4 Saints Whose Trauma Led To Their Holiness

By Catherine DiNuzzo

We are sometimes quick to believe that saints lived lives of constant holiness, free from struggle and pain. But the truth is much more human - and much more encouraging. Many saints - dare I say, most saints - didn’t live holy, peaceful lives for the entirety of their existence. They lived “normal” lives riddled with traumatic events, facing trauma, disappointment, and life-altering moments. Let’s draw an important distinction: traumatic events are when something distressing, shocking, or dangerous happens to you, and trauma is what happens inside of you as a result of a traumatic event. Two people can live through the same event, but there is a possibility that only one of them will carry trauma from it. Whether you carry trauma after an event depends on your nervous system’s threshold, your support network, your history, and even your biology. Trauma isn't about weakness. It's about the overwhelmed brain and body trying to process something too big to contain. Commonly, a person who has experienced trauma is quick to blame themselves, beat themselves up (often emotionally), and believe very negative lies about their value. These thoughts and actions are isolating and perpetuate the trauma.

Although it may seem true at times, you are not alone in your trauma. To illustrate this, we have included how just a few of the saints handled their own trauma - these are their stories. What sets them apart is not that they lived perfectly - they didn’t - but that they learned to meet themselves and their needs in the midst of suffering, owning the reality that they couldn’t do everything on their own. They then ultimately chose to surrender fully to God’s love and will. They became living examples of what it looks like to heal in body, mind, and soul.

It’s common for us to hear about someone else’s trauma and think that we don’t have the right to feel traumatized as compared to them. These feelings can stunt our healing, and they are a lie and not of God. I share these stories about the saints here not to create an expectation of comparing yourself to them, but to provide you with “prayer friends” who can walk this journey with you, praying for you, and offering real-life examples of healing.

St. Ignatius Loyola - From Broken Pride to Surrendered Purpose

Ignatius grew up in great privilege and wealth in a noble Spanish family. He sought after worldly fame and success, especially as a knight and military expert. He was skilled in sword fighting and was an accomplished dancer. Ignatius was a playboy of sorts and indulged in sins of the flesh, spending his early life pursuing his selfish interests and methods. Trauma, however, has a way of terminating even the strongest plans. He was severely injured in war, and all that he knew and was accustomed to came to a grinding halt. His injuries were extensive, and he had a very difficult healing process. His entire life was turned upside down, and he was confronted by the reality of his unhappiness and just how unfulfilled his former way of life had left him. It was here, in his lowest place, that Ignatius met his humanity. His most basic needs - mobility, rest, physical safety - were threatened, teaching him humility and patience.

While bedridden, he was faced with a life-altering choice: do I continue living for myself and my glory, or do I surrender my will and allow God to change me? Truly, his only recourse was to read and pray, and he experienced a profound spiritual conversion. What have you done in your life when faced with a challenging decision like this? Have you trusted the Lord, or relied on yourself? What would you change about that choice? At the time of his recovery, there were but two books available to him, neither of which was of interest to him. Eventually, he took advantage of the books The Life of Christ and The Lives of the Saints, and after reading them, he experienced a profound conversion to the Lord and then began developing his now world-renowned “Spiritual Exercises”. St. Ignatius experienced profound healing. His journey reminds us that sometimes trauma redirects us, not always away from joy, but toward a higher, God-fulfilled purpose. Ignatius would go on to become the founder of the Society of Jesus, responsible for an untold number of souls being saved by their missionary and catechetical work around the world over the past nearly 500 years.

St. Josephine Bakhita - From Captivity to Joyful Freedom

Josephine Bakhita’s story began in unspeakable pain. From Sudan, Africa, Bakhita was kidnapped by Arab slave traders as a child, sold into slavery, and endured brutal abuse. Records indicate that St. Josephine was bought and sold at least five times. Trauma shaped every day of her youth: fear, hunger, physical harm, and emotional terror. Her traumatic events were so extensive that she lost her identity, so much so that she forgot her own birth name. Her most basic needs - safety, sustenance, a sense of belonging - were repeatedly denied. Yet, her journey teaches us the transformative power of God’s love.

Eventually, she was freed and traveled to Italy. There, she encountered Christ and converted to Catholicism. Those who are reduced to being treated merely as a commodity, especially as a slave, know a level of trauma different from most others. Josephine gives us an example of great perseverance and courage, and what is remarkable is not only these traits but her insight: “If I were to meet the slave-traders who kidnapped me, I would kneel and kiss their hands. If that had not happened, I would not have become a Christian and a religious.” Wow! Her humility is so challenging! Is there anyone in your life that you need to humbly forgive?

St. Josephine shows us that even in the aftermath of profound trauma, peace and joy are possible. She became a religious sister, devoting her life to serving the poor as a Canossian Daughter of Charity. It has been noted many times that she was well-known for her joyful spirit while she lived her life of prayer, service, and humility, meeting others’ needs and continuing to attend to her own spiritual and emotional well-being. Her story illustrates that even when life’s foundations are shattered, God can rebuild a soul, brick by brick.

St. Paul - From Persecutor to Vessel of Grace

Before he became the Apostle to the Gentiles, Saul of Tarsus was one of the worst persecutors of the early Church. His power as a Roman citizen and a member of the Pharisees gave him a shield against government punishment and a religious ‘pass’ for his immoral treatment of Christians. While the Scriptures are unclear whether or not he personally killed anyone, he was certainly complicit in the stoning death of St. Stephen and the brutal treatment of men and women who professed faith in Christ. (See Acts of the Apostles.) Saul, however, would undergo a chilling conversion experience, being knocked down, temporarily blinded, and given a firm call from Our Lord Himself. “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (Consider reading Acts of the Apostles, chapter 9, verse 4, and surrounding verses for more Scriptural context.) Saul was given a great gift - clearly hearing the voice of God - and he responded with humility, which led him to stop persecuting Christians, to leave his former belief system behind. This traumatic event stripped him bare and left him spiritually humbled. If Paul wanted to remain in his pride, he would have disregarded this interaction with Jesus and continued on his own path. He was, before his conversion, more interested in power and prestige. Now he, having been humbled and confronted with the opportunity to change, faced an important choice: do I keep doing what I’ve been doing, or do I challenge the deepest parts of my identity and needs? Paul faced head-on the desire for control, safety, and moral certainty. Have you ever been humbled in a profound way by Our Lord? How did you respond? What would you change if you were going through it again today?

After his conversion, he became a devoted follower of Christ and a staunch defender of Christianity, but his conversion was not instant comfort but a rigorous journey of surrender, reflection, and renewed purpose. He would later experience traumatic events when he was beaten, imprisoned, shipwrecked, betrayed, and left for dead. And yet, he writes, “We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body.” (St. Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians, chapter 4, verses 8-10). St. Paul is arguably the greatest evangelist to have ever lived, writing the majority of the New Testament and being credited with numerous conversions of souls to turn from sin and follow Our Blessed Lord. St. Paul was courageously martyred, knowing that his traumatic beheading would lead to his eternal reward in Heaven.

St. Mary Magdalene - From Darkness to Redemption

Mary Magdalene’s life reminds us that even the most wounded souls can encounter profound healing. She lived a life of sin and debauchery. When Jesus first encountered her, she was possessed by seven demons. Tradition holds that these seven demons represented the seven capital vices, or the seven deadly sins. She was deeply wounded by her demonic influence, her sinfulness, and she suffered greatly because of them. She was dismissed by society and lived under the weight of shame and misunderstanding. She had been cut off from safety, security, and love until that moment when Jesus, the true exorcist, befriended her and brought her out of sin and into newness of life. He did not condemn her or offer a quick fix. He met her in her brokenness, calling her to leave behind the destructive patterns of her past. Her path to healing was not instant or easy. She had to confront her past, seek reconciliation with God, and accept her new identity rooted in grace. She chose to turn away from her old life and experience healing in Jesus’ love. Becoming a devoted follower of Jesus and living in such a way as to become a saint does not prevent or exclude suffering. She still followed Jesus to the foot of the Cross and was the first witness of the Resurrection. Have you ever pondered how amazing this is?! A great sinner, such as Mary Magdalene, was redeemed and forgiven, brought to healing and newness of life by Our Lord and welcomed at the moment of His death on Mount Calvary. Traumatic events did not disqualify her! Her trauma became the doorway to mission.

These saints show us a powerful truth: trauma is not the end of the story. Oftentimes, people believe the lie that because of their past choices, actions, or lifestyles, they have been disqualified from a life of safety and peace within Jesus’ arms, as if their traumatic events are “too much” for God to handle. They are not. Do not believe the lies. We could go on and on about the saints and their trauma, and perhaps I’ll do that in a different book, but for now, simply know that you are not defined by your trauma. God loves you - turn to Him with your whole heart. God is here for you, to hold you, comfort you, and strengthen you. He’s not only able to do this because He possesses power far greater than our minds can imagine, but He also desires and is willing because His love is greater than our minds can imagine. Just like the saints, our wounds can be transformed into pathways for growth, compassion, and grace.

God never asks us to ignore our trauma. He meets us in it. “The righteous cry out, the Lord hears, and He rescues them from all their afflictions.” (Psalms, chapter 34, verse 18). I encourage you to pray with this verse (and section). Perhaps do some Lectio Divina with this passage. “He rescues you from all your afflictions!!!” This is so amazing for us!