Focolare Movement

March 14th with Chiara Lubich

Mar 14, 2014

Many cities worldwide commemorate Focolare Founder Chiara Lubich on the sixth anniversary of her death (1920-2008). On March 29, 2014, in Rome, prominent members of several religions participate in a day of reflection, “Chiara and Religions: Moving Together towards the Unity of the Human Family .”

In the current extensive public discussion concerning the contribution of women to the life of the Church the name Chiara Lubich often comes up because of her spiritual, intellectual, and practical legacy. On March 14, the sixth anniversary of her passing, that challenging legacy still inspires those who remember her. In Pretoria, South Africa, Dr Kobus Gerber, General Secretary of the Dutch Reformed Church, will reflect on her contributions to ecumenical dialogue.  Similar events will take place in Perth and Melbourne, Australia. In view of the upcoming Synod on the Family, Chiara’s passion for the family will be the central focus of events in Luxembourg and Spain. In Perugia, Italy, Mayor Waldimiro Boccali will name a street after a teenager inspired by Lubich, Blessed Chiara Luce Badano. A similar ceremony will take place in Porto Alegre, Brazil, where an exhibit, “Chiara Lubich, Protagonist of New Times” will be mounted in the Hall of the Municipal Council.. There will be book presentations, concerts, and other cultural events throughout Europe, the Middle East, the Americas, and Africa. In small communities and in large metropolises many will pause to thank God for the gift of Chiara Lubich to the human family. In Sydney, Australia Cardinal George Pell will lead the community celebration, as will Archbishop John Dew in Wellington, New Zealand, and   Archbishop Jan Graubner in Olomuc, the Czech Republic. The Muslim Noor Center in Toronto, Canada, will host a discussion of her contribution to interreligious dialogue. On March 20, at Rome’s  Pontifical Urbaniana University, several prominent representatives from a range of world religions who knew Chiara will share their impressions at a conference entitled “Chiara and Religions, Moving Together Towards the Unity of the Human Family.” The event will conclude in Castel Gandolfo with an interreligious symposium among Christians and faithful of other religious traditions, including Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Shintoists,  and Sikhs. On this, her sixth anniversary, the preliminary phase of the Cause of Beatification of Chiara Lubich will begin.  On December 7, 2013 Focolare President Maria Voce made the formal request to open the process to Raffaello Martinelli, Bishop of Frascati. Voce commented, “This invites all of us to greater holiness, to build it up each day in our daily lives, in order to allow a ‘holiness of the people’ to emerge, which is what Chiara always sought to promote.”

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


Subscribe to Newsletter

Thought of the day

Related post

Audience with Pope Leo XIV

Audience with Pope Leo XIV

On Saturday 21 March 2026, participants in the Assembly of the Focolare Movement were received in private audience by Pope Leo XIV. The Pope reaffirmed the essence and fruitfulness of the charism of unity, a gift from God for the Church and for the world, and encouraged everyone to live this post-foundational phase with confidence, transparency and responsibility.

Living the Gospel: “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening” (Lk 24:29)

Living the Gospel: “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening” (Lk 24:29)

How can we recognize the presence of Jesus when faced with darkness, injustices and inequalities? When hardship and suffering seem to obscure all hope? The road to Emmaus becomes a symbol of each person’s journey of faith, of our deep desire to rediscover Christ in everyday choices; an encounter that leads to joy and shared testimony. It is the moving invitation that we can all extend to him so that, once he is found, he remains with us and among us.

Easter: The Foundation of the Great Hope

Easter: The Foundation of the Great Hope

This reflection on the Easter reasons and origins of Christian hope, hope that still “dares” to speak to people today, is offered by Declan J. O’Byrne, theologian and rector of the Sophia University Institute.