Hajja Salesjana October-November 2020

H AJJA S ALESJANA 6 married at 24, and she had Carlo within that first year. At 44 years old, she believes Carlo interceded for her, and she became pregnant with fraternal twins, Francesca and Michele, now 9 years old. They are also very religious. They pray the Rosary each day and go to daily Mass. Antonia believes they will have a mission to continue Carlo’s work in some way. The Vatican announced on 21 February 2020 that Carlo will be beatified. You are a mother of a boy recognized by the Church as worthy of veneration. Tell me about this. Well, most probably the mama is not so much like the son, but we are instruments of God — and sometimes he uses even the strangest instruments. I don’t consider myself as good as Carlo was; but of course, I tried my best to raise my son. I gave him the freedom to live his faith and some good moral rules — but my husband and I didn’t really need to give him much. Carlo was always a very good boy, even when he was very young. We are very happy with the news of the beatification, but to be honest, we expected this. Some years ago, I had a dream of Carlo, who told me: “I will be beatified soon, and shortly after, canonized.” When he was dying, the last week of his life, I had a dream of St. Francis of Assisi — who is our family’s patron saint — he said to me, “Your son, Carlo, will die very soon — but he will be considered very high in the Church.” I then saw Carlo in a very big church, high up, close to the ceiling, and I didn’t understand then. Of course, now I do. His death, his illness, his very short life — all was by the design of God. God had chosen Carlo as an example for the young people of this period in history. Did you raise Carlo to say the daily Rosary, be interested in his faith — or did this come about on its own? Carlo was given special graces. I wasn’t particularly devout, but Carlo — from the time he was a young child — always wanted to go into the churches. He always wanted to go inside and visit Jesus, to say “Hello!” to Jesus. He was very good, very polite, so generous as a young boy. I rarely had to say to Carlo, “Don’t do this or that.” He was very obedient. He was very special. Carlo was so young when he died — 15 years old. What first drew Carlo to want to deepen his faith? Did he receive special graces from God? Yes, I believe he did receive special graces. He didn’t speak much about this, but he did tell me that when he was in front of the Holy Eucharist, he felt his soul “elevated,” in a way. He said the sensation he had, very often, was like being in front of a Source that took his soul into great heights. He said that it was like being transported. Christ in the Eucharist captured him . Yes, I believe Carlo did have visions of Jesus and Mary, but he didn’t give much importance to these. He was very grounded. There was a time, however, that he told us he had a vision of my father — his grandfather, who he had been very close to, but had died. He said