The year 2026 will mark the 60th anniversary of the arrival of the Focolare in Asia and Oceania. It was 22 February 1966 when Chiara Lubich – the founder of the Focolare Movement – assigned five focolarini and focolarine to Manila in response to a request from the then Archbishop of Manila, Cardinal Rufino Santos. Giovanna Vernuccio, Silvio Daneo, Guido Mirti, Ednara Tabosa and Magdalena Brandao were the first pioneers of the Focolare Movement’s adventure in Asia, and beyond. From Manila, they went on to travel to Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, India, Pakistan, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and finally Australia.

The Focolare Movement thus spread across the Asian continent, bringing to all those it encountered the spirit of unity that characterises it, despite the enormous diversity of cultures, religions and languages. This journey has paved the way for ecumenical and interreligious dialogue right up to the present day.

The programme focused on the origins of the Movement in Asia and its spread across the continent through personal testimonies; a workshop was held on the Movement’s engagement with the realities of the world; and a solemn prayer for peace took place. On the final day, during the celebration of Holy Mass at the Cittadella Pace, there were around 700 participants, some of them came all the way from other countries. A joyful and family-like atmosphere pervaded the entire event, accompanied by a profound gratitude for the pioneers. The current Metropolitan Archbishop of Manila, Cardinal Jose Fuerte Advincula; the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Charles John Brown; Bishops Roberto Mallari, Mel Rey Uy, Reynaldo Evangelista, Guillermo Afable and Gerardo Alminaza, the Italian Ambassador to the Philippines, Davide Giglio, and Bishop Joel Polares of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (Independent National Christian Church), as well as around 30 priests, took part in the event, alongside various friends from other Churches and different faiths, and a strong presence of young people. The Italian Ambassador said he felt completely recharged by the celebration, suggesting celebrating it every year.

Among the impressions: “For me, the 60th anniversary was a celebration of every person who has made a clear choice for God,” says Suzette, “by following Chiara Lubich with their lives.
Each one’s yes have generated countless Yeses where I find myself today.
And Kreng adds: “With deep gratitude to God and to all of them I go forward more convinced, more ablaze with that passion to make “that all may be one be everyone’s reality!

“The celebration was like a drop of the divine in a world so full of itself, a wisp of fresh air at a time when lives are suffocated by isolation and division, it was the tender closeness of God. The 60th anniversary celebration was truly memorable, moving and meaningful. It also marked a new commitment and a new hope”.

Lorenzo Russo