Jennifer Nelson
This can't just be “my” story. Without the fiat of others, the Sisterhood of the Traveling Relics of St. Gianna wouldn't have happened. God’s hand was in it all.
I was married in 2003 to Derek. In 2007 our daughter, Gianna, was born. She was named after St. Gianna Molla. I had prayed for her intercession to have a child because when I was 16, I was diagnosed with severe endometriosis and told I may never have a child. 9 months into her little life, we saw behaviors that mimicked seizures. We texted the priest who baptized her to pray. He was on a plane back from Rome. He took out his rosaries and a man next to him said, “Fr. I can pray too, what is the intention?” He said for a baby named Gianna. That man took out a second class relic of St. Gianna and said he was just at the dedication of the shrine and to give the relic to the family.
I used that relic to pray with our daughter and also began to lend it to women in need. When I saw miracle after miracle, I knew Jesus must listen to the prayers of this special saint! After lending the relic out in 2018, I never got it back. I wrote the shrine to pray for its return. I was later contacted by St. Gianna’s daughter who sent me the identical card and 15 more! When I received them in the mail, I heard the words, “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Relics.”
We now have 31 sisters on 6 continents all over the world. Our mission is to spread devotion to St. Gianna by sending third class relics (holy cards touched to her relics) free of charge to anyone who asks. We pray with and for women experiencing infertility, pregnancy complications, or who just need prayer support. Each ministry sister gave her “yes” to be on this volunteer team to minister to their sisters in Christ all over the globe. Our prayer cards are printed in 5 languages. Since our founding in 2020, we have sent over 5,000 holy cards and over 700 miscarriage care packages. Their “yes” and the “yes” of all our spouses and children, allow us to continue this holy work to build, as Mother Cabrini says, “an empire of hope.”
In addition to this ministry, I homeschool our seven children and also wrote a pro-life children's book about children with Down syndrome and what a gift they are to the world. It is called, Super J and the Power of Love. I also just received an Imprimatur from my Bishop for a marriage novena we will be publishing soon. It is called Water Into Wine: A Novena for Married Couples.