Buongiorno a tutti!
I am the person responsible for this translation of my dear Antonietta's letters.
As previously mentioned in the "Life Story" article, Nennolina started writing her prayers so that God would grant her dearest wish: to receive First Holy Communion on Christmas Day. Over time, she composed many letters, though only 162 survived in print. Those letters span from when she was just 5 1/2 years old, to when she died at age 6 1/2. Although every single one of them is beautiful like Nennolina's soul, my personal favorites are letters 1, 5, 9, 11, 13, 15, 22, 23, 24, 28, 32, 33, 36, 38, 44, 47, 50, 61, 68, 72, 79, 81, 82, 83, 96, 111, 114, 116, 117, 118, 124, 127, 128, 133, 134, 144, 146, 147, 151, 156, 159, 160, 162.
Please don't let Antonietta's letters or her story make you feel inadequate. That would upset me very much. The purpose of my translation is to inspire people and let them know that, with God's help, all good things are possible. All we have to do is cooperate with His will and we can better ourselves. So, don't bother comparing your six-year-old self to Nennolina; focus on the present and how to build toward the future. Of course, you can always look to Antonietta as a role-model like I do (though I consider her a "Big Sister"). She's pretty cool, after all.
Anyway, the following letters were originally written in Italian, so take that as a disclaimer of sorts. No translation can capture 100% of the meaning. The contents of this particular translation come directly from La Preghiera per gli Altri: Le Lettere di Nennolina, a book that I ordered straight from Italy. If you compare the letters across languages, you'll notice that I made a few subtle changes—albeit primarily in punctuation. Again, I can't guarantee that the translations are perfect, ma ho fatto del mio meglio!
Anyway, I really hope you enjoy Antonietta's letters. They're very dear to my heart, even though I'm not their author. No matter what our age, we are all called to be saints, and I believe that Nennolina led a saintly life marked by heroic virtue. Perhaps you'll see why as you read on.
Ciao, i miei amici!
—Austin A. Schulz
YOU ARE READING
The Letters of Antonietta Meo (Translated by Austin Schulz)
Non-FictionWhether you believe in God or not, this is well worth your time. Here entails the life story and prayer letters of the Venerable Antonietta 'Nennolina' Meo (1930-1937): a six-year-old girl whose love for God and understanding of His divine Grace ins...
