RALEIGH – Catholics across the country are invited to unite in prayer April 19–27 through a special novena honoring St. Gianna Beretta Molla, a beloved patron of mothers, physicians, and the unborn.
The nationwide effort encourages the faithful to pray for pregnant and parenting mothers in need, entrusting their intentions to St. Gianna’s powerful intercession. Participants can download the novena or receive daily reflections from Walking with Moms in Need.
The invitation carries particular resonance in the Diocese of Raleigh, where devotion to St. Gianna has grown in recent years. At St. Raphael the Archangel Church, a newly established prayer space includes first- and second-class relics of the saint, offering hope and spiritual support to families facing infertility, difficult pregnancies, or the loss of a child.
The relics were entrusted to the Lily of the Valley Catholic Ministry, a lay apostolate dedicated to accompanying families through complex early-life challenges. Rooted in prayer and the witness of St. Gianna—who in 1962 gave her life to protect her unborn child—the ministry seeks to bring consolation, faith, and community to those carrying heavy crosses.
As the novena begins, the faithful are encouraged to join this united prayer effort, asking, through St. Gianna’s intercession, for strength, healing, and hope for all mothers and families in need.
Download the novena or sign up to receive it daily by email at walkingwithmoms.com/saint-gianna-novena.