The Basics: Died 130 in Italy; canonized pre-congregation; feast day, March 31. Daughter, martyr.
The Story: Some of the names of the women among the 140 statues on the St. Peter’s Basilica Colonnades are well known: Agatha, 
Agnes,Catherine of Siena, Cecilia, Clare, Lucy, Mary Magdalene, Teresa of Avila. Balbina is one whose full story is lost to the mists of time. The legend is that her father, a Roman officer named Quirinus, got into a conversation with an inmate he was guarding, Pope Alexander I. The officer noted his daughter, Balbina, had long suffered from a growth on her thyroid gland and that if the pope could cure her, Quirinus would become a Christian. The pope directed him to a location where the chains that had once held St. Peter could be found. When Balbina venerated the chains, she was miraculously cured, and she and her father both converted.
What happened later is unclear. It’s believed Quirinius was beheaded for his faith in 116; Balbina, who remained unmarried, may have become a benefactoress of the Church. Some accounts also say she was martyred as well, by drowning or being buried alive, 14 years after her father’s death.
What We Can Learn from Balbina: When we are offered healing through the Lord, we do well to embrace it, confident in His goodness.
To Learn More About Balbina: Check out an article about her in the University of Notre Dame alumni magazine.
To Learn More About Other Women Saints and Blesseds: Come back next week, or consider buying my book, Sisterhood of Saints: Daily Guidance and Inspiration.
