Bl. Chiara Badano

Patron Saint of Youth

Bl. Chiara Badano was born in Italy in 1971. At nine years old, she became actively involved with her faith, joining a local community in hoping to grow in faith. In her teenage years she attended many retreats and other faith formation events, always hoping to grow closer to Christ throughout everyday life. She wished to deepen her relationship with Jesus in everything that she did, including normal teenage activities like dancing and tennis. When she was seventeen, she was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer. Even through the immense suffering she experienced during treatment, her focus remained on others, especially her parents, and on growing closer to Jesus. She died in 1990, just before her nineteenth birthday, and she is one of the patron saints of young people.