The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” -- St. Augustine

Friday, June 5, 2015

Shrine of St. Gianna Beretta Molla - Warminster, Pennsylvania

The Catholic World Meeting of Families will be held in Philadephia, Pennsylvania, Sept. 22-27, 2015. Learn more about the meeting at www.worldmeeting2015.org/. This is one of several shrines in the Philadephia area that we’ll highlight before the meeting.  
(Observer screen shot)
Destination: If you are driving to the World Meeting of Families (or renting a car while there), you may want to plan a side trip to the Shrine of St. Gianna Beretta Molla. But the shrine is only open on weekends, so plan accordingly.
Masses at Nativity of Our Lord Parish, where the shrine is located, are 5 p.m. Saturdays; 8, 10 a.m. and noon Sundays; 6:30 a.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 8 a.m. Monday through Saturday.
Why to go: St. Gianna Beretta Molla was a mother who gave her life that her child might live. She and St. Pope John Paul II have been selected patrons of the meeting. A physician, she well understood the choice she was making. The shrine houses special relics — a pair of gloves that belonged to the saint. They were presented to the shrine by her late husband with one condition. He asked that they be available to people to touch and handle instead of being locked behind glass. His request provides a rare opportunity for those who visit the Shrine of St. Gianna.
Shrine hours: Two sets of hours for veneration of the unsealed relics of St. Gianna are listed on the website. In a pop-up on the home page, they are listed as  the second Saturday of every month, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Shrine hours are 3:30-5 p.m. Saturdays and after Masses until 2 p.m. Sundays. Group arrangements are available by reservation.
(Grand) Kid friendly: Children are always welcome, but should behave as they would at any parish.
Info: Address — Shrine of St. Gianna Beretta Molla, Nativity of Our Lord Church, 625 West Street Road, Warminster, PA 18974 Phone — 215/657-3101 Web — http://saintgianna.org


- Compiled by Sharon Boehlefeld
Send your Catholic destinations ideas to seasonedobserver@rockforddiocese.org