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| Pietro and Gianna Molla Welcome Third Child, Lauretta, on July 15, 1959.
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Gianna and Pietro were living busy lives balancing work, family, and friends. Many of Gianna’s relatives did not live close by, and so Gianna kept in touch by writing letters. However, her brother Dr. Ferdinand (Dr. “Nando”) Beretta lived close by. His daughter, Iuccia, enjoyed playing with her cousins, Pierliugi and Mariolina. They had hours of fun together.
In early 1959, Pietro and Gianna were blessed again by God with their third child. The couple was excited about their new blessing. However, this pregnancy was not as easy as the first two pregnancies had been. Gianna was now 37 years old. Pietro’s job required him to travel to America at this time as well. Gianna missed Pietro so much that she wrote 31 letters to him during this time apart.
A month before her due date and, while Pietro was still abroad, Gianna was in danger of losing her baby. She had a very high fever and was experiencing sharp pains. She telephoned her brother, Dr. Nando, and he told her to get to St. Gerard’s Hospital, and said that he would have Dr. Vitali waiting for her.
It was midnight when they whisked Gianna into the Emergency Room. She prayed, “Please, Lord, save my baby! Please don’t let anything happen to my baby!” The doctors worked on Gianna with medicine and fluids. Her fever lowered, and she was out of danger.
Two days later, Gianna drove to the Milan Airport to welcome Pietro home from America. Only then, did she tell him about her frightening experience.
Less than a month after Pietro’s return home, Gianna gave birth to Lauretta on Wednesday, July 15, 1959. Lauretta was late in coming as was the case with her two older siblings. Gianna wrote to family members, “She is such a good baby. She sleeps, eats a little, and almost never cries. She has a full head of black hair and light-colored eyes. She weighs 8 pounds and eleven ounces.”
Pierluigi and Mariolina were staying with family members at the family’s vacation home in Courmayeur, a beautiful Italian village on the sunny slopes of Mont Blanc near the border of Switzerland. This gave Gianna and the new baby time to rest and recover. Because there was a phone in their cottage, Pierluigi and Mariolina were able to call home each evening to speak to their Mother and Father. On one occasion, Pierliugi asked his Mother to put baby Laura on the phone so he could talk to her. Gianna had to explain to Pierluigi that Laura could not speak at this time. He was not totally convinced.
After Pietro had to return to work, Gianna and the three children remained at Courmayeur until the end of that September. By the time they all returned to Ponte Nuovo, all the children had grown and their faces glowed from the sunny days spent in Courmayeur. See the picture below of Gianna holding her second daughter, Lauretta, in 1961 at Courmayeur.
Here is a Daily Prayer to End Abortion.
Every unborn child is God’s Precious gift, and we have no right to end a human life. Let’s pray for all those who struggle through abortion and who want to end their unborn babies.
Father in heaven, we thank you for the precious gift of human life to our first parents, Adam and Eve, and to every human being down the centuries till today.
In your Divine Providence, you have made us your collaborators in the transmission of this gift and in preserving it from the moment it is conceived till it is transformed into life eternal.
We beg pardon for those who suffocate human life in unborn babies, who eliminate it violently with enmity and hatred, or who suppress it prematurely in the elderly and the terminally ill.
Grant us so to cherish human life that we shall always respect and defend it, especially within the sacred shrine of the family where it is born and nurtured. We promise to use the gift of life with gratitude and care at all times and in every place.
We make this prayer to You, our loving Father, through the intercession of Mary, Mother of Life, in the Holy Spirit, Lord and Giver of Life, and the name of Jesus Christ, your Son, who came that we may have life in abundance.
Amen.
God Bless You and Your Families,
The Society of Saint Gianna Beretta Molla – Board of Directors
check out our website at http://saintgianna.org |
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