Chiara Corbella Petrillo

Not to be confused with Chiara Badano.
Servant of God

Chiara Corbella Petrillo
Born(1984-01-09)9 January 1984
Rome, Italy
HometownRome, Italy
Died13 June 2012(2012-06-13) (aged 28)
Pian della Carlotta, Cerveteri, Rome, Italy
Resting placeCampo Verano, Rome, Italy

Chiara Corbella Petrillo (9 January 1984 – 13 June 2012) was an Italian Catholic public speaker and a mother known for her faith amidst her battle with cancer.

Chiara met her future husband Enrico Petrillo in 2002 when both were on a pilgrimage to Medjugorje. Both Chiara and Enrico were admirers of the Franciscans and made several pilgrimages to Assisi. They were married on 21 September 2008, with her spiritual director officiating, a Franciscan friar.[1][2][3] The pair had two children in 2009 and 2010, who both died within half an hour of their births due to medical complications which were diagnosed when Chiara was pregnant.[4] Chiara and Enrico took to speaking at pro-life events in Rome following the births and deaths of their first two children.[2][5] When Chiara conceived a third child, once again she was diagnosed with medical issues during her pregnancy that turned out to be carcinoma, later deemed to be terminal. The cancer spread to places such as her tongue and liver, which made sight and talking troublesome as the illness progressed.[1][6][5]

Following her death, her cause for beatification was long discussed. Concrete steps were taken in 2018 with the formal launch of her cause at the Lateran Basilica on 21 September (her wedding anniversary) in 2018, entitling her as a Servant of God.[3][7]

  1. ^ a b K. V. Turley (16 September 2015). "Chiara Corbella Petrillo: 21st Century Witness to Love". Catholic Exchange. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  2. ^ a b Maggie Maslak (24 December 2017). "'A saint for our times' - the inspiring story of Chiara Corbella Petrillo". Catholic News Agency. Archived from the original on December 7, 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  3. ^ a b "Will this young Italian mother be made a saint? Canonization cause gets underway". Catholic News Agency. 18 July 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  4. ^ "Serva di Dio Chiara Corbella Petrillo". Santi e Beati. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  5. ^ a b "Chiara Corbella Petrillo's witness to life". AD2000. 2016. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  6. ^ "Emotional goodbye for young Italian mother who died for unborn child". Catholic News Agency. 21 June 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  7. ^ "Chiara Corbella Petrillo: Card. De Donatis, may Christians "find in her encouragement and support in the service of conjugal love and life"". Agensir. 21 September 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2018.