She was shy, but a nonconformist, determined and authentic.
Susanna was 18 when she died of fulminant meningitis. Her heart stopped on the way back from WYD in Krakow, where she had traveled with her parish. Her sudden departure caused an intense effect in friends and family.
ENRICO RUFI
Susanna's father
'Everything happened so fast that I thought I was in a dream. Maybe that's why I didn't freak out. The call arrived Monday morning. We took the first plane and arrived in Vienna around 10:30. She had already died two hours earlier. How do you get out of this situation? I do not know. But how you get in, I can tell you; you're forced in.'
Enrico decided to capture the experience in this book, 'The Hallelujah of Susanna,' which is more than memories of his daughter. He exposes his doubts; the doubts that many adults around Susanna did not know how to answer.
Susanna was very active in the parish, but she noticed the answers the catechists offered were not enough. There was something else missing. That is why she was determined to live her faith with actions and not only with words.
POPE FRANCIS
September 26, 2016
'It is by loving that the God-who-is-Love is proclaimed to the world. God is proclaimed through the encounter between persons, with care for their history and their journey.'
ENRICO RUFI
Susanna's father
'Today Susanna would say that the way catechism is taught does not convince her, because she does not see fruit. She was among the children and young people, but she preferred to be a pastoral leader. I do not know if catechesis truly doesn't work, but it is not enough. It is necessary to lead by example.'
Susanna was looking for living examples. Her response, her example and her story have helped many. Her doubts could also help the bishops in the next Synod on young people, faith and vocational discernment. One of the points of reflection will be parishes dynamism and the important role that educators play in the lives of young people like Susanna.
