At 4 p.m. Sunday, October 24, 2021, Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, will preside over the Holy Mass on behalf of the Holy Father at the Cathedral of Rimini diocese, central Italy, for the beatification. blessed is a 23 year old female Servant of God.
That is Sandra Sabattini, of the "Pope John XXIII" community that specializes in caring for people with disabilities and addictions, as well as helping to free women from prostitution. Sandra was born in 1961 in the province of Rimini. At the age of 12, Sandra met Father Oreste Benzi, pastor of the Resurrection parish in Rimini and founder of the Community "Pope John XXIII". Following her father's example, Sandra also chose to share her life with people with severe disabilities and drug addiction. So, after graduating from high school with a science degree, Sandra enrolled to study medicine at the University of Bologna.
During a carnival, Sandra Sabattini met and fell in love with Guido Rossi. Both lived a celibate life during their engagement, waiting for their wedding day and leaving to work as lay missionaries in Africa. But then on the morning of April 29, 1984, while getting out of her car to attend a meeting with her lover and a friend, Sandra was hit by an oncoming car. She was taken to the Bellaria hospital in Bolagna and died after three days in a coma. That day was May 2, 1984, Sandra was nearly 23 years old.
Father Oreste Benzi considered Sandra Sabbattini as a model, not only for the young people in his community, but for other faithful.
Sandra's beatification began on September 27, 2006, that is, 22 years after the Servant of God died, and 12 years later, was recognized for heroic virtues, called Venerable. On October 2, 2019, Pope Francis issued a decree recognizing a miracle, thanks to the intercession of the Servant of God Sandra Sabattini. The person who received the miracle was Mr. Stefano Vitali, the former governor of Rimini, who was miraculously cured of cancer, contrary to the diagnoses of the doctors.
Bishop Francesco Lambiasi, Bishop of the local Rimini diocese, called Sandra a “saint at the next door”, as Pope Francis put it, to emphasize that: “There is no need for extraordinary experiences of suffering. happiness or mystical contemplation. For Sandra, it was just the scene of an ordinary life, woven with a living faith, supported by urgent and comprehensive prayer. A life joyfully and faithfully fulfilling one's duty, with small gestures of love toward the climax, in a passionate friendship with Christ "poor and serving", in a service generous and tireless service to the poor…”