molla passed away with her husband at her side.

Dr. Molla’s visit will highlight the culmination of the growth of Pro-Life ministries in the Diocese of Buffalo, beginning with a single room serving 200 people, and expanding to eight St. Gianna Molla Pregnancy Outreach Centers, located throughout Western New York. 

The movement to seek the elder Molla’s sainthood began in the 1970s when Pope Paul VI was urged to begin the cause for canonization. She was beatified in April 1994 by Pope John Paul II, and was canonized by the same pope in May 2004, in the presence of her family.

Following in her mother’s footsteps, Gianna Emanuela pursued a medical career and became a physician, specializing in geriatrics. As a living relic of a saint, Dr. Molla also travels to speak to congregations about her mother’s legacy, the cause for Pietro Molla’s sainthood, and the Pro-Life cause.