A rebellious and violent young man, Peregrine 1 was once a member a street gang in his hometown of Forli, Italy. When a Servite priest (the future St. Philip Benizi) came to Forli preaching peace and reconciliation, Peregrine heckled Philip and then physically attacked him. Philip instead of striking back, forgave his attacker. Peregrine was so deeply moved by this act of forgiveness, that he eventually entered the Servite order himself. Peregrine spent the next fifty years ministering to the poor, the sick, and the homeless of Forli. He also imposed a special penance on himself- to stand whenever it was not necessary to sit. This caused open sores to develop on one leg. The sores became cancerous and a local surgeon said that the leg would have to be amputated. The night before the operation, Peregrine prayed before an image of the crucified Christ. His prayer led him into a deep trance-like sleep. He envisioned Christ reaching down from the cross and touching his cancerous leg. When Peregrine awoke the next morning, he found that his leg had been healed the cancer was gone! Peregrine lived twenty more years. He died on May 1, 1345 at the age of eighty. He was canonized in 1725.
Back to the Home Page