On May 17 St. Gianna Physician’s Guild inaugurated the Enshrinement Program in the New York Archdiocese. Archbishop Timothy Dolan presided over the ceremony which had in attendance the son of St. Gianna, Pierluigi, who was in the country on a tour speaking about his mother. The venue included stops in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, North Dakota, Tennesee and New York. Guild President, Thomas McKenna, attended and helped organize the activities.

The Enshrinement took place at the Gianna Catholic Healthcare Center for Women in New York City with physicians, clergy, religious, Pro-Life leaders and other prominent New Yorkers in attendance. The medical practice was founded by Dr. Anne Mielnik and Dr. Kyle Beiter in December 2009 and is the only Catholic Pro-Life medical practice in New York which provides full care for women. The center is dedicated to St. Gianna and Pierluigi’s presence provided a real life link to this modern day saint.

Dr. Mielnik welcomed everyone and introduced Thomas McKenna and the Guild. Mr. McKenna explained why he had devised the program which was being celebrated. “St. Gianna was a wife, a mother and a physician who lived in our times. She can serve as an inspiration to many. The presence of a picture of her holding a child is a model for physicians as well as a great way to bring up topics of faith in a medical environment.”

Archbishop Dolan began the prayers and addressed the crowd reminding them of the importance of sound morality in the practice of medicine and how important it was that the Gianna Center is there for the faithful of the diocese.

As part of the ceremony the two physicians read out loud the St. Gianna Physician’s Guild Catholic Hippocratic Oath which members must commit to as a condition of joining. The Oath was signed before everyone and Archbishop Dolan signed as the witness. The ceremony continued and Archbishop Dolan blessed the picture and Dr. Mielnik hung it on the wall in the main entrance where it will remain. A prayer to the Blessed Mother composed by St. Gianna was prayed along with others. The ceremony concluded with a blessing by the Archbishop and words from Pierluigi saying how happy he was to participate in an event honoring his mother in New York City.

After the ceremony Pierluigi and Mr. McKenna were invited to visit the Sisters for Life founded by the late John Cardinal O’Connor. The growing order is very vibrant and has many young postulates. The sisters provide a real blessing for the archdiocese as they care for a variety of Pro-Life services. During lunch Pierluigi answered questions and shared many interesting facts about is mother.

Monday evening a special Mass for infertile couples was celebrated at St. Catherine of Siena church run by priests of the Dominican order who have an outreach to the medical community. Mass began with a procession in which relics of St. Gianna were carried and then placed on a table in the sanctuary. A pair of gloves belonging to St. Gianna and her stethoscope made the event very meaningful. During Mass the choir from the church led by Fr. Kelly sang very beautiful and inspiring hymns which added to the solemnity. At the end of Mass Pierluigi spoke about his mother and signed copies of A Modern Day Hero of Divine Love written by Mr. McKenna and which his father had written the introduction to. The faithful waited up to two hours to venerate the relics and pray for St. Gianna’s intersession in their lives. A lovely reception provided by the Sisters for Life followed and provided an occasion for people to learn more about the Guild and the Women’s Health Center.

The director of the Respect Life Office of the New York Archdiocese, Sr. Veronica Mary Sullivan, who was very instrumental in organizing all the events and is a devotee of St. Gianna, asked Mr. McKenna if an Enshrinement could be done in the respect life office of the Archdiocese. Mr. McKenna agreed so on Tuesday morning all the staff gathered, along with Pierluigi, and dedicated the office to the patronage of St. Gianna.

Following that program Sr. Veronica and Mr. McKenna attended a monthly meeting of pro-life organizations from around the diocese. Mr. McKenna had been invited to give a presentation about the goals and activities of the Guild. Mr. McKenn was very inspired to be able to meet these dedicated leaders and learn about their outstanding work to oppose the Culture of Death. He looks forward to working with them.

When Pierluigi and Mr. McKenna arrived on Sunday they were the featured guests on EWTN’s prime time “Sunday Night Live with Fr. Benedict Groeschel”, speaking about St. Gianna and the work of the Physician’s Guild. These busy few days were just one more example of how the devotion to St. Gianna is growing and how the St. Gianna Physician’s Guild is helping to spread this devotion and bring Catholic principles into health care.