Towards a charismatic beatification

Simona Tronci shaped her spirituality in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, lived a short life but with a strong and bright faith. In 1984, at the age of 23, Simona died in a concept of holiness.

On 18th August 2003, in Cagliari, His Eccellency Monsignor Ottorino Pietro Alberti established the Court for the diocesan inquiry about the heroic virtues of Simona Tronci, died on 18th April, 1984 in concept of holiness at the age of 23.

Who was Simona and what she did?

Simona was co-founder of the Primavera Community of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, whose birth dates back to 1977; in the same year she received an outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit with his gifts enhanced the human qualities already present in Simona and enriched them with the charismas of singing, prayer, preaching, and of the fraternal correction and exhortation.

Simona became the driving force of the small and young Community that, with several difficulties, was putting itself into the social and ecclesial environment.

Since 1973, Simona has played in women's volleyball team with good results. Blessed with a great intelligence and in love with life, but especially with Christ, after finishing high school, in 1979, she enrolled herself at the Theological Pontifical Faculty of Cagliari.

In 1981 she gets engaged and in the same year, was temporarily appointed for the teaching of "Catholic Religion" in the city of Cagliari.

Simona was a young lively, cheerful, intelligent, serious, and humble girl, who sincerely believed in friendship. She made a rule of life of friendship: to realise that special friendship that has the special scent of Christ.

She was the main leader in the ministry of singing and praise both in the "Primavera Community" and in the sphere of the Sardinian Regional Renewal. She composed and sang about thirty songs suitable for both liturgy and praise. The Lord put words and music in her heart and lips. She wrote in her diary: Give me to compose songs that make my brothers sing and praise. The world needs to hear singing out ... It must rediscover that there is a God, a God of Love who calls you to joy.

In the Community she was keen in encouraging individuals in growing in their faith and in the exhortation of witness in everyday life, family and work. She held rich and profound preaching focused on the prayer according to the guide lines of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal.

Charity was very important in her life, so she did all that was possible to help some of the poor people of the city, support those who were sick in hospitals, or those suffering from physical handicap.

Apparently she was a girl like so many others! ... But within in her a radical conversion occurred. She felt in her heart that she could make the most of her life and her youth, she testified that she had found the more precious pearl: Jesus.

Deeply loved God for the gift of her life and always thanked Him for everything she had, from material things to her family ties and friends, and she was used to say: everything is a gift of God!

Her commitment to the apostolic work was lavished for the conversion of others and for the mutual love. She was intelligent, nice, serious in the right moment, sociable and highly sought after for her precious spiritual advices.

When she could, Simona participated in various national conferences on spirituality with other young people. She used to spend her days in intense prayers and she was the main leader of the ministry of worship by proposing and singing songs during events of community prayer.

She was always available to offer her loving service for his brothers and sisters especially listening to those that the Lord put in her path. Who has had the privilege of meeting her, remembers her as a special person, who had always the right word of comfort, encouragement and exhortation for every one.

Simona prayed incessantly. The hours of her day were marked by prayer. She often prayed for hours over night. In her every gesture, in her every decision, the biggest concern was that she can cause pain to her God.

Simona really asked to the heavenly Father: what do you want me to do? She was not afraid of God's plans. She was faithful and had fully trust in Him.

Her devotion was really tested during her illness; a malignant tumour appeared in 1983 and caused within her a wonderful spiritual ascent.

Right away the doctors said that it was something serious. Improved many times as a result of communal prayer, but nevertheless, the God's plans were really different.

The Simona's offer was total: she had embraced the cross, the elevator towards the sky, as she liked to call it. What she really feared was not the physical death but the spiritual one. So much that in a line of her diary she wrote: And yet, Jesus, I ask you ... if the healing would take me to get away from you, in an irreversible way, please, take me before that. It's for the eternal life that I beg You to make me live, not for the death.

Simona spent the last period of her earthly life in a bed, paralysed, motionless, almost deaf, dumb and blind waiting for the big meeting with the Beloved. The last word she wrote in her diary is Amen. Her Amen accompanied Simona throughout her short but fruitful life on earth.

Now the process of her beatification is open, and Simona has become the Servant of God. We wait in prayer what the Church will decide and in the meantime, many tell us that Simona has entered in their homes, in their lives.

Ruah, November 2003