Lorena D'Alessandro

Although her family was not particularly practicing at the beginning, Lorena committed herself very early and assiduously to the life of her parish, Nostra Signora di Częstochowa (Our Lady of Częstochowa), entrusted to the Sylvestrine Benedictine fathers. Despite her physical disability, she refused to withdraw into herself. From 1976, she invested herself fully as a catechist to prepare children for their first communion. Endowed with a beautiful artistic sensibility, she played music and sang to animate Eucharistic celebrations. She also joined the parish group of the Renewal in the Holy Spirit (Rinnovamento nello Spirito Santo) and allowed herself to be deeply touched by the ecumenical spirituality of the Taizé Community. In December 1980, she actively participated in the youth meetings organized by Taizé in Rome. In 1980, she began writing a spiritual journal where she recorded her intimate reflections, her adolescent joys, and her total abandonment to the divine will. During the summer of 1980, upon returning from a diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes, she wrote her spiritual testament, testifying to a spiritual maturity extraordinary for her age.

The reputation for holiness of Lorena D'Alessandro, affectionately nicknamed "the flower of La Rustica" (il fiore della Rustica) or "the little missionary of the smile," spread rapidly after her death, touching many young people and faithful struck by her testimony of joy in suffering.

On April 8, 2003, the diocesan phase of her cause for beatification and canonization was officially closed at the Vicariate of Rome. On November 20, 2004, the anniversary of her birth, her mortal remains were transferred from the communal cemetery to the parish church of Nostra Signora di Częstochowa in Rome, where they now rest in an artistic tomb, becoming a place of reflection for pilgrims.

The canonical process is progressing with the examination of the Positio by the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. On May 20, 2023, Pope Francis authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic nature of her virtues, officially conferring upon her the title of Venerable. As she is not yet beatified, she does not have a liturgical feast inscribed in the universal calendar of the Church. However, she is commemorated locally and by the association "Amici di Lorena" on April 3, the anniversary of her birth into Heaven.

The spirituality of Lorena D'Alessandro is based on the transformation of suffering into an offering of love, experienced as an active participation in the Cross of Christ. Her spiritual journal contains luminous words that still guide many young people today: "If I make my life a life of love, it is worth living" ("Se farò della mia vita una vita d'amore, vale la pena di vivere").

Her spiritual testament, written at the age of 15, expresses a total detachment from earthly goods and an absolute trust in eternal life: "I do not want flowers at my funeral: may the money that would be thus uselessly spent be sent as aid to the missions of the Sylvestrine Benedictine fathers. Do not weep, but rejoice for me, for finally, if the Lord deems me worthy, I will be able to participate in eternal joy. I leave the poor of the world, I leave those who suffer in their spirit and in their body, to the prayers of all."

The association "Amici di Lorena" (Friends of Lorena) continues to disseminate her writings and promote her cause, testifying to the relevance of her message: an accessible holiness, lived in the daily life of an ordinary youth transfigured by the love of God.