Did Saint Peregrine really have cancer? How can we be sure 700 years later?

[robe69]

My friend has cancer and was in the hospital. He asked for a special prayer from Saint Peregrine. Apparently this holy man survived cancer.

I found the prayer at roman-catholic-prayers.com/saint/saint_peregrine.htm but I’m not convinced.

I want to help my friend, but the more i read, the more I realize that St Peregrine did not have cancer. He had an infected wound – that’s all.

St Peregrine lived in 1250 -1320AD. He dedicated himself to the sick. He had a running sore that was diagnosed as cancer. The wound became so obvious, odorous and painful that the local surgeon scheduled surgery to amputate the leg.
At the age of 60 Peregrine was challenged to carry a new and more difficult cross. His prayer led him into a deep trance-like sleep during which he envisioned the crucified Christ leaving the cross and touching his cancerous leg. When Peregrine awakened from the trance of prayer, he discovered the wound healed and the leg saved.

This saint beat whatever it was eating his leg (and thats a miracle), but he is probably not a cancer survivor. What should I tell my friend in the hospital? Should I tell him the truth or a lie to comfort him?

Robe69

 

[ribozyme]

My friend has cancer and was in the hospital. He asked for a special prayer from Saint Peregrine. Apparently this holy man survived cancer.

I found the prayer at roman-catholic-prayers.com/saint/saint_peregrine.htm but I’m not convinced.

I want to help my friend, but the more i read, the more I realize that St Peregrine did not have cancer. He had an infected wound – that’s all.

St Peregrine lived in 1250 -1320AD. He dedicated himself to the sick. He had a running sore that was diagnosed as cancer. The wound became so obvious, odorous and painful that the local surgeon scheduled surgery to amputate the leg.
At the age of 60 Peregrine was challenged to carry a new and more difficult cross. His prayer led him into a deep trance-like sleep during which he envisioned the crucified Christ leaving the cross and touching his cancerous leg. When Peregrine awakened from the trance of prayer, he discovered the wound healed and the leg saved.

This saint beat whatever it was eating his leg (and thats a miracle), but he is probably not a cancer survivor. What should I tell my friend in the hospital? Should I tell him the truth or a lie to comfort him?

Robe69

Spontaneous remission??

 

[corvidae]

How after so long do you know it was not cancer? As I undertand it was a tumor, which is different than an infected wound or an abcess.

An infected wound needs a wound, there seems to be no evidence that Peregrine had such a wound for it to become infected. An abcess is basically an extremely large boil, a puss filled nodule. These (even in the middle ages) are cut open and drained which heals or at least gives the conditions to heal. If it were muscle, bone, tissue, etc. under the skin, it would be identified as cancer.

I would guess that from what we know, we can guess it was a form of cancer.

A lone Raven

p.s.- Even if St. Peregrine did not have cancer, he is the patron of cancer patients. That means that he is a saint identified with aiding cancer patients. Being a patron has nothing to do with actually having something (sebastion was shot to death with arrows and is the patron of archers, he was not an archer, st. lawrence is the patron of cooks and football, he was cooked upon a gridiron, he was neither a cook or a football player)

 

[Mom_of_5]

There is no harm in allowing your friend to pray to St. Peregrine. Are you CERTAIN that he did not have cancer? If praying to this saint makes him feel better and gives him hope, then don’t ruin it for him. There may be a miracle for your friend as there was for the St. In other words, does it really matter as long as he has faith? You might pray with him, that could make him feel really blessed.

Love and peace,

Mom of 5

 

[TOP]

I’m currently in remission from stage 3 cancer, have been for over 3 years. Yes, ask for St. Peregrine’s intercession, but also pray the divine mercy chaplet. Also get the annointing of the sick from a Priest. I wish I knew this was availible to me when I was sick, but I was ignorant of them at the time. I only prayed for more time and my kids did as well. A childs prayer is very powerful if that is possible. Your friend has my prayers, Tim

 

[puzzleannie]

My friend has cancer and was in the hospital. He asked for a special prayer from Saint Peregrine. Apparently this holy man survived cancer.

I found the prayer at roman-catholic-prayers.com/saint/saint_peregrine.htm but I’m not convinced.

I want to help my friend, but the more i read, the more I realize that St Peregrine did not have cancer. He had an infected wound – that’s all.This saint beat whatever it was eating his leg (and thats a miracle), but he is probably not a cancer survivor. What should I tell my friend in the hospital? Should I tell him the truth or a lie to comfort him?

Robe69

does it matter?
does a saint have to be a cancer survivor to help a cancer victim? NO
that is the same error as saying only an African-American prof can teach black history, or only a woman can teach women’s history. makes you wonder where colleges find somebody to teach ancient roman history.

not all saints who are applied to for victims of specific diseases had or survived the disease, or had or gave miraculous cures, the reasons they have become patrons vary, but what they do have in common is a long record throughout the years of assisting those who apply to them for intercession. St. Peregrine does enjoy that record.

I am also a little bit uncomfortable with entertaining the notion of looking up something on the internet with the intent of “enlightening” my friend who is suffering and bursting his bubble. If I did such a thing I would suspect myself of using my own “education” to score off a vulnerable friend.

 

[Randy_Carson]

My friend has cancer and was in the hospital. He asked for a special prayer from Saint Peregrine. Apparently this holy man survived cancer.

I found the prayer at roman-catholic-prayers.com/saint/saint_peregrine.htm but I’m not convinced.

I want to help my friend, but the more i read, the more I realize that St Peregrine did not have cancer. He had an infected wound – that’s all.

St Peregrine lived in 1250 -1320AD. He dedicated himself to the sick. He had a running sore that was diagnosed as cancer. The wound became so obvious, odorous and painful that the local surgeon scheduled surgery to amputate the leg.
At the age of 60 Peregrine was challenged to carry a new and more difficult cross. His prayer led him into a deep trance-like sleep during which he envisioned the crucified Christ leaving the cross and touching his cancerous leg. When Peregrine awakened from the trance of prayer, he discovered the wound healed and the leg saved.

This saint beat whatever it was eating his leg (and thats a miracle), but he is probably not a cancer survivor. What should I tell my friend in the hospital? Should I tell him the truth or a lie to comfort him?

Robe69

It is the prayer of the righteous man who intercedes before God that makes the difference and whether Peregrine personally had cancer or not is irrelevant.

If the Church has asked him to take on these cases, he will pray and God will hear.