I want to bear witness that death is Life !

The lives of the saints always offer a precious nourishment for the Christian community. Why choose Renata? Because she had discovered that God is Love and from that moment on, her life would have been inflamed by love until her death.” It was with these words that Bishop Luciano Giovannetti of Fiesole illustrated the motivations which had urged him to request that the cause of beatification be started for Renata Borlone (1930-1990), the focolarina who was co-director of Loppiano from 1967 to 1990. Her life, dedicated to God and neighbor, lived in the light of the spirituality of unity, continues to trace a luminous trail.

The San Benedetto Hall in Loppiano, the little town situated on the hills of Incisa Valdarno (Florence), was crowded with friends as Bishop Giovannetti officially inaugurated the process of Renata’s canonization on December 18, 2003.

Who was Renata
Renata Borlone was born on May 30, 1930 in Aurelia, in the suburbs of Rome. She grew up in a non-practicing Catholic family, and at around 14 years of age, the question of God’s existence surfaced in her mind and she started to frequent the church. She sought the truth, she chose fields of study that aided her search of God. When she was 19, she was struck by the lifestyle of a group of focolarine who had moved to Rome, and with them she experienced a joy and fullness she had never felt before. A certainty dawned: God exists and God is love! It was a dazzling discovery which trasformed her whole life. An extraordinary adventure had begun. For 40 years she contributed to building up a work of God in the Church. She was assigned to positions of responsibility both in Italy and abroad. In 1967 she moved to Loppiano to become co-director of the Movement’s little town there, and direct the spiritual formation of the women focolarine.
She died on February 7, 1990, leaving an example of life which continues to draw our attention.