Today, we celebrate the liturgical feast of St. Peregrine, a beacon of hope for those suffering from cancer, AIDS, and other life-threatening illnesses. His life and miracles continue to inspire and comfort many in their times of need.

A bit of history…

Peregrine Laziosi was born in Forlì, Italy, circa 1260, the only son of an affluent family supporting the community’s anti-papal faction. When Philip Benizi, Prior General of the Friar Servants of Saint Mary, was sent to reconcile the differences in Forlì, he was attacked by eighteen-year-old Peregrine Laziosi, Later, Peregrine repented and asked Philip for forgiveness.

Philip received Peregrine with kindness and succeeded in changing the younger man’s outlook. Peregrine started praying and channeling his energies into good works. Later, he was ordained a priest and founded a new Servite house in Forlì. He became known for preaching, penances, and devotion to the sick and poor.

One of his penances was to stand whenever it was unnecessary to sit. If tired, Peregrine would support himself on a choir stall. At the age of sixty, he developed an infection in his right leg. His condition deteriorated to the point where the physician decided to amputate his leg.

The night before the operation, Peregrine prayed before a fresco of the Crucifixion. In a moment of divine intervention, he received a vision of Jesus Christ descending from the cross to touch his impaired limb. The following day, the doctor arrived to perform the amputation, only to find no sign of the tumor. Peregrine’s miraculous recovery stands as a symbol of hope, inspiring many in their own battles against illness.

And I would add…the power of prayer.

Peregrine died of a fever in 1345 at the age of eighty-five. In 1609, Pope Paul V declared him blessed, and in 1726, Pope Benedict XIII canonized him.

Shrines to St. Peregrine

National Shrine of Saint Peregrine, Our Lady of Sorrows Basilica, Chicago (Illinois)
The National Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother, Portland (Oregon)
Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration, Christ the King Catholic Church, Mesa (Arizona)
St. Peregrine Laziosi Parish and Diocesan Shrine, Muntinlupa City, Philippines
Statue of St. Peregrine, Mission Church of San Juan Capistrano, Southern California

Note: You do not need to be near a statue or shrine to ask St. Peregrine for his intercession.

Prayer to Saint Peregrine

Glorious wonder-worker, St. Peregrine, you answered the divine call with a ready spirit, and forsook all the comforts of a life of ease and all the empty honors of the world to dedicate yourself to God in the Order of His holy Mother.

You labored manfully for the salvation of souls. In union with Jesus crucified, you endured painful sufferings with such patience as to deserve to be healed miraculously of an incurable cancer in your leg by a touch of His divine hand.

Obtain for me the grace to answer every call of God and to fulfill His will in all the events of life. Enkindle in my heart a consuming zeal for the salvation of all men.

Deliver me from the infirmities that afflict my body (especially…..).

Obtain for me also a perfect resignation to the sufferings it may please God to send me, so that, imitating our crucified Savior and His sorrowful Mother, I may merit eternal glory in heaven.

St. Peregrine, pray for me and for all who invoke your aid.

Source: https://www.ewtn.com/Devotionals/novena/peregrine.htm