SAINTS CORNER - A Story From the Modern Era: Blessed Chiara Badano

Hello there! It's Julia! A lot of the time, the saints we hear about lived during days when people still carried swords to battle. They're so old, we don't have photographs of them! But there are many saints who have died in the last 50 years, and one in particular is close to my heart, and I would like to share it with you.

The story takes place in Italy. A young couple, the Badanos, had been praying for a child for eleven years. Finally, they had a little girl in 1971, and her name was Chiara. She was like every other girl. She loved to go to parties, and play tennis, and hang out with friends. But there was something very special about Chiara that drew her friends to her - the light of Christ was shining in her heart. She joined a movement of Catholics and became very close to the founder - Chiara Lubich. Chiara Lubich gave Chiara Badano the name "Luce", which is Italian for "light". She was always close to Jesus.


One day, while Chiara was playing tennis, her shoulder began to hurt very badly. They went to the doctor and found that it was cancer. Chiara had to go to the hospital to receive treatment many times, but it got worse and worse as the days went on. People wrote letters to Chiara to encourage her, and people would even visit her. Her smile lit up the room.

One day, the doctors told Chiara she would not live. She was happy to be going to Jesus. She and her mother picked the dress she would wear at her funeral - a white one to show she was a bride of Christ. They picked the songs and spent time together. Then, on October 7, 1990, Chiara returned to Jesus. She was only eighteen years old. Chiara gave Jesus all her suffering and sadness and turned it into love for Christ. She said, "I have nothing left, but I still have my heart and with that I can always love."

Chiara is only one year older than my father. Her mother, Maria Teresa Badano, is still alive, and she speaks about her daughter. Take the time to pray for Chiara's intercession, because she died as a child. Blessed Chiara Badano, pray for us!