Saint Gianna Physician's Guild

Founded by Catholic layman Thomas McKenna, Saint Gianna Physician's Guild emerged from a vision to help physicians and healthcare workers bring their faith more prominently into their medical practices and daily lives. Based in San Diego, California, the Guild unites healthcare professionals around a shared mission: to inspire sanctification and promote Catholic principles through word and example in the medical field. The organization takes its name and spiritual direction from Saint Gianna Beretta Molla, a 20th-century physician, wife, and mother who exemplified living one's faith authentically in professional and personal contexts. Saint Gianna's legacy—including her ultimate sacrifice for her unborn daughter and her canonization by Pope John Paul II in 2004—serves as the spiritual foundation for the Guild's work. The organization cultivates a community where Catholic healthcare professionals can deepen their faith while addressing contemporary medical ethics challenges. Through devotional outreach, educational programs, pilgrimages, and spiritual retreats, the Guild helps members understand and embody the virtues of their patron saint. The community-centered approach of Saint Gianna Physician's Guild in San Diego reflects a commitment to supporting healthcare workers not just professionally, but spiritually and personally. By bringing together physicians, clergy, and other healthcare professionals, the Guild creates meaningful connections that strengthen both individual faith journeys and collective advocacy for Catholic values in medicine.