Pedro Ballester
A group of friends had come to visit one of their companions who was undergoing treatment in hospital. Despite the pain of his illness, he welcomed each of them with warmth and affection. After enquiring personally about each of them, he asked them all one final question: “Are you happy?”
“Yes,” they replied.One of them then turned the question back to their sick friend.“And what about you? Are you happy?”To the others, it seemed an unnecessary question. How could someone confined to a hospital bed with a terminal illness possibly be happy? Surely happiness belonged to healthy young people enjoying life to the fullest.Yet, to everyone’s surprise, the young man replied:“I have never been happier in my life. These have been the happiest three years of my life.”The young man was Pedro Ballester.
A few days after this conversation, Pedro passed away—on 13 January 2018, to be precise—after a courageous three-year battle with cancer and its painful treatments.At his bedside were his parents, brothers, friends, and members of Opus Dei. They surrounded him, praying the Salve Regina. In the midst of those prayers, Pedro peacefully closed his eyes forever—quietly, like a flower gently falling from its stem.
Pedro Ballester was born on 22 May 1996 in Manchester, England. His parents were the Spanish couple Dr. Pedro Ballester Nebot and Esperanza Arenas Arguelles. They had moved to England for professional reasons, and Pedro was born there. He was the eldest of three sons. In 2004, the family moved to Harrogate in Yorkshire.
Pedro was an intelligent and hardworking young man. Though shaped by both Spanish and English cultures, he embraced only the best of each. He was friendly, sincere, and cheerful by nature. Friendship meant a great deal to him. He was also a member of Opus Dei, founded by St. JosemarĂa Escrivá.
Pedro was deeply inspired by the saint’s teaching that “the holiness God asks of you is achieved through the little things of everyday life.” “When he once told me that he wanted to share something important, I assumed he had fallen in love,” his brother Carlo later recalled. “Only later did I realise that he had fallen in love with Christ.”
In September 2014, Pedro began studying Chemical Engineering at the prestigious Imperial College London. It was around the same time that he was diagnosed with cancer. Although he tried to continue both his studies and treatment, his education was often interrupted by his illness.
In 2015, Pedro experienced one of the most memorable moments of his life when he had the opportunity to meet Pope Francis.
Following that encounter, his illness worsened. United with Christ on the Cross, Pedro sought to offer all his sufferings to God.
In January 2018, Pedro Ballester departed from this world. He was only twenty-one years old.
Hundreds of people who attended his funeral at Southern Cemetery in Manchester left with a deep conviction that they had participated in the funeral of a saint.
Their conviction proved well founded.
In recognition of the profound witness of faith and holiness that inspired countless people, the diocesan process for Pedro Ballester’s cause of canonisation was initiated shortly afterwards. Those who knew him personally have submitted letters, diaries, personal testimonies, and cherished memories to assist the investigation. More than sixty people—including family members and close friends—have also been formally interviewed as part of the preliminary inquiry.
When the lengthy canonisation process eventually reaches its conclusion, Pedro Ballester will be remembered as one of the first saints of Generation Z. Reflecting on Pedro’s witness, Fr. Joseph Evans, who attended his funeral, remarked that Pedro had become an extraordinary example of joy in the midst of suffering for young people.
As the hospital chaplain who accompanied him during his illness, Fr. Evans offered this honest reflection: “There were moments when suffering overwhelmed him. Because his illness lasted so long, he sometimes wept. At times he became frustrated or reacted against those who dismissed his emotions as excessive. Yet Pedro’s struggle was real, and his courage was truly extraordinary.” There can be little doubt that Pedro Ballester embodied in his own life the words of St. JosemarĂa Escrivá: “One does not have to wait until old age to become a saint.”
Vinayak Nirmal
