Who was St. Peregrine?

Peregrine Laziosi was born around 1265 in Forlì, Italy, to a wealthy family active in local politics that opposed the Pope. As a young man, he was involved in the political violence of his city, and in one confrontation he struck a visiting papal legate, St. Philip Benizi, across the face. Rather than retaliating, Philip offered the other cheek — a gesture of humility that struck Peregrine to the heart and led to his conversion.

Peregrine sought out the Servite Order (the Order of the Servants of Mary) and dedicated the rest of his life to prayer, penance, and caring for the poor and sick of his city, eventually becoming known for his tireless charity and severe personal austerity — including, according to tradition, standing rather than sitting for years at a time out of penance.

The miraculous healing

Late in his life, Peregrine developed a severe cancerous growth on his leg, so advanced that his doctors determined amputation was the only option to save his life. The night before the scheduled surgery, Peregrine dragged himself before a crucifix in the chapel to pray, and in his exhaustion fell asleep. In his sleep he had a vision of Christ reaching down from the cross to touch his diseased leg.

When he awoke, the cancer had completely vanished. His doctors, astonished, could find no trace of the disease that had threatened his life. Peregrine lived for many more years afterward, continuing his ministry to the sick and poor of Forlì until his death at around eighty years old.

Patron of cancer patients

Because of this miraculous healing, St. Peregrine became known as the "Cancer Saint" and has been invoked for centuries by those suffering from cancer and other serious illnesses. He was formally canonized by Pope Benedict XIII in 1726, and devotion to him has only grown in the centuries since, particularly as cancer became one of the most common and feared illnesses of the modern era.

Hospitals, cancer support groups, and countless individual Catholics facing a diagnosis have turned to his intercession, drawn by the story of a man who was healed not through medicine but through an encounter with Christ in his darkest hour.

Why Catholics turn to St. Peregrine

Catholics invoke St. Peregrine especially when:

• Facing a cancer diagnosis, either their own or a loved one's
• Undergoing difficult medical treatment
• Seeking strength and hope during serious illness
• Praying for a miraculous or unexpected healing
• Supporting someone through chemotherapy, surgery, or a long recovery

Carrying St. Peregrine in daily life

A prayer card bearing St. Peregrine's image and prayer is often carried or given as a gift to someone facing a cancer diagnosis or serious illness — a way of accompanying them with hope and prayer through treatment. Many keep the card in a hospital bag, a purse, or beside a bed, and it can be brought to a priest for a blessing, becoming a personal sacramental.