Maria Orsola Bussone
Encyclopedia
Life
Maria Orsola Bussone came from a family of blue collarBlue collar
Blue collar can refer to:*Blue-collar worker, a traditional designation of the working class*Blue-collar crime, the types of crimes typically associated with the working class*A census designation...
workers. Her father owned a car repair office and her mother was a basic tailor
Tailor
A tailor is a person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing professionally, especially suits and men's clothing.Although the term dates to the thirteenth century, tailor took on its modern sense in the late eighteenth century, and now refers to makers of men's and women's suits, coats, trousers,...
(a "sarta"). Since her childhood she attended with great participation to the activities in her parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
and could be present to several meetings of young Italian people in the Gen Movement, the young's section of Focolare Movement
Focolare Movement
The Focolare Movement is an international organization that promotes the ideals of unity and universal brotherhood. Founded in 1943 in Trento, northern Italy by Chiara Lubich as a religious movement, the Focolare Movement, though primarily Roman Catholic, now has strong links to the major Christian...
. The spirituality of that movement impressed very much the young girl, that in a letter sent to Chiara Lubich
Chiara Lubich
Chiara Lubich was an Italian Catholic activist and leader and foundress of the Focolare Movement.- Early life :...
, the founder of the "focolarini", said that she wanted to inspire all her life to the unconditional love towards other people, letting "God use me as He wants... because that's the only thing that's worth in our life...".
In July 1970 Maria Orsola, who liked to play guitar and to sing with other young people
of her parish, went to a trip near to Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, as an animator
Animator
An animator is an artist who creates multiple images that give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence; the images are called frames and key frames. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, video games, and the internet. Usually, an...
in the parish school-camp located at Ca' Savio.
During this stay a trivial incident (She died of an electrical discharge while she dried hair with a defective hair-dryer) provoked her death when she was only 15 years old. This happened precisely in the area of Cavallino-Treporti
Cavallino-Treporti
Cavallino-Treporti is a town and comune in the province of Venice, Veneto, northern Italy.The commune occupies a peninsula which divides the Venetian Lagoon from the Adriatic Sea. The river Sile forms the north-eastern boundary with the comune of Jesolo...
.
On 26 May 1996 Cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
Giovanni Saldarini
Giovanni Saldarini
Giovanni Saldarini was an Italian Cardinal and Archbishop Emeritus of Turin.-Early life:Saldarini was born in Cantù in the Italian province of Como, in Lombardy. He was educated at St Peter Martyr Seminary in Venegono and the Theological Faculty, Milan...
(Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
's archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
), opened a diocesan
Diocesis
Diocesis is a Latin word which can refer to:# a Roman administrative unit# an ecclesiastical unit of the Roman Catholic Church...
inquiry in order to begin a beatification process
Canonization
Canonization is the act by which a Christian church declares a deceased person to be a saint, upon which declaration the person is included in the canon, or list, of recognized saints. Originally, individuals were recognized as saints without any formal process...
, that closed with a positive ending on 17 December 2000. On 21 December 2000 the canonical trial was transferred to Vatican
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
, to the section Congregation for the Causes of Saints
Congregation for the Causes of Saints
The Congregation for the Causes of Saints is the congregation of the Roman Curia which oversees the complex process that leads to the canonization of saints, passing through the steps of a declaration of "heroic virtues" and beatification...
.
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
, in a speech to Focolarini followers gathered in the Olympic Stadium in Turin on 3 September 1988 told: