A young man from Manchester, England, who “committed himself totally to God” could one day be included among the ranks of St Carlo Acutis and St Pier Giorgio Frassati as calls continue for him to be named a saint. Source: EWTN News.
Pedro Ballester died on January 13, 2018, at the age of 21 of bone cancer after a life of prayer, sacrifice, and virtue. Vatican representatives are now interviewing his family and friends to gauge whether a cause should be formally opened for the former university student.
Fr Joseph Evans, chaplain of Greygarth Hall, Manchester, who accompanied Mr Ballester during the last year of his life, said: “People like Pedro and Carlo Acutis, they didn’t keep their options open. They committed themselves totally to God. They found happiness in deep self-giving and deep suffering.”
Carlo Acutis, a 15-year-old Italian, died in 2006 and was canonised a saint in 2025.
Pedro Ballester was born into a Catholic family and his Spanish parents are married members of Opus Dei, a personal prelature of the Catholic Church founded in Spain by St. Josemaría Escrivá in 1928.
Mr Ballester himself joined Opus Dei in 2013 as a “numerary” member – meaning he made a commitment to celibacy for life and living out the charism of Opus Dei in the world.
After winning a place at Imperial College in London to study chemical engineering, Mr Ballester experienced intense back pain during his first semester, after which he was diagnosed with advanced cancer of the pelvis.
During his illness, he would often go to Christie’s Hospital in Manchester for cancer treatment where his holiness and kindness were noted by many.
“He made really good friends with [other patients and hospital staff],” Fr Evans said. “He was genuinely interested in you. He really inspired people in a very, very natural way. He got through to people and spoke to them about God.”
On one occasion, Mr Ballester wrote a card to Pope Francis, signed by his fellow cancer patients, and delivered it in person to the pontiff in Rome in November 2015. His father, also named Pedro, recounted how his son told Pope Francis: “I just wanted to let you know that I got cancer, and I offer all the sufferings for you and for the Church.”
From that point on, the young man’s suffering worsened and he regularly experienced acute pain leading up to his death.
Opus Dei, which is promoting Mr Ballester’s cause for sainthood, is hoping the impressive young adult will follow in the footsteps of Carlo Acutis and Pier Georgio Frassati, who was famous for serving the poor in Milan.
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University student from England being considered for canonisation (By Andy Drozdziak, EWTN News)
