Antonia was born in 1919 to a poor family and was the 2nd of 10 children. They lived in the town of Orgosolo on the island Sardina, a Kingdom of Italy. Her father, Agostino, was a policeman. After 4 years of school, she took over housekeeping to help her bedridden mother, Grazia, who suffered a heart condition. She took care of siblings, cooked, cleaned, and washed.

She joined the Catholic Action movement and even at the age of 10, became a noted recruiter.

She set off for Mass one morning with a friend, and afterwards went to gather firewood when a teenager, Giovanni Ignazio Catigu, attacked her and tried to rape her. Her friend screamed and ran off to find help. She managed to escape twice, but on the 3rd attempt, she was knocked down. She defended herself and was struck with a rock 74 times. The last blow smashed her skull and disfigured her face. She would’ve been 16 the following month.

Giovanni was apprehended and sentenced to death. He was executed by firing squad.

Several months later, a fellow Catholic Action member met with Pope Pius XI to inform him of Antonia’s activism and murder. The Vatican has approved that she had died “in defensum castitatis” and her beatification.

Catholic Action for Faith and Family is an association of Catholics that strives to uphold and defend Christian values inspired by the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. The organization works in a legal and peaceful manner in the realm of ideas promoting these values. It aims to provide a network of resources and activities for clergy and laity to inspire them to reach out to others in an active way to defend these values. Catholic Action’s current initiatives include Operation Storm Heaven with Prayer, a spiritual crusade:
https://www.catholicaction.org/

Her feast day is May 17.

For God’s Glory.