Hajja Salesjana

5 Jannar-Marzu 2022 hajja There is something about the way saints live that stands distinctly apart from the surrounding culture. Whether it’s barefoot St. Francis singing as he begged, or Mother Teresa lifting up the sick off the streets into her homes for the dying, the stories of holy men and women amaze us with their radical choice. This can also be said about Alessandra Sabattini, a holy Italian woman whose life was both normal and countercultural, and whom the Church has declared venerable just 34 years after she died. Alessandra, or “Sandra” as most people called her, was born in Riccione, Italy, in 1961. The oldest of two children, she grew up in a devout Catholic family—in fact, for most of her childhood, her family lived with her mother’s brother who was a parish priest. She kept a journal as a child that revealed her pious nature from a young age, once writing as reported in this article, “A life lived without God is just a way of passing time, whether it’s boring or fun, time to be filled in while waiting for death.” Sandra was a teenager when she first met a holy priest named Oreste Benzi, whom the Church declared a Servant of God in 2014, and benefited from his spiritual guidance through the youth group he organized. Soon after, she participated in a summer program for teenagers to care for people who have severe disabilities. The experience changed her life, giving her a sense of purpose in serving and caring for the vulnerable. She told her mother, “We worked till we dropped, but these are people I’ll never leave.” After graduating from high school, Sandra began her studies at the University of Bologna, with the goal of eventually becoming a medical missionary in Africa. She spent her weekends and summer vacations volunteering to care for drug addicts in rehabilitation centers. Despite her packed schedule, she made it a point to spend time before the Eucharist early every morning—another example of her unusual and admirable choices. While at university, Sandra became friends with Guido Rossi, a fellow student who also attended Oreste Benzi’s youth group, the Community of Pope John XXIII. He shared her dream of becoming a medical by Theresa Civantos Barber Blessed Sandra Sabattini a modern saint for young people She continues to offer a witness through her normal yet countercultural life.