Hundreds of witnesses gathered yesterday to welcome the unveiling of a statue of St Gianna Molla at the Carfin Grotto in Motherwell, Scotland. The statue was sponsored by the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), and unveiled by its CEO, John Deighan.
The statue was blessed during the unveiling ceremony, followed by a Holy Mass and Blessing with the St Gianna Relic, marking the sixtieth anniversary of St Gianna’s death and “birth in Heaven”.
Gianna Beretta Molla was an Italian paediatrician who refused an abortion to save the life of her fourth child. Abiding by her Catholic faith and pro-life values, Gianna died on 28 April 1962 – but her baby daughter, Gianna, was saved and went on to become a doctor.
St Gianna was later canonised on 16 May 2004 by Pope John Paul II.
“It’s wonderful to see so many people here for the whole event”, said Mr Deighan, yesterday, on 28 April at the Carfin Grotto.
At the Holy Mass, Mr Deighan quoted St Gianna’s husband’s assessment of her beliefs, that “Life is in itself the first and irreplaceable gift of God. The first and irreplaceable because it is a necessary premise for any other wonderful gift of God.”
St Gianna’s family expressed their gratitude to SPUC for sponsoring the statue.
SPUC comment
A SPUC spokesperson said: “St Gianna Molla will continue to be an inspiration to us all who seek to live pro-life values bravely and with compassion. Her life-giving valour, steadfastness and love were truly saintly qualities that deserve to be remembered and replicated.
“We must never underestimate the value and sheer miracle of life, today even more so as we campaign to rid the world of the blight of abortion.
“Every life is a blessing, like St Gianna’s, and has the potential to touch the lives of others in the most remarkable of ways. Yesterday underlined that central hope and will to live better and serve the unborn in the best way we can.”
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