St Peregrine Song is dedicated to the great patron saint for cancer.
He is the most popular intercessor for the scourge of cancer in modern times.
During his life on earth he was cured of a cancerous leg by Our Lord Himself.
Peregrine was born in 1260 at Forlì, Italy to an affluent family. He lived a comfortable life as a youth. Also, his family politically opposed the papacy.
In 1283 the residents of Forlì were under interdict. However, St. Philip Benizi, Prior General of the Friar Servants of Saint Mary, was sent to try to reconcile the divided community. While trying to preach in Forlì, Philip was heckled and struck by the eighteen-year-old Peregrine. He was driven from the city with insults and violence. Peregrine repented and asked Philip for forgiveness. St. Philip received him with kindness. The moment had a profound effect on Peregrine. Filled with remorse, he began to pray more and to channel his energies into good works. A few years later, he joined the Servites in Siena and went on to be ordained a priest.
Peregrine’s ministry
Subsequently, he returned to his home to establish a Servite community. There he was widely known for his preaching, penances, and counsel in the confessional. It is said that he miraculously multiplied grain and wine during a severe shortage in his area. People took to calling him the “Angel of Good Counsel,” so grateful were they for his wise advice so freely given.
One of the special penances he imposed on himself was to stand whenever it was not necessary to sit. When tired he 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 that the physician decided to amputate his leg.
