Austin Diocese Bishop Joe Vásquez and St. Gianna Physician Guild President Thomas McKenna conducted an enshrinement and blessing of a St. Gianna relic and portrait at The Vitae Clinic, pictured with Dr. Jeremy Kalamarides, the clinic’s Medical Director.
AUSTIN, Texas— Austin Diocese Bishop Joe Vásquez and St. Gianna Physician Guild President Thomas McKenna conducted an enshrinement and blessing of a St. Gianna relic and picture at The Vitae Clinic, an Austin-based OB/GYN practice, on April 16. St. Gianna Molla is one of the Catholic Church’s newest saints – and is the patron saint of physicians and healthcare workers. Numerous physicians and healthcare professionals attended the program.
McKenna gave an overview of the saint’s life and shared details from personal conversations with St. Gianna’s family. Bishop Joe Vásquez blessed the relic and picture. Healthcare professionals were able to view various relics, including the fetuscope St. Gianna used to hear the heartbeat of her patients’ unborn children.
St. Gianna Beretta Molla was an Italian physician who was canonized a saint by Pope John Paul II in 2004 – just 42 years after her death. During her life, St. Gianna established a reputation for her dedication to her faith, family and patients. She died in 1962 at the age of 39 after sacrificing her life for her unborn daughter. Present at her canonization were her husband and three of her children. Since 2004, she’s been recognized as a modern-day patron saint for physicians and healthcare professionals.
“The Enshrinement and presentation gave us insights into the life of St. Gianna and will help us follow her example of sanctity in the workplace,” indicated Dr. Jeremy Kalamarides, Medical Director for the Vitae Clinic.
About The St. Gianna Physician’s Guild
Physicians came from as far away as Temple and Bryan/College Station to attend the enshrinement.
The St. Gianna Physician’s Guild aims to unite and encourage Catholic physicians andvhealthcare professionals to promote and defend Catholic principles in their practices. They also seek to use the influence and expertise of the medical profession to clarify and support sound ethics and morality in the practice of medicine.
About The John Paul II Life Center and The Vitae Clinic
Founded in 2010, The John Paul II Life Center, a non-profit organization, leads the way in creating a Culture of Life in Central Texas. Inspired by Blessed John Paul II’s teaching on the sanctity of life, the non-profit serves women and families of all faiths and backgrounds. Its three-fold mission is to operate The Vitae Clinic, an OB/GYN medical practice offering NaProTechnology; promote life by offering 3D/4D sonograms to mothers facing unexpected pregnancies; and provide education about chastity, fertility care, and religious freedom.
