On Wednesday, April 21^st St. Gianna Physician’s Guild President, Thomas McKenna, appeared on the Eternal Word Television Network’s “Live” program with Fr. Mitch Pacwa to discuss “Catholic Doctors in the House.” The show focused on the goals and activities of the Guild as well as the virtuous life of their patron, St. Gianna Beretta Molla.

008st_gianna_feastdayApril 28 is the feast day of St. Gianna Beretta Molla and this year Our Lady of the Rosary parish in San Diego’s Little Italy held a Mass to honor her. Faithful came from all parts of the diocese to honor the recently canonized saint and to learn more about her life. Members of St. Gianna Physician’s Guild helped out and sponsored a reception and presentation on the life of the saint.

On Holy Saturday I was awakened by a phone call at 6:00 AM from a friend in Italy informing me that Pietro Molla had passed away in the early hours of the morning. He was 97. The funeral was set for Tuesday April 6. We are both personal friends of the Molla family and he had been notified by St. Gianna’s last living sister, Mother Virginia. I made the decision to attend the funeral and booked a flight for the next morning, Easter Sunday.

Enthusiasitc faithful gather following a program given by Thomas McKenna about St. Gianna at St. Alexander Church in KievSt. Gianna Physician's Guild president, Thomas McKenna, was invited by several bishops and Catholic organizations in the Ukraine to speak to doctors, medical and nursing students as well as hospital administrators about the St. Gianna Physicians's Guild and the importance of sound ethics and morals in medicine. The trip was sponsored by the organization Chalice of Mercy through the efforts of Valentyna Pavsyukova.