Chiara Badano

In September 1980, at the age of nine, Chiara attended her first meeting of the Focolare Movement (founded by Chiara Lubich). She joined the youth branch of the movement, the "GEN" (New Generation). This spiritual discovery transformed her life and that of her parents, who also became involved in the movement. Chiara strove to put the Gospel into practice in her daily life, seeking to "always put God first" and to say "always yes" to Him. In the summer of 1988, when she was sixteen and leading an ordinary teenage life, she felt a sharp pain in her left shoulder during a game of tennis. Medical examinations revealed an osteosarcoma (a particularly aggressive bone cancer) with widespread metastases. After a moment of profound silence and an inner struggle lasting twenty-five minutes to accept this reality, she pronounced her total adherence to the divine will: "Se lo vuoi tu, Gesù, lo voglio anch'io" ("If you want it, Jesus, I want it too"). She then began a long journey of suffering, marked by painful surgeries and chemotherapy, while refusing morphine in order to remain lucid and offer up her suffering.

During her illness, her hospital room and later her room in Sassello became places of peace and spiritual radiance. Her friends, family, doctors, and visitors came to her seeking the serenity and joy that she radiated. Chiara Lubich, with whom she maintained regular correspondence, gave her the name "Luce" (Light) because of the divine clarity that emanated from her gaze and her attitude. Sensing her end approaching, Chiara prepared her funeral as a wedding feast. She chose a simple white wedding dress, as well as the songs, readings, and flowers for the celebration. She passed away at dawn on October 7, 1990, the feast day of Our Lady of the Rosary, at the age of eighteen. Her last words to her mother were: "Mamma, ciao. Sii felice perché io lo sono" ("Mom, goodbye. Be happy because I am"). Her reputation for holiness spread rapidly throughout the world. In 1999, the Bishop of Acqui, Msgr. Livio Maritano, opened the diocesan process for her beatification. On July 3, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI signed the decree recognizing the heroic nature of her virtues, thus declaring her venerable.

On December 19, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI approved the decree recognizing a miracle attributed to the intercession of Chiara Badano. This miracle concerns the scientifically inexplicable healing, which occurred in 2001, of a young Italian boy suffering from severe meningitis and septic shock that had led to multi-organ failure. The beatification ceremony was celebrated on September 25, 2010, at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Divine Love, in Castel di Leva, near Rome. The celebration was presided over by Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, the official representative of Pope Benedict XVI. Her liturgical feast is set for October 29, the anniversary of her birth.

The spirituality of Chiara Luce Badano rests on an absolute trust in the love of God and on the joyful acceptance of suffering united to that of Christ abandoned on the cross. She has become a model of modern and accessible holiness for youth throughout the world. In his post-synodal apostolic exhortation Christus vivit (2019), Pope Francis cites her as an inspiring example for young people, highlighting how she knew how to transfigure pain through love. Her legacy endures through numerous youth initiatives, gatherings, and charitable works inspired by her witness of luminous faith and Christian consistency.