The Diocesan Inquest for the purpose of the Beatification of Simona has now been opened

The report of a historical day

We have been overjoyed and we have thanked the Lord for this happening which has been so much expected... During all these years suffered in patience and in faith we have said: Lord Thy will be done, until the most significant day both for the community and for Simona arrived; the opening of the Diocesan Inquest for the Case of Beatification which we hope will soon become important for all the Church.

In her writings, Simona, used to indicate that she would have offered her life for the young people, for the Renewal, for the Church ...

On 18 August 2003, His Excellency Mons Ottorino Pietro Alberti, had set up the Tribunal by pointing out its several members for the Diocesan Inquest regarding the heroic virtues of Simona. The Tribunal is composed of the Promoter of Justice, Mons Gianni Spiga, the present Vicar General of the Diocese of Cagliari, of the delegate Episcopal Judge Mons Gesuino Prost and additional Judges Rev Fr Federico Locci and Rev Fr Gianfranco Zuncheddu, of the actuary Notary, Mons Dante Usai and Rev Fr Luca Venturelli as additional. The Provincial Minister of the Third Franciscan Order Ignazio Giovanni Agabbio, the Promoter of the Case of the Beatification and the Pastoral of Service of the Community Primavera R.C.C. of which Simona was co founder participated in the opening.

Following the nomination of the members of the Tribunal, Fr Paolino Rossi, (the former Postulator of the case of St Pio of Pietralcina) gave a brief illustration of Simona underlining that the motive for which he had accepted to be Postulator for this Case of Beatification was the charm inspired by Simona; a young girl who loved life in a special way so much so that she was continuously giving thanks to her Creator for her own life.

Simona has made a masterpiece of her own life by offering it to God and I believe the real Holiness consists in living the ordinary in an extraordinary way – affirmed Fr Paolo. A normal girl who takes part in sports and has her fiancé, whom she loves greatly. In this regard we read in her diary: Lord give me the grace to make him understand in what way I love him, talk to him in his heart that he might know. Only you, if you want can keep us united or separated. There are many other qualities in Simona, one of which is very interesting – adds Fr Rossi – and it is her way of living suffering. When a person falls ill, as a rule he becomes sad and perhaps, even less sociable, and closes up within himself. Instead she thought of others, could demonstrate her worries, her love for others. However, her worries and love for her neighbour were already shown when she was well, because very often she deprived herself of what she had to offer it to the less fortunate. I believe that another particular point that cannot be disregarded is the fact that Simona has been and is an example of Holiness to others, an inspiration for vocations for priesthood and the religious life. At the moment, these are the impressions of the Postulate but it will be the Diocesan Tribunal that will collect the evidence on the life and the works of Simona.

Successively, the various members of the Tribunal, the very Vice-Postulate and his Vice-Postulates took the oath to carry out faithfully the work assigned to them and signed it. When the reunion was over and the various members were thanked they wanted to have the impressions of his Excellency Mons Alberti, a member of the congregation of the Saints at the Vatican for about twenty years who sustained that holiness does not have an age and is not reserved to religious people and the clergy. In fact, Simona may be a perfect example for the young of our days and those of the future. What happened on 18 August 2003 in the Bishop’s Palace has marked an important section of the history of our Community; apart from the result of the proceedings. In fact, for the type of life that Simona had led, she merited at least this little gesture of appreciation, that is a certain attention on the part of the church to her way of living. However, let us remember some important happenings or events which stood out in her short life.

Simona was born in Cagliari on 13 October 1960, the third of six children. She received the Sacrament of Baptism seven days following her birth in the Parish Church of St Paul, in Giovanni XXIII Square, in Cagliari. In 1966 she was sent to Elementary School and then the Secondary one. On 8 June 1969 she received Jesus in the Holy Sacrament for the first time. On 27 May 1971 the Sacrament of Confirmation was administered to her by Cardinal Sebestiano Baggio, the Archbishop of Cagliari in the Parish Church of S.M. del Suffragio in Cagliari.

In 1977 Simona took part in "Operation Africa". She wished greatly to be able to participate in missions to dedicate herself to the lepers, to be able to sort out medicines, to create awareness in the Parishes and in the schools, to collect funds to build a hospital in Africa.

In that same year she, together with other brothers, set up the prayer group of Charismatic Renewal "Primavera". In 1978 she received the possibility of prayer for the effusion of the Holy Spirit.

In 1979 she graduated from the Liceo Classico (High School) with 55/60 points and in the same year she applied to attend the Faculty of Law in Cagliari, after passing her exam in Institution of Roman Law with a 30/30 result. She then decided to change her course of studies and applied to join the Faculty of Theology at the Sacred Heart (University or College) in Cagliari, since she found this line to be more in accordance with her spiritual and cultural interests. She started attending the said faculty following her regular success in the initial exams with a 30/30 mark.

In 1981 she became engaged to Sergio and in the meantime she was authorised to be a supply teacher to teach the Catholic religion (1982-83). She frequented the said Faculty only until her third year in 1983 which was the year that preceded her grave illness. She was very active in sport and she was a very good volley-ball player in the "Monte Urpinu" team, with which she obtained good results in Regional tournaments and she was also a player of discreet standards in mini soccer.

She composed and sang Essere amici (to be Friends) for the friends and for the groups of the "Charismatic Renewal". The words of this song convey a meaning: What does it mean to be friends in the Lord? What does it mean to be brothers in the Lord? and this is the reply: It means revealing oneself, to look for oneself and understand oneself. It means to love oneself, to suffer the same pain. Simona believed in the Love of God and of one’s neighbour and continuing to play her guitar and singing in tune with the instrument to reach high to the Lord, she sang: There exists one Love for him who is in the Lord, there is no difference between my and your heart. We are one in Christ, we are one Love.

Simona believed seriously and sincerely in friendship to which she attributed a special value, because in looking at the other brother, she saw Jesus in him. She loved the persons around her but she did her best to become a friend and a sister to those unknown or strangers. Besides, Simona made a rule for her life out of the words of the said song: she repeated them to herself, and she incited the others whom she came across to do likewise.

The Lord put the words and the music on her lips. Simona composed about thirty songs which are played and sung by all the groups in our Community. She used to write the following in her diary: Grant me the ability to compose songs that make my brothers praise and pray; the world needs to hear singing…it has to rediscover that there is a God, a God of Love who calls you to be joyful.

She led the singing in our Community throughout the region.

In 1986 the "Corale Nazionale" of the RNS inserted one of its songs, called "Canta, Canta, Canta" in the Cassette of the songs of praise and in the Journal "Rinnovamento nello Spirito" (Charismatic Renewal of the Spirit) of 1986 there was the following dedication: And therefore, it is for Simona that we wished to call the new cassette "Canta, Canta, Canta" which is in fact the title on one of her songs... We have to learn from what brothers and sisters like Simona have understood, and that is that the world needs to hear praise, to hear singing and to hear said that there is one true God Who loves us, and Who died and was resurrected for us. And this God is not a utopian being who lives in wherever, but He is among us, near us and expects our acceptance to make us His for eternity... the world needs to hear it said because it has forgotten and God’s people have gone astray in this world, and live under the illusion that the world in which they live is the only reality that counts, without understanding, instead, that Truth is found only in Him... Therefore, we dedicate "Canta Canta Canta" to all the Simonas about whom nobody knows, silent harmonious beings who hidden underneath the humility of the unknown, rise to the Lord who welcomes them.

Simona was engaged and would have formed a family but had she not got married she would have imitated Mother Teresa of Calcutta, because she was attracted by the latter’s dedication to the poor, and because she had made of her life a continuous prayer. She was a very sensitive person and truly succeeded in doing what the Lord demands from us in the gospel – to cry with him who cries, to laugh with him who laughs and to find joy with him who is joyful... she used to do this and succeeded in giving what was needed. She was a person who embraced you if you needed to be consoled.

It is true, Simona was a girl seemingly like many others… but a radical conversion had taken place within her, she left in her heart that she could put into good use her life and her youth. It is not that Simona had refused to live her young age, it is that she lived it well, she lived everyday the pages of the Gospel. She did not say that we should have refused to lead our life as young people, but that we should live it with Jesus to the full. She continued to declare that she had found the most precious pearl, Jesus. This was something which she spoke about with everybody. She loved God profoundly for the gift of life and to Him she gave continues thanks for all that she had, from material things to the sentiments, from relatives to friends. Everything is the gift of God and she felt the need, almost sacred, not to spoil anything of all that belonged to her, and even of that, that was missing. For us Simona was a real friend! It was a special friendship that is hard to find nowadays; that friendship that did not make her an accomplice of your mistakes, because she was scrupulous and wanted good things for you .

She was the best friend and sister that one truly augurs to meet, young and inspired by a great faith, sustained by the hope of meeting her beloved Lord and dedicated to the Love of every brother. She loved God as a Father whose profound Love and great care she felt in a way that she could do nothing to offend Him. She had a tender and confidential relationship with God and wanted to make Him happy in all that she did. When she realized that she was fragile and imperfect she prayed so that the Lord would come to her aid to make her a docile and new person. She wished to be corrected and urged her brothers to let themselves be transformed by God.

And Charity had to be in the forefront, so much so that she helped some of the poor persons in the city by offering them clothing, food and money. This charity continued to be manifested by her when she sustained sick people in hospitals or those who suffered from a handicap, whom she willingly accompanied to Lourdes.

Simona prayed seriously! During the night she prayed for two or three hours kneeling down, and then she wrote her diaries, and in the morning she was as fresh as a flower! She venerated Our Lady with great devotion, and also beside the prayer meeting of her community, very often she invited friends to recite again the Holy Rosary. With her way of doing things and of being what she was, she made us understand and she still makes us understand that to love God and our brothers there is no need to isolate oneself from the world, become a hermit, or belong to a religious order but it is enough to listen to Him and to do His will every day, in the place where we are born, have been brought up and live, by carrying our Cross every day.

Simona could not let a day pass without receiving the Holy Eucharist; it was her viaticum and her great love and, strengthened by her Communion with Christ, she composed and sang for the gathering: I approach the altar to drink the Blood of my Lord Who died for me, he suffered pains, He sighed to Heaven, He took sin with Him. I drink the Blood, Lord, I quench the thirst of my heart. He is joy, He is life, He is Hope.

Simona’s profound spirituality increased during her illness, an illness which was gradually accepted and loved and which puts before us the revelation of the hope of the cross. Simona penetrates the mystery of the Cross. We can read and deduct from Simona’s diaries how much she wished to know in depth the value of the Cross and of suffering to be able to love her brothers and sisters.

In the end her heroism is valued not only by her suffering but by the way she bares it; with love, generosity and gratitude joined to her Lord by the light of the faith. Her generous offering of her life had finally been accepted by God.

It is true that a tumour had consumed her body but this was solely in her body, because, instead, her spirit was singing loudly praises to her God of Love. The suffering of Simona became a tender embrace of the Cross of Christ, while seeing an empty space on its back, and it was there that she wanted to be hung with Mary holding her hand, very close to her Christ, a cross that Simona used to call the lift that leads to Paradise. Simona died on 18 April 1984, on Wednesday in Holy Week, at the age of 23. The funeral was held on Easter Sunday with about six hundred people in attendance. During the ceremony Resurrection hymns, composed by her, were sung.

Other particulars/details on Simona’s life may be found in the edition of the book Deeply in love with Jesus written by Fr Clemente Pilloni.

The Pastoral of Service of the Community known as Primavera R.C.C