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St. Gianna Beretta Molla is seen with her children in this 1959 photo. The Italian doctor and mother, who sacrificed her own life for the life of her child, was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2004. (OSV News photo/courtesy Diocese of Springfield)

12 saints who were also mothers


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OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, Saints, World News

(OSV News) — “The secret of happiness is to live moment by moment and to thank God for what he sends us each day.” This wise insight seems like something a good mother would say — and in this case, one did. It’s a gem from St. Gianna Molla, a Catholic wife, physician and mother who died in 1962 after selflessly prioritizing her unborn baby’s health over her own during a difficult pregnancy.

St. Gianna is among dozens of Catholic mothers whom the Church has canonized for their faith, charity and holy virtues. To mark Mother’s Day May 10, here is a list of a dozen others who can intercede for our own mothers, whether they are with us in this life or have passed on to the next.

  1. St. Helena (c. 248-c. 328)
    Helena was the mother of Constantine, the Roman emperor who in 313 ended the persecution of Christians throughout the empire. She was born in Asia Minor, married a Roman general named Constantius Chlorus, and gave birth to Constantine in 274 in what is now Serbia. She became a Christian in 312, and thereafter was known for her devotion, prayerfulness and generosity to the poor. In about 326, she went to the Holy Land, where she spent her last years humbly doing the housework in her convent but also building churches on holy sites. She reportedly found the “true cross” of Calvary. Her feast day is Aug. 18.
  2. St. Monica (331-387)
    This North African laywoman married Patricius, and St. Augustine of Hippo was their eldest child. She tried to bring him up a Christian but also was ambitious for his worldly success. He scorned Christianity and had a son with his mistress. In 383 Monica followed Augustine to Italy, where she was a follower of St. Ambrose. Three years later, Augustine was baptized. Monica fell ill and died before their return to Africa. Years before, a bishop had famously counseled her: “It is not possible that the son of so many tears should be lost.” Her feast day is Aug. 27.
  3. St. Emmelia of Caesarea (died c. 375)
    St. Emmelia is from a family of saints. Her husband is St. Basil the Elder, a lawyer and son of St. Macrina the Elder. Of their 10 children, four are canonized: Sts. Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, Macrina the Younger and Peter of Sebaste. St. Emmelia was dedicated to her children’s education and knowledge of Scripture. After raising her children, St. Emmelia with her daughter Macrina renounced their high standard of living and formed a small monastic community of nuns on the family’s estate. Her feast day is May 30.
  4. St. Margaret of Scotland (c. 1045-1093)
    Margaret may have been born in Hungary of a German mother, but as the granddaughter of an English king was brought to England. She took refuge in Scotland after the Norman conquest and in 1070 married King Malcolm III. They had two daughters and six sons; one son also became a saint. Deeply religious, she used her influence to bring the Scottish church in line with Rome, and was noted for caring for orphans and the poor. She died four days after her husband’s murder; they were buried at Dunfermline Abbey. She was canonized in 1250. Her feast day is Nov. 16.
  5. St. Hedwig of Silesia (c. 1174-1243)
    A laywoman from Bavaria, in southern Germany, Hedwig married the duke of Silesia, in southern Poland. Henry I encouraged his wife’s numerous charitable activities, one of which was founding an abbey of Cistercian nuns at Trzebnica. The couple vowed to live chastely after their seventh child was born in 1209. When Henry died in 1238, Hedwig moved to the abbey, where her daughter Gertrude was abbess, but without becoming a nun. She used her fortune to aid the poor and suffering nearby, and is remembered for increasing German influence in Silesia. She was canonized in 1267. Her feast day is Oct. 16.
  6. St. Elizabeth of Hungary (1207-1231)
    Elizabeth’s short life was nonetheless full; she had a happy marriage and children, was a secular Franciscan, and was so devoted to the poor and sick that she gave away royal robes and founded hospitals. The daughter of a Hungarian king, Elizabeth married a nobleman of Thuringia, Louis, at age 14. He complained about the expense of her many charities until he witnessed a miracle involving Elizabeth, bread and roses. After he died during a Crusade, she became a Third Order Franciscan at Marburg, Germany, where she founded a hospital to care for the sick. Elizabeth is the patron of bakers, young brides, widows, those falsely accused, countesses and secular Franciscans. She was canonized in 1235. Her feast day is Nov. 17.
  7. St. Bridget of Sweden (c. 1303-1373)
    Bridget, or Birgitta, married a Swedish nobleman and they had eight children, including St. Katherine of Vadstena. About 1335 Bridget was appointed chief lady-in-waiting at the Swedish court. After she was widowed in 1344, she founded the Order of the Most Holy Savior, known as Brigittines. Bridget spent much time in Rome, living austerely and caring for the poor and sick. She died there after a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Bridget claimed to have visions and inspirations throughout her life, prompting both influence and controversy. She was canonized in 1391. Her feast day is July 23.
  8. St. Frances of Rome (1384–1440)
    This laywoman and foundress, born a Roman aristocrat, married Lorenzo Ponziano when she was 13; they had several children. In 1409, their palazzo was pillaged by Neapolitan soldiers and Lorenzo was exiled for five years, returning home a broken man. He died in 1436. Frances, known for her great charity during epidemics and civil war, organized a ladies society dedicated to self-denial and good works. It became the Oblates of Tor de Specchi, which she directed for her last four years. She is the patron saint of motorists, perhaps because she was guarded for 23 years by an archangel visible only to her. Her last words were: “The angel has finished his work. He is beckoning me to follow.” She was canonized in 1608. Her feast day is March 9.
  9. St. Jane Frances de Chantal (1572-1641)
    At 20, Jeanne-Francoise Fremyot of Dijon, France, married Baron Christophe de Rabutin-Chantal. They were happy, but after eight years she was widowed and left with four children. In 1604 St. Francis de Sales became her spiritual director; they collaborated on the founding of the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary, designed for women unsuited for the more rigorous life of other religious communities. At her death there were about 80 Visitation convents. St. Vincent de Paul, a contemporary, called her “one of the holiest people I have ever met on this earth.” St. Jane Frances de Chantal was canonized in 1767. Her feast day is Aug. 12.
  10. St. Louise de Marillac (1591-1660)
    Born in Auvergne, France, Louise married an official of the royal court, Antoine Le Gras. Following his death in 1625, and despite strained finances and bouts of melancholy, she was an active supporter of St. Vincent de Paul’s charitable works and became co-founder with him of the Daughters of Charity. She drew up the first draft of their rule. By the time of her death, the order had established 40 houses in France, and Daughters of Charity were looking after the sick poor in Parisian parishes and sheltering hundreds of women. St. Louise de Marillac was canonized in 1934. Her feast day is March 15.
  11. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774-1821)
    Raised Episcopalian in colonial New York City, Elizabeth married William Magee Seton, a merchant. The couple had five children. William died in 1803 in Italy, where Elizabeth learned about Catholicism from the family who gave her hospitality. Wars had bankrupted the family’s shipping business. After becoming a Catholic in New York in 1805, the now-poor Elizabeth was abandoned by old friends, but accepted the offer of a Baltimore priest to open a school for girls there. In 1809 she founded the U.S. Sisters of Charity, whose schools and orphanages grew in number. She became the first native-born U.S. saint in 1975 and is the patron of converts. She was canonized in 1975. Her feast day is Jan. 4.
  12. St. Zelie Martin (1831-1877)
    Zelie Martin was a woman of deep religious faith and an industrious work ethic as a lacemaker. She and her husband, St. Louis Martin, had Zélie nine children, five of whom survived to adulthood. Their most famous child is St. Thérèse of Lisieux, a doctor of the Church, but their daughter Léonie Martin, a Visitation sister, also has an open cause for canonization. She and Louis were known as affectionate and loving parents, but Zélie’s writings reveal challenges she faced as a mother, some a result of the neglect and poverty she experienced as a child. She died of breast cancer when Therese, her youngest daughter, was 4 years old. In 2015, Zelie and Louis became the first married couple to be canonized together. Their feast day is July 12.

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