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The rediscovery of the Gospel<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Born on 3 October 1925 in Rovereto, in the province of Trento, Violetta was the eldest daughter of Teresa Donini and Luigi Sartori. Her father was a carpenter who made high-quality furniture. In poor health and suffering from asthma, after a particularly severe attack, her family doctor predicted that she had only a few days to live. However, Someone clearly had other plans.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n After the war, attracted by \u2018those people who lived the Gospel like the first Christians<\/strong>\u2019, she attended a meeting with Chiara Lubich and her companions. \u2018I thought I was a Christian, but I realised that something was missing,\u2019 she admits, \u2018because I was not living the Gospel at all.\u2019 She adds: \u2018I remember Chiara saying that we carry within us an immense and precious treasure, worth all the blood of a God made man, and we do not consider it; we are rich and yet we live as if we were poor.\u2019 Enlightened by those meetings and by the proposal of a life based on the Gospel and mutual love, Violetta felt the call to give herself to God in the Focolare<\/strong>. Soon, two of her sisters, Dina and Maria Grazia, followed her.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n In Brazil<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In 1959, Violetta arrived in Brazil. She was part of a small group of focolarine and focolarini who, together with Ginetta Calliari and Marco Tecilla, founded the first focolare in Recife<\/strong>. She recounts: “It was the first trip we made to the continents: a real adventure, an important moment in our early life. We were all happy, we had a fire in our hearts. I remember Don Foresi saying to us: \u201cRemember that you are carrying this treasure in clay pots\u201d: we were those pots!”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Violetta spent 20 years in Brazil, devoting all her energy to the realisation of many projects. \u2018The secret was to be of one heart and one soul, so that Jesus would always be among us.\u2019 Little by little, the first communities of the Movement were born in Recife and S\u00e3o Paulo. Violetta forged bonds that are still strong today: many Brazilians passing through Italy stop to visit her in Loppiano or send messages, phone calls and prayers.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In an original game of reciprocity, the Brazilian climate cured her asthma<\/strong> and strengthened her health.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 25 years on the African continent<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In 1983, Violetta left S\u00e3o Paulo and was sent to Africa. Here, she spared no effort. With her irrepressible enthusiasm and unshakeable faith, she won over many, from the poorest to the richest and most powerful, who could not deny her help and support. Until 1997, she was in Kenya<\/strong>. In 1992, she welcomed Chiara Lubich to Nairobi and participated in the foundation of the Mariapolis Piero.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She was the driving force behind many initiatives in South Africa<\/strong> (1997-2002) and Angola<\/strong> (2002-2009). Her energy seemed inexhaustible, even when she was suffering from malaria.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u2018In the 25 years I spent in Africa,\u2019 she recalls, \u2018I can say that I also met martyrs. In Burundi, Monsignor Joachim Ruhuna<\/strong>, Archbishop of Gitega, was assassinated on 9 September 1996. Before he died, he testified that he would give his life for his people, offering himself as a ransom for the end of the war.\u2019<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n In Loppiano<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Loppiano, where she never shied away from sharing her experience with visiting groups. In 2018, she also had the opportunity to greet Pope Francis<\/strong> at the end of his visit to the little \u00a0town. She had prepared a nice speech to give him, but the pontiff threw her off guard. Curious to know the secret of her longevity and energy, he asked her, \u2018What do you eat?\u2019<\/strong>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Today, Violetta is almost blind due to glaucoma inherited from her father and never treated when she lived in Africa.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n But the weight of the years has not dampened her spirit, as her family<\/strong> testified during the party: “Every week she calls her sisters and grandchildren. She asks about everyone’s news. She never fails to remember everyone in her prayers. She transmits so much strength to us. For us, her family, Violetta is an example of faith lived not only in works but, above all, in the indissolubility of her own being, like a vital breath. Happy 100th birthday, Aunt Violetta!”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][dmpro_button_grid _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” link_option_url=”https:\/\/www.loppiano.it\/eventi\/gen-rosso-in-concerto-a-loppiano\/” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/dmpro_button_grid][et_pb_code _builder_version=”4.20.1″ _module_preset=”default” min_height=”0px” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_code][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.loppiano.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/064_HR-1024x862.jpg\")
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