Venerable Jerome Lejeune was born outside of Paris in 1926. He studied medicine at the University of Paris and became a pediatrician and a genetic researcher. As a genetic researcher, Venerable Jerome studied the genes of different people. He noticed that most people have 48 chromosomes but that people with Down Syndrome have an extra chromosome on the 21st pair. This was a new scientific discovery. Now people knew that Down Syndrome was a genetic condition, and not caused by heredity, behavior, or lifestyle.
Venerable Jerome Lejeune worked tirelessly to help people with genetic disorders. He was also passionate about protecting unborn children. He believed that all life is sacred because all life comes from God.
Because of his scientific discoveries, Venerable Jerome won many distinguished awards. He was also invited to speak at conferences all over the world. At one of these conferences, he met the Bishop of Krakow, Karol Wotjyla, who became Pope Saint John Paul II. In 1994, Pope Saint John Paul II started a Pontifical Academy of Life and appointed Venerable Jerome Lejeune to be its first president.
Unfortunately, Venerable Jerome died soon after this appointment. Saint Pope John Paul II visited his grave in 1997, and in 2021 Jerome Lejeune was declared Venerable by Pope Francis. Venerable Jerome Lejeune cared deeply for people with Down Syndrome and wanted to help them live lives of dignity.
We can ask Venerable Jerome to help us remember that all people are deserving of our respect. We can also ask him to help people with genetic conditions, and to continue to advocate for the protection of the unborn.