Jesus and the music: two great passions blossomed soon in the life of Anna Rita Stratquadaini, consecrated in the Virginum agreement by Archbishop Giovanni Accolla in the Cathedral of Messina. 47 years old, note soprano and teacher at the Comprehensive Institute Pascoli Crispi, started playing the very small piano, with grandmother Anna and Sister Tarsilla of the repairing maidens, and then continued with Father Fosco Nicoletti until the entrance, at 10 years old, in the conservatory.
Active in the parish of San Luca as a chorister first and then organist, at 17 he approached the charisma of San Francesco and enters the Franciscan youth. In the meantime, graduated in Canto wins a competition at the Milan Scala and leaves the city. “Finally a dream was realized, I had always dreamed of singing in the most beautiful theaters and yet, returning home late evening, I always felt a void inside”.
In 2015, a friend asked her to accompany her to the cathedral to participate in the rite of two other consecrated Messina in the Virginum agreement, Patrizia Catanese and Amalia Giglio: a small seed that will not die immediately; Anna Rita gets engaged, graduated in lyrical singing, starts teaching at school first in Rome and then to Pascoli Crispi. It is here that the Catania colleague finds and that seed finally begins to give fruit. After an initial formation that lasted two years, on July 2, 2023 he embarked on the official journey together with Angela Marino, consecrated last year, followed by the archbishop’s delegate between Tonino Bono.
During the rite in the cathedral Anna Rita dedicated a special thought to her family – Nonna Anna, her sister Carmen, mom Maria, dad Vito – and to the late father Santino Bontempo who never stopped supporting her. To rejoice with her the colleagues of Pascoli Crispi with the manager Giusy De Luca and his beloved pupils, the red cross friends and the parish community of the Consolata Don Orione.
The delivery of the ring and the book of the Liturgy of the hours by the Archbishop was preceded by the so -called “renewal of the purpose of perfect chastity” and by the prostration on the ground during the performance of the litanies. “Make charity an effective instrument of evangelization,” said Msgr. Welcome Anna Rita.
In Messina the first to receive the consecration in the Virginum agreement was Pinella Travaglia, the third in 2024 Angela Marino. All consecrated are gathered in a national network – said connection (which dialogues with the Italian Episcopal Conference) – and a regional (there are 75 throughout Sicily) in order to create, maintain and strengthen relationships of sisterhood, sharing of the path, support and prayer.