The Ongoing Discernment of Motherhood with St. Gianna Molla
“Whatever work we do, we must offer it to God, asking Him to make it holy.” - St. Gianna Molla
The Question That Follows Every Mother
For many women, there is one question that looms quietly and sometimes anxiously over the early days of motherhood: What happens after maternity leave?
It is a question that can haunt first-time mothers as they hold their newborns and try to imagine the months ahead. For some, the answer is already decided. Financial necessity requires a return to work. For others, the desire to stay home has long been clear. But for many (myself included) the question is not so simple. It is marked by a deep tension: the desire to be present to our children, alongside a genuine love for our work and the identity we have built outside the home.
In a culture that often presents motherhood in opposite ideals of either working mothers or stay-at-home mothers, it can feel like we are being asked to choose sides. Yet the reality is far more nuanced, and far more personal.
St. Gianna Beretta Molla, whose feast day is April 28, is often labeled the patron saint of working mothers. And she is a powerful one. I have come to believe that she is not only a model for women who continue working while raising children, she is also a profound intercessor for mothers who are discerning what their vocation looks like in each season of motherhood.
Born in Italy in 1922, she was one of 13 children in a deeply faithful Catholic family. She pursued a career in medicine at a time when few women did so, eventually becoming a pediatrician who served mothers, children, and the poor in her community. She married Pietro Molla in 1955, and together they built a joyful, faith-filled family life centered on daily prayer, the sacraments, and a deep love for one another.
She had a flourishing medical career while deeply prioritizing her family and her spiritual life. For her, these were not competing vocations. She often saw her medical practice not simply as a profession, but as a mission of love, especially toward the most vulnerable. In one of her letters, she wrote: “Whatever work we do, we must offer it to God, asking Him to make it holy.”
Yet even in her own life, her path was not static. During her fourth pregnancy, she and her husband discerned that she would not continue working after the baby was born. Even in her example, we see not a fixed model, but a life marked by ongoing discernment.
When Discernment Becomes Real
I chose St. Gianna as my confirmation saint in seventh grade. At the time, I was drawn to her heroic pro-life witness and her willingness to lay down her life for her child. What I did not yet understand was the quiet sanctity of her whole life. Throughout each day, during each phase of her life Gianna cultivated holiness long before her final act of sacrifice.
Years later, when I became a mother myself, I found myself turning to her again and asking for her wisdom as I approached my own motherhood. As my maternity leave progressed, the question I had once considered abstract became deeply real. I knew that, for our family, it was necessary for me to continue working. And yet, I felt the same tension so many mothers experience: a longing to remain with my baby, juxtaposed with a sense that I was not quite ready to let go of my work.
When I returned to full-time work with a six-week-old newborn, the days were often long and exhausting. It was so hard to find that balance between work and motherhood (spoiler alert: it never gets easier!). I also experienced a deep sense of peace in knowing that this is what I was being called to in this season.
In time, my work shifted. I found more flexibility. But that initial year of working full-time while caring for my baby formed me in ways I did not expect. It taught me perseverance, sacrifice, and a deeper reliance on God.
Perhaps most importantly, it taught me this: the decision of whether or not to work is rarely a one-time decision. It is an ongoing discernment.
A Life of Ongoing Discernment
For some families, the path is clear from the beginning. For others, it unfolds gradually, shaped by changing needs, capacities, and circumstances.
St. Gianna’s life reflects this reality. She spoke often of her love for her work as a physician, seeing it as a means of serving others and honoring the dignity of human life. In another letter, she wrote: “Our task is to make ourselves holy.”
Her work was not separate from her vocation, it was an expression of it.
Still, during her fourth pregnancy, she and her husband discerned a change. The needs of their family had shifted. Her own capacity had changed; so, their decision changed too. I have found this both freeing and deeply consoling.
Our lives as mothers are not static. Our seasons change. Our children grow. Our circumstances evolve. Our discernment must remain alive and attentive.
In the midst of this, there are practical questions that can guide us:
What is best for my child(ren)?
What is best for my family?
What is God asking of me right now?
Letting Go of the Pressure to Choose Sides
These are not always easy questions to answer. And they are not questions we answer once, but again and again. There is no single model of motherhood that is held up as universally superior. Rather, the Church recognizes the dignity of the family and the uniqueness of each one. What is right for one family may not be right for another.
The question is not: Which path is holier? The question is: What is God asking of our family right now?
St. Gianna’s life reflects this freedom. She did not abandon her motherhood for her work. Nor did she abandon her gifts. Instead, she sought to integrate them, always keeping her family and her faith at the center.
As she once wrote: “The secret of happiness is to live moment by moment and to thank God for what He is sending us every day.”
Mary Grace Rodriguez is a Catholic wife, mother, and marketing professional based in Dallas, TX. A passionate creative, she brings experience in marketing, design, and writing to tell inspiring stories and foster meaningful connections. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her husband and toddler, nature walks, fitness, dancing, reading, and scrapbooking. She lives by the words of Dostoyevsky: “Beauty will save the world.”