Stories of Hope

It is essential to know you are not alone along the healing journey. Community here on Earth is crucial to healing, but knowing you have intercessors in Heaven is also very important. 

It can be tempting to think that saints did not face any difficulties and that everything on their journey was all sunshine and roses. However, the fact is that all saints faced challenges on their journey to Heaven, and many faced traumatic experiences and found healing and resilience following their experience. 

This page contains a list of saints who faced traumatic experiences. To learn more about a particular saint, please click the link to their page. I hope that, as you or someone else you know goes on a healing journey, you can find one heavenly friend on this list that you can learn from, find hope from, and find intercession from.

Holy Family: Tria Corda Ministry is named in honor of the Holy Family because, in their lives, they faced much trauma, from political occupation to being refugees to the deaths of family members. However, we can learn much from them about faithfulness in times of darkness and receive much grace, love, and intercession from their hearts.

St. Germaine Cousin: St. Germaine Cousin is the patron saint of victims of child abuse. Born sick and with a deformed right hand, she faced severe abuse and neglect from her stepmother. Amid her suffering, she remained close to God, and became a great example of holiness for all around her. 

Pope St. John Paul II: By the time he was 21, Pope St. John Paul II had lost his parents and siblings. He also faced the Nazi occupation of Poland, and then later, the Soviet occupation. Amid his immense suffering, he remained rooted in his faith, becoming one of the most beloved saints of our age.

St. Monica: St. Monica is best known for her persevering intercession for her straying son, St. Augustine. However, she also faced a difficult marriage to an abusive and unfaithful husband. Her grace and patience in the face of this abuse brought about her husband’s conversion, just as her prayers brought about St. Augustine’s.

St. Josephine Bakhita: Born in Sudan, St. Josephine Bakhita was kidnapped and sold into slavery at the age of 7, and faced horrific abuse at the hands of her masters. She was eventually freed from slavery, and entered a religious order, serving faithfully until her death. 

St. Martin de Porres: Born to a Spanish man and a freed slave woman, Martin’s father abandoned his family, leaving them destitute. St. Martin was bullied and ridiculed for his mixed race throughout his life, and faced many barriers, but still followed his vocation, serving many and becoming an example of holiness. 

Chiara Corbella Petrillo: Chiara is on the path to sainthood, and is best known for carrying two children to term who would not live long after birth. She and her husband transformed their suffering into a mission, and she continued that mission until her death from cancer. 

Sts. Louis and Zelie Martin: Sts. Louis and Zelie faced the loss of four of their children in infancy. However, they allowed these losses to pull their family closer together and frequently called on their children as intercessors. St. Zelie also faced emotional neglect from her mother, and used that experience to propel her great example of motherhood.

St. Therese of Lisieux: At the age of 4, St. Therese lost her mother to breast cancer. The death of her mother deeply affected Therese, resulting in depression, emotional sensitivity, and a loss of confidence. Eventually, the Lord provided her healing, reminding us of the Lord’s role in our healing.

Servant of God Leonie Martin: The sister of St. Therese, Leonie was a very difficult child, which was later found to be due to abuse by her maid. Through the fervent prayers of her mother and intercession by her deceased relatives, she was able to overcome her early difficulties, and live out her sister’s Little Way. 

St. Maria Goretti: Maria faced severe poverty after the loss of her father. Then, the son of a farmhand on her family’s farm began to sexually harass her, eventually leading to an attempted rape and her death due to her resistance. Maria is best known for forgiving her killer before her passing, which eventually led to his conversion. 

St. Dymphna: St. Dymphna is the patron saint of those with mental illness and of victims of incest. After her mother’s death, her father’s mental state deteriorated so much he desired to marry his daughter. Dymphna fled the situation, but eventually was found, resulting in her martyrdom. 

St. Ignatius of Loyola: Ignatius was determined to be a famous knight, but a cannonball shattered his leg. While he was recovering, he only had options of spiritual reading to entertain himself, leading to his conversion. 

St. Kateri Tekakwitha: Kateri faced much hardship, from illness to the loss of her parents to abuse and neglect from her village when she converted to Christianity. However, she prayed for her persecutors and found peace and joy in her newfound faith. 

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton: St. Elizabeth had a troubled childhood, with addiction in the household and an unhappy marriage between her stepmother and father. Then, she lost her husband at a young age. However, God was able to use these troubles to draw her heart to him, so she could found the Sisters of Charity.

St. Rita of Cascia: St. Rita faced an abusive marriage and the death of her sons, before entering a convent and leading a life of penance and devotion to the Cross. Her suffering led to her beautiful devotion to the Cross, a beautiful example for us.