Over 25,000 mainly young people from
57 countries attended the beatification in Rome on Saturday, 25 September, of Chiara
‘Luce’ Badano, who died in 1990 at just 18 years of age.
Here, in Perth, the celebration continued with a thanksgiving mass for her beatification celebrated by Archbishop Hickey on Sunday, 26 September at the Cathedral.
Chiara ‘Luce’ Badano, whose name means ‘clear light’, did not perform miracles or do anything extraordinary; instead, she is a shining example of how an ordinary life can be transformed by living a Gospel life and putting God ahead of everything else.
Archbishop Hickey spoke of how Chiara Badano gives the youth of today an example of how it is possible to live for Jesus in everyday life, even in the modern world.
He called Chiara a patron of the youth and encouraged them to pray to her when faced with difficulties in their own lives.
Through the example of how she lived during her illness, Chiara showed us how to offer our sufferings up, as Jesus did when He felt forsaken on the cross, to bring unity between God and man.
When she was only nine, Chiara first met the spirituality of unity of the Focolare Movement, founded by Chiara Lubich, where she learnt about living for unity among peoples and with God, by loving all those around us. This had a profound impact on her life.
In the first letter she and her friend wrote together to Chiara Lubich, they said: “With the Gospel tucked underarm, we will do great things.” This is how Chiara Luce’s race began, her marvellous story of love with Jesus. And she never turned back again, not even when diagnosed with a life-threatening illness.
In Rome, Focolare President Maria Voce was among the attendees at the beatification. She claimed the ceremony as a historical moment, a confirmation by the Church that the spirituality of unity lived out can bring us to holiness. In Perth, over 100 people met in the Cathedral Parish Centre to hear more about Chiara Badano’s life. Some of the young members of the Focolare Movement also shared their experiences of living the Spirituality of Unity.
The Focolare Community will host a Family Day on 24 October at the Little Sisters of the Poor at Glendalough for all who are interested in learning more about this Spirituality.
Further information is available through the Focolare on 9349 4052.