He Had Cancer and Became the Patron of Cancer Patients

Peregrine Laziosi was born in Forlì, Italy, around 1260. He lived in the Middle Ages, at a time when no one openly declared themselves an atheist.
Peregrine was an only child and greatly loved by his parents. At that time Forlì, like other Italian cities, was an independent lordship that both the Pope and the Emperor wanted to bring under their control.

In 1277 the people of Forlì felt hostile toward the papacy, but no one dared to say so openly. In 1282, to impose his authority over the city, the Pope had to place it under interdict.
In this climate, Peregrine was one of the young men who opposed the Pope. It is said that during one uprising he met Saint Philip Benizi, born in Florence on August 15, 1233, a member of the Order of the Servants of Mary (the Servites). Philip was then Prior General of the Order, and the Pope had sent him to Forlì to calm people down. That was where he met Peregrine, who slapped him across the face after a moving speech Saint Philip had given to the crowd to calm them. Peregrine’s reaction came from a great fear that the papacy would extend its power over the region.
But Peregrine was astonished by Saint Philip’s reaction: he turned the other cheek. Peregrine was then converted and joined the Servites in Siena. It is said that for thirty years he never allowed himself to sit down, and that he spent long hours in contemplation, withdrawn from the world.

Peregrine was a devout preacher and a wise confessor. He developed varicose veins from the long hours he spent standing. His illness soon turned into cancer, which required the amputation of one of his legs. On the night before the operation, Peregrine prayed and meditated all night, asking God to heal him. The next morning every sign of the disease had disappeared: the miracle of his healing had taken place. The news spread throughout the land.
Saint Peregrine died in 1345 at an advanced age (around eighty), and Pope Benedict XIII canonized him in 1726.

Like Saint Paul, Saint Peregrine had fought against the Church until he received the grace of conversion and followed in the footsteps of Christ; many were converted with him, repented and returned to the way of the Lord. Saint Peregrine is regarded as the patron saint of those with cancer. Let us ask for his intercession in these days when this disease holds sway like a sword, begging God to keep it far from everyone. Amen.