When a friend of her mother, a certain Sister Prudence, asked the question of what vocation tempted her, the answer from little Alessandra, aged 10, came: “Star dancer or nun!” » Today, as we hurry to meet her, fifty years have passed. And it seems that Alessandra Martines has, in her own way, realized the two aspirations that inhabited her as a child.
At a very young age, Alessandra convinced her parents to study dance. Proposal accepted on condition of following general studies at the same time. The little girl therefore trained in the most prestigious ballets, in the four corners of the world, until returning to Paris and graduating from the National Superior Conservatory of Music and Dance of Paris. She has intense memories of these years and, already, an alloy of what will take shape later in a renewal of her faith: “The life of a dancer is ascetic, almost monastic: strict rules, a fusion with music, with beauty, in a movement of elevation of the soul. »
Then arrive, without having seen them take shape, the years of cinema, turning Miss Arizona with Pal Sandor in 1987. It was the start of her career and a page in her personal history with the meeting of Claude Lelouch, with whom she would have a daughter. Recognized, talented, the beautiful Franco-Italian has a string of successes and continues to be noticed as a juror of the general public show Dancing with the stars. A life at 1,000 miles an hour which allows him to rub shoulders with the greatest.
One day, she has an inner and intimate encounter
But one day, she has an encounter – interior and intimate. A few years ago, when she was facing a great ordeal, Alessandra entered a church, attracted by the warm, musical emanations of the organ. Sitting in a corner, she does not think of leaving while the piece, finished, gives way to the celebration of mass. For her, it’s a shock. When she leaves, she looks for the priest to ask him to help her on her journey towards the sacraments.
From then on, the former prima ballerina shares her vibrant faith: “What interests me now is to follow the stories of those who live from the love of Christ. I feel an urgency to put meaning in my life and to love: it’s the only thing that matters. » A paradigm shift for the one who admits, without denying them, not to make the same choices before and after her conversion. Since then, she has been president of the F. A. Mayday association, which helps people in distress and hosts the ephemeris in “Le saint du jour” as well as “Sacred Destinies” on the C8 and CNews channels. To create these portraits of saints, the journalist becomes an investigator: “For example, I went to the woods where the young Rolando Rivi (1931-1945) was assassinated, who the communists reproached for wearing the cassock: “That will always be one priest less”, they would have said at the time. to execute it. »
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Devotion for Saint Francis of Assisi
Following in the footsteps of the young Carlo Acutis (1991-2006), beatified in 2020 by Pope Francis and who will be canonized in April 2025, she was able to meet Antonia, the young man’s mother: “Extraordinary moment, overwhelming and timeless”she remembers. A privilege of which she is aware and which she will share with as many people as possible: “It’s up to me, then, to bring this testimony to television. »
The next professional step? The paths of the Lord are impenetrable…
The opportunity for the viewer to travel and review their geography, particularly in Italy, but also to discover superb places, such as Assisi. And these extraordinary stories do not only attract believers: those who watch do not necessarily have faith, or even turn out to be completely atheists. For Alessandra Martines, this is the whole point of her show! But which saint particularly touches her? The answer is obvious: Francis of Assisi. For his radicalism in the poverty of the chosen life, he who nevertheless came from a wealthy family and who, with his few companions, begged in his homespun dress. For his humor too, his ability to marvel at the little things in life and the beauty of the Earth.
Today, the former dancer is publishing a book, taken from her show, which covers the lives of ten young saints of the 20th century, ten journeys with which it is easy to identify: “What I love above all is telling these very diverse lives: young people who were born into a believing family or not. They all have a common ambition: to give their lives in the interest of the common good. In ordinary holiness. » Alessandra Martines confesses her admiration for these figures who are so alive, so close to our joys, our sorrows, and our failings too. Exuding a serenity that cannot be human. An extract from a psalm comes to her instinctively, which she quotes with sparkling eyes: “Come and drink from the hidden spring, come and rest on the heart of the Beloved. »
A life beyond
While, following the Arcom decision, the shutdown of the C8 channel is looming, Alessandra Martines tells us of her incomprehension. The next professional step? The paths of the Lord are impenetrable…
She tells us that she recently had to deal with the death of her father. An ordeal that she overcomes with her family, spending Christmas near her mother with her two children: if the pain is severe, the assurance of another life, in the afterlife, gives a whole new dimension to the suffering. . And it is this jewel that Alessandra burns to share, while Catholics celebrate the birth, in a stable, of a toddler, nevertheless King of the world.
Sacred destinies, Alessandra Martines, Salvator, 128 pages, 14.80 euros.
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