This is the biography of Chiara Badano who has been beatified by Pope Benedict

Unshakable Faith looks deep into the lives of key women and men from colonial America to the present—Cyrus Bustill, Maria Stewart, Kanye West, and more. Their stories reveal God's wondrous work in the midst of injustice, grief, and change. Being firmly rooted faith enabled them to withstand tumultuous division and difficulty without losing hope. Theirs was a tough, unshakable resolve reflecting the stability that God’s love provides.

Chiara Luce, a girl full of vitality, but, suddenly, she fell gravely ill. And, strangely, moment by moment, a new life full of light began to unfold for her. She was eighteen when she died, yet she had lived to the full. Thanks to a collection of her writings, a biography and a video, and through her friends, the local bishop and the Gen, Chiara Luce’s life continues to inspire people. Each generation has its stories of heroism and holiness, which then become models for those coming after them. and yet these young people who have gone to the next life were not aloof or idealized; they have not become “icons”, to use the current terminology. They were just going on ahead of the others to another place, where they all eventually hope to meet up again. This is the story of the life of Chiara Luce Badano, a life lived to the full.

This book is based on the life of Chiara Luce Badano, who was beatified on Sept. 25, 2010 in the presence of 12,000 young people. The 15 days are a journey to help us grow in love and faith, and appreciate the indescribable joy of being among those whose faith is not in vain, because they are witnesses that Christ is truly risen.

Inside the pages of this book we find the story of a life-loving, strong-willed teenager, Chiara Luce Badano, who faced her cancer diagnosis and terminal illness with extraordinary faith and grace. Today, her words and actions continue to deeply touch people throughout the world - especially youths - as Chiara Luce gives witness to the power of love. This unique book gathers the events and the words of Blessed Chiara Luce Badano through the eyes of the very people who shared her journey on earth and were transformed by her light.

Inside the pages of this book we find the story of a life-loving, strong-willed teenager, Chiara Luce Badano, who faced her cancer diagnosis and terminal illness with extraordinary faith and grace. Today, her words and actions continue to deeply touch people throughout the world - especially youths - as Chiara Luce gives witness to the power of love. This unique book gathers the events and the words of Blessed Chiara Luce Badano through the eyes of the very people who shared her journey on earth and were transformed by her light.

Chiara Petrillo was seated in a wheel chair looking lovingly toward Jesus in the tabernacle. Her husband, Enrico, found the courage to ask her a question that he had been holding back. Thinking of Jesus’s phrase, “my yoke is sweet and my burden is light,” he asked: “Is this yoke, this cross, really sweet, as Jesus said?” A smile came across Chiara’s face. She turned to her husband and said in a weak voice: “Yes, Enrico, it is very sweet.” At 28 years old, Chiara passed away, her body ravaged by cancer. The emotional, physical, and spiritual trials of this young Italian mother are not uncommon. It was her joyful and loving response to each that led one cardinal to call her “a saint for our times.” Chiara entrusted her first baby to the blessed Virgin, but felt as though this child was not hers to keep. Soon, it was revealed her daughter had life-threatening abnormalities. Despite universal pressure to abort, Chiara gave birth to a beautiful girl who died within the hour. A year later, the death of her second child came even more quickly. Yet God was preparing their hearts for more—more sorrow and more grace. While pregnant a third time, Chiara developed a malignant tumor. She refused to jeopardize the life of her unborn son by undergoing treatments during the pregnancy. Chiara waited until after Francesco was safely born, and then began the most intense treatments of radiation and chemotherapy, but it was soon clear that the cancer was terminal. Almost immediately after giving birth to Francesco, Chiara’s tumor became terminal and caused her to lose the use of her right eye. Her body was tested, and so was her soul as she suffered through terrible dark nights. She said “yes” to everything God sent her way, becoming a true child of God. And as her days on earth came to an end, Enrico looked down on his wife and said, “If she is going to be with Someone who loves her more than I, why should I be upset?” Each saint has a special charisma, a particular facet of God that is reflected through her. Chiara’s was to be a witness to joy in the face of great adversity, the kind which makes love overflow despite the sorrow from loss and death.