Bl. Chiara Badano

Their story

Chiara Badano was born in 1971 in Sassello, a small town in northern Italy, after her parents had waited eleven years for a child. At nine she joined the Focolare Movement, whose spirituality of unity and love shaped her life. She was a lively, athletic teenager who loved tennis, swimming, skiing, music and time with her friends. The founder of Focolare, Chiara Lubich, gave her the nickname “Luce,” meaning light. At seventeen, Chiara felt a sharp pain in her shoulder while playing tennis. The diagnosis was a painful bone cancer. She went through surgery and chemotherapy and eventually lost the use of her legs. Yet those around her were struck by her peace and joy. She offered her pain to Jesus, and at times refused strong medicine so that she could stay clear-minded and keep offering her suffering with love. Her hospital room became a place where doctors, nurses and friends came for encouragement rather than to give it. Chiara prepared for her death as if for a wedding. She chose a white dress and the music for her funeral and asked that people celebrate rather than mourn. She died on October 7, 1990, at eighteen. Her last words to her mother were a farewell asking her to be happy, because she was happy. She was beatified in 2010.