Santa Scorese-en

Santa Scorese was born on February 6th, 1968, in Bari, where she lived with her parents and her older sister. After the secondary school, she entered the University, attending the Faculty of Education. In 1987 she moved with her family to Palo del Colle (Bari), where she increased her social and apostolic commitment: she took care of young people, who suffered from poliomyelitis and muscular dystrophy, she gave voluntary service with the Italian Red Cross.
Meanwhile, she worked for her parish centre, taking part in the pastoral council, teaching catechism, singing in the choir. In particular, she took care of a couple in serious financial difficulties: she got odd jobs for them, she looked after their newborn baby, and she tried to find a more decent flat for them. Always helpful towards the others, sympathetic with her friends, ready to help and to advise people who were in trouble or were going through a difficult period, Santa was a point of reference for everybody.	"The most beautiful thing was to hand over the keys of my heart, of my soul, to the Lord"
Engaged in different ecclesial movements, she had a privileged relation with the "Focolari" and with the "Fr.Kolbe Missionaries of the Immaculata", which she attended regularly. Consecrated to the Immaculata in accordance with the Kolbian spirituality, she lived consistently this ideal, communicating it in a lively way to many other young people.
She took part in the days of spirituality and prayer, organised at the House of the Immaculata in Bari and so she shared the apostolic life of the Community. This way, she came gradually to the decision of consecrating herself totally to God as a secular.
"I received a great gift in my life: to know Mary! Besides looking at you as my model of women, help me Mother, to imitate you as a model of holiness"
Since 1986, Santa went often to Borgonuovo di Pontecchio Marconi (Bologna), main seat of the Missionaries' Institute, to take part to spiritual exercises, days of training and sharing life. On December 30th, 1988, remaining in her family and continuing with her studies, she started her "trial period" in this consecrated family, with the aim of studying and strengthening her vocation. Her feelings and emotions of this period were faithfully reported in her Diary, where she showed her uncontrollable bursts of love towards Jesus and Mary, besides expressing her eagerness of corresponding to God's plan.
She went through this path of search in conditions of uninterrupted tension: since the first months of 1988 a young psychopath followed her everywhere, subjecting her to an obsessive and worrying courtship. Santa was compelled to be always accompanied by friends or relatives. On March 15th, 1991, in spite of her precautions, the tragic epilogue took place. Sheltered by the night, the young man waited for her at the main door and mortally hit her, putting an end to her young life, which was entirely devoted to human commitment and Christian testimony. Santa died few hours later in the General Hospital of Bari. She was 23 years old.

I'D LIKE ( VORREI )

I'd like to live as a lily,
to enjoy the plenty You give,
the hot summer sun,
the first autumn rains,
the winter chill
and the singing of the birds of spring!
I'd like to be a sail that ploughs
the seas, the oceans,
which totally loses itself
in Your immensity.
I'd like to have eagle wings
and to fly up higher and higher
towards You, who are the Most High
and to not be satisfied with low altitudes.
I'd like to be music which reaches
Your ears and brings joy to You.
I'd like to… I'd like to…. How many things I'd like to be,
but I am what I am, and I am
what You wanted me to be.
So my Lord, welcome me
In your tender arms of Father,
of Brother and Husband and allow me
to exist for You and only in this way
I'll be lily, sail, eagle, music
because You are all these things.
I sing of the joy of having met You,
to be loved, wanted by You.
My hearts beats and feels
That it must beat only for You,
as Mary's heart,
with Her same heart.
I praise You, good Father,
because I'm not alone,
but You gave me a Mother
and a big number of brothers
to sing together my thank you.
God of Mercy, of Forgiveness, of Peace
and of Joy, I love You!!!

Santa Scorese

This young girl doesn't give advice, she doesn't exhort, she doesn't teach, but she PROVES, in her simplicity, that St.Maximilian Kolbe's ideal, His Marian spirituality, can produce an authentic Christian life and a testimony consistent until the end.
On Sunday April 5th, 1998, during the diocesan celebration of the XIII World Youth Day, Msgr. Mariano Magrassi, Archbishop of Bari and Bitonto, officially announced the opening of the diocesan inquiry for the beatification process of this young girl.
Whoever owns documents or wants to report testimonies about Santa Scorese, can contact the "Postulatore della Causa cognizionale canonica":
Don Vito Bitetto Via Calatafimi, 24 70027 Palo del Colle (Bari)-Italy or: c/o Curia Arcivescovile Piazza Odegitria 70122 Bari-Italy Or contact: Fr.Kolbe Missionaries of the Immaculata Viale Giovanni XXIII, 19 - 40044 Borgonuovo di P.M. (BO) - ITALY Tel. 0039 51 845002 Fax 0039 51 845856
HO SCELTO TE (I CHOOSE YOU) Santa Scorese's Spiritual Autobiography (in Italian) - Edited by Fr.Kolbe Missionaries of the Immaculata - ISBN 88-86369-42-5 Pagg. 80 -L. 12.000 EDIZIONI DELL'IMMACOLATA Tel. 0039 51 845002 - Fax 0039 51 845856