Blessed Chiara Badano
Blessed Chiara "Luce" Badano (born October 29, 1971 AD in Sassello, Liguria, Italy; died October 7, 1990 AD in Turin, Piedmont, Italy) was an Italian Catholic teenager and member of the Focolare Movement who was diagnosed with an aggressive bone cancer (osteosarcoma) at age 17 and who responded to her suffering and approaching death with extraordinary joy, serenity, and faith — uttering her famous words, "If you want it, Jesus, I want it too." She became known as "Chiara Luce" (Chiara of the Light) — a name given to her by Focolare founder Chiara Lubich. She died at 18. She was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI on September 25, 2010, in Rome. Her feast day is October 29.
Stored in Cargo: Blessed Chiara Badano
| Blessed Chiara Badano | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | October 29 |
| Profession | Catholic laywoman; teenager; Focolare Movement member; student; tennis player; patient (osteosarcoma); model of joyful acceptance of suffering |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Focolare Movement; Italian Catholic tradition; 20th-century lay blesseds; young blesseds tradition |
| Patronage | Teenagers; young people with cancer; the Focolare Movement; those who suffer with joy; Italy; Sassello; those facing terminal illness |
| Attributes | Simple modern teenage dress; white wedding dress (laid out in it at death); tennis racquet (her sport before cancer); a cross; Ligurian hills; "Chiara Luce" written in light; October 29 feast |
| Birthplace | Sassello, Savona, Liguria, Italy |
| Death Place | Turin, Piedmont, Italy (at the Cottolengo Hospital) |
| Cause of Death | Osteosarcoma (bone cancer); diagnosed in 1988 at age 17 after severe pain in her shoulder during a tennis match; the cancer was aggressive and spread despite treatment; she spent the last two years of her life in increasing pain and disability; she responded to the diagnosis and her progressive deterioration with extraordinary peace and joy, saying "If you want it, Jesus, I want it too"; she refused morphine at the end because it clouded her mind and she wanted to remain conscious for Jesus; she died October 7, 1990, at 18, in the Cottolengo Hospital in Turin; her last words were reportedly "Ciao — be happy, because I'm happy"; she was beatified by Benedict XVI on September 25, 2010 |
| Primary Shrine | Sassello, Liguria, Italy — her hometown and local shrine; October 29 feast; Benedict XVI beatification 2010 |
| Liturgical Class | Not in universal Roman calendar; October 29 feast in the Focolare Movement and in the Diocese of Acqui (where Sassello is located) |
| Historic Class | Not in 1962 calendar |
Biography
Chiara Badano was born October 29, 1971, in Sassello, a small Ligurian mountain town, as the only child of Ruggero and Maria Teresa Badano — a child they had prayed and waited for eleven years to receive.
She grew up as a lively, normal teenager — devoted to tennis, swimming, hiking, and her friends — and was an active member of the Focolare Movement (Gen movement for youth). At 9 years old she had joined the Focolare youth and was deeply shaped by its spirituality of unity and self-giving love.
In the summer of 1988, at 17, she felt severe pain in her shoulder during a tennis match. Tests revealed osteosarcoma — an aggressive bone cancer. Her response to the diagnosis was immediate and total: "If you want it, Jesus, I want it too."
Over the next two years, as the cancer spread despite treatment, she refused to complain or despair. She gave her savings (intended for a car) to an African mission project. She organized her own funeral. She refused morphine near the end to remain conscious. Focolare founder Chiara Lubich, who met her before her death, gave her the name "Chiara Luce" — Chiara of the Light.
She died October 7, 1990, at the Cottolengo Hospital in Turin, at 18 years old. Her last words were reportedly: "Ciao — be happy, because I'm happy." She was laid out for her funeral in a white wedding dress.
She was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI on September 25, 2010, in Rome. Her feast day is October 29.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Sassello, Savona, Liguria, Italy
Death location: Turin, Piedmont, Italy (at the Cottolengo Hospital)
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Parishes
No parishes dedicated to Chiara Badano have been added to the database yet.
Media
| Media | Length | AuthorCreator |
|---|---|---|
| Blessed Chiara Badano - Patroness of Teenagers and Youth | Under 5 minutes | Catholic Saints |
| Prayer to Blessed Chiara Badano | Under 5 minutes | Catholic Saints |
| The Inspiring story of Blessed Chiara "Luce" Badano | 15–30 minutes | Wholly Catholic |
Shrines
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Known shrines
- Sassello, Liguria, Italy — her hometown; October 29 feast; principal pilgrimage site.
- Cottolengo Hospital, Turin, Italy — where she died; place of pilgrimage.
Feast day
October 29
Veneration
Blessed Chiara "Luce" Badano (1971–1990) was an Italian Focolare teenager from Sassello, Liguria, who was diagnosed with osteosarcoma at 17 and responded to two years of progressive suffering and death at 18 with extraordinary joy and peace — refusing morphine to stay conscious for Jesus, giving her savings to African missions, organizing her own funeral, dying in a wedding dress with the words "be happy, because I'm happy" — one of the most beloved young blesseds of the modern Church; beatified Benedict XVI, September 25, 2010. Feast October 29.
Prayers
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Intercessory
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