Dearest Mariangela, do you remember when I wrote to you that the Lord had chosen you? "You did not choose me, but I chose you" (Jn 15:9-17). Your life was proof of this—and so were the dates that marked it: born on the feast of Saint Joseph, your return to the Father on Ascension Day, your passing on a Saturday during the Visitation of Mary (all the more remarkable with that Magnificat that so defined your life, and you even carried Mary's name).
From the moment you arrived at Nazareth in third year, you won the love and esteem not only of our teachers but of all of us in the class. At first it was your simplicity—the kind the Sisters spoke of—and then your balance and strength as you faced the sudden, early loss of your beloved father and the difficult circumstances that followed. In gymnasium you were one of Professor Cardinali's favorites, though you found this tiresome. With such grace, you tried to help me overcome my shyness and insecurity, inviting me to your home, where your wonderful mother made a lasting impression on me.
We studied literature together at university, but since we both worked at the same time, we never managed to study side by side—much to my regret. With your calm presence, you would have helped steady my restless nerves. Later we both taught at Nazareth, though in different years.
They say like seeks like, and your marriage to Paolo filled me with joy. I had always known him as intelligent and witty from our university days. You and Paolo were a model couple, and together you built a beautiful family with Chicca.
In my darkest hours, your solidarity reached out to me and moved me deeply. I think of 1975, when we lost our twin daughters to medical negligence, and 2011, when an accident left our son Paolo paralyzed in his right arm and hand. You were there.
Through Fede e Luce, you gave courage and hope to countless mothers and fathers. You dried their tears. I remain deeply grateful to you—I will never forget how Aunt Matilde died at peace, leaving my cousin Francesca more mature and quite independent, even after losing her two younger sisters.
Among our class, you rose highest—spiritually and in the world. It was no accident that you received the Woman of the Year Award in 2002. But you kept it quiet, as you did everything else.
You will remain in our memory and in our hearts always, with "the beauty, the depth, the blue in the light of your eyes," as Giovanna Alfano wrote of you—she preceded you to the Father's house by just over a month.
Remember us, who loved you so much. Let us feel, dearest Mariangela, that you have left our sight but never our lives, and that you will always help us along the path that remains before we are reunited in the house of God our Father, infinite in mercy and love.
Franca Forti Bulferi, 2014
===FINE===