Feast day: October 29
Chiara Badano was a special blessing to her parents. She was born in 1971 in Sassello, Italy, after her parents hoped and prayed for a baby for more than 10 years. Even as a young child, Chiara demonstrated a special awareness to the needs of others. She gave away her toys to poor children, invited the less-fortunate to her home for the holidays, and spent hours with the elderly at a retirement center. She loved participating in Mass and reading Bible stories. At age nine, Chiara joined the Focolare Movement, an organization established to promotes the ideals of unity and universal brotherhood. Chiara lived life to the fullest. She had many friends, played sports, sang, and danced. She always tried to bring others to Jesus by the way she lived her life.
When she was 17, Chiara was diagnosed with bone cancer. The treatments were painful and not successful. Yet Chiara wouldn’t take pain medication because she said she felt closer to Jesus when suffering. Chiara inspired everyone she encountered with her faith and love for others. She died in 1990 and was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010.
(Image © 2018 Fondazione Chiara Badano)