Blessed Chiara Luce Badano
From a young age blessed Chiara Luce Badano was known for her great generosity, her lively personality and her kindness, and was often found giving away her toys to poor children, visiting the elderly in retirement homes or inviting the less fortunate to come and stay in her family home.
It’s the summer of 1988, and 17 year old Chiara feels a sting of pain in her shoulder while playing tennis. At first she thinks nothing of it, but when the pain continues to be present, she undergoes a series of tests. The doctors then discovered she has a rare and painful form of bone cancer. In response to this heart breaking news, Chiara simply responds, “For you, Jesus; if you want it, I want it, too.” After 2 major operations and a new painful growth on her spine, Chiara, instead of spending her time recovering, walks the halls with a young drug dependent girl suffering from depression, in excruciating pain with every step, Chiara responds “I’ll have time to rest later”, however the cancer is spreading mercilessly. And as chemotherapy commences, and her locks of hair fall, Chiara repeats time and time again “For you Jesus”. Before Chiara is 18 she loses the use of both of her legs, however she says “If I had to choose between walking or going to heaven, I would choose going to heaven”. And with one final CT scan, all hopes of remission disappear. Refusing strong pain relief because it reduces her lucidity, Chiara unites her pain and suffering with Christ on the Cross.
Together with her mother, Chiara begins to prepare for her “wedding celebration”, her funeral. She gives instructions on how she wants to be dressed; she chooses the music, the songs, the flowers and the Mass readings. She then donates all her savings to a friend serving on mission in Africa saying “I don’t need this money any more. I have everything”. And on the 7th of October 1990 Chiara makes her final confession, receives the Eucharist and farewells her Mother saying “Goodbye, be happy because I’m happy”. Over 2000 people attended her funeral and on the 3rd of July 2008, Chiara Luce was proclaimed venerable and on the 25th of December 2010 declared a Blessed.