A new Manchester saint?

In our new Manchester OCDS group somebody mentioned the name of Pedro Ballester, previously unknown to me, as a potential Manchester saint.  I did some research and discovered that he was Pedro Ballester Arenas (1996-2018), engineering student and member of Opus Dei, who died in 2018 in Manchester from bone cancer.  According to one website ‘He had an ordinary life, which left an extraordinary mark.  On one occasion Pedro felt nauseated by the treatment he was receiving at the time and vomited in his hospital room. A nurse was immediately called to lend a hand. When the nurse arrived, Pedro who was still bent over and feeling very sick, recognized her and asked her about her family and about a matter for which she had asked Pedro to pray. There are thousands of stories from Pedro’s life that illustrate this, but I think everyone remembers going to visit Pedro and ending up talking about themselves and not about Pedro. In the hardest moments, his generosity continued to be the cause of his joy. Although at times it was more difficult for him to smile. I think one of the most striking features of his personality was that he lived outwards. Since childhood he was very sensitive to the needs of others.’   That statement ‘He had an ordinary life, which left an extraordinary mark’ reminds me of St Therese; her short life was no different from that of so many religious in her day and down the centuries, but the mark it left was absolutely astonishing.  This story, coming so soon after the canonisation of the young English-born Carlo Acutis, should be an inspiration for the Catholics of our country.

Intercessions:

Cancer: Brian Davis, Bernard (and wife Angela caring for him), Jacqui, Theresa K, Fr Jon B, Catherine, Roy Seymour

Siena, Elara – sick children

David OCDS – housebound

Sophia – blind infant

Grace – troubling ailments, job difficulties, family (deceased mother and health of father)

Lucia – Overwhelmed by weariness

Mark – brain infection

Defence of the unborn and the elderly

RIP Richard Parker, Martin Gilham, Sue Burton, Wojtek, Joy Smith OCDS