House of Gianna

House Patron: St. Gianna Beretta Molla     
House Color: Light Blue
Feast Day:  April 28

Motto: Te mihi praeponam (You before me)

 

Symbol: Footprints

Gianna begged her doctors to save the baby’s life over her own, and she has special patronage over mothers and unborn children.

 

Crest:

House of Gianna’s “baby blue” signifies a devotion to new life and a special devotion to the unborn. Gianna discovered holiness through her vocation to marriage and motherhood. She was a physician, as represented by the stethoscope; she was a devoted wife and mother, as signified by the two wedding rings and the four stars, which represent her four children. In 1961 Gianna became pregnant with her fourth child but was diagnosed with a tumor in her uterus shortly afterward. Because of her medical training, she knew the implications of refusing an abortion and hysterectomy. She begged her doctors to save the baby’s life over her own, and this heroic choice is enshrined in the motto of the House of Gianna: “You before me.” John Paul II canonized Saint Gianna in 2004; in attendance were her husband, Pietro, and their children, including the daughter (also named Gianna). Her mother’s choice saved her life.

 

 

A statue of Saint Gianna Beretta Molla is located in the rotunda near the auditorium.