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1 Sep 2013 | Non categorizzato
A sorrow shared
A friend of my daughter had recently lost her father and one sister in an automobile accident. I only knew the mother by sight. I felt urged to go and visit her, but I realized one visit wouldn’t be enough. I should do more. I went by the market and bought some groceries and brought them to her. But I didn’t have the courage to speak to her. What could I say? How would I be able to console her? I gathered my courage and returned several times to visit her. I discovered that she was in need of some money, so I brought it to her. A few days later I found her strengthened, convinced in life and grateful for our friendship born of a sorrow that is shared. (P. G. – Bolivia)
Terminated
A new director had come to the company where I had been working for 25 years. He was young and inexperienced. As spokesperson for the concerns of the company’s employees I was supposed to point out his errors during the administrative council meeting, to which his wife also belonged. At the same time I didn’t want to break the relationship, and so I chose my words carefully in order not to exacerbate the situation. After two years of this, one morning the director told me I was fired. Although shocked, I assured him that I would do my best until the last day of work. Shortly before my termination he asked me to stay on. He said his previous decision had been reckless. But in the meantime, my wife and I had already begun our own business and so I declined his offer. The last day was filled with surprises, the company held a feast with gifts and a letter of thanks. The workers also expressed their gratitude to me for all that I had done in their favor. (E.C. – Switzerland)
At the wash house
Days ago I went to the public washing place near to my house, to wash some laundry. There was a beautiful sun and many women were there washing laundry. We were chatting so joyfully when an old man arrived. He could hardly see. He held two bed sheets, a shirt and his turban, which were all in need of washing. He asked us to move aside and give him some space. No one wanted to move aside for him. I turned to him and said: “Baba,” which is the way we address the elderly, “give your things to me and I will wash them for you.” The other women began to laugh: “What? With that mountain of laundry you already have?” I invited the Baba again and began to wash his laundry. He was so happy. He gave me his fatherly blessing and before leaving, he wanted to give me his small piece of soap which he was so jealously guarding. No one laughed now. In the silence something new happened. One shared her basin with the other; one brought the pitcher filled with water to the one who was far from the font. . . A chain of collaboration had been set in motion. (F.N. – Pakistan)
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31 Aug 2013 | Non categorizzato
Burkino Faso, “the land of upright people,” is a country in West Africa. It is one of the poorest countries in the world. The population is concentrated in the south centre of the country but, due to the high rate of unemployment, many migrate seasonally to neighbouring countries. A great part of its economy is financed by international aid. Bobo-Dioulasso is a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural city due to its historical role as a crossroad of the Saharan commercial routes. Since 2005 the Teens4Unity Association has been promoting the Seeds of Brotherhood project in Sarfalao, one of the poorest quarters in the city, which is geared towards youths and teenagers. The project, which is inserted into the partnering project (Schoolmates), involves teens from the North to the South of the globe, offering after-school scholarships to anyone who is unable to attend school due to cost and conditions of poverty. Over the years, the project was then expanded to offer an ever growing number of teens the possibility of scholastic support and social training courses by academic level. Some needed help in English, some in Mathematics, some in French, and so on. The goal: to help them pass their final examinations. 
Thanks to the scholarship, two students attended a professional training course; one is learning sewing and another is training to be a professional hair-dresser. The poorest youths, along with their families, are provided a daily meal that for many is the only meal of the day. In the area of sport, with help from the Registry of Sport in Austria, they have been able to construct a canopied playing area, a fence and a storage building for equipment. Through the project teachers are able to purchase the costly school materials that are then sold to families at a reduced price which they can afford. This allows the parents to feel part of their own children’s education. Everything is carried out in an attitude of deep respect for the human dignity of each person, in a reciprocal exchange of giving and striving to create relationship among teachers and students and families. Some mothers, for example, willingly cook for everyone each day. They are given a small stipend that helps them to care for their families. One boy, who receives assistance through the project, wanted to offer something in return and built a swing for the younger children. There are also many moments for play and being together, cooking, learning to make paper flowers, eating sweets, cakes and jam . . . having a great time together! During one meeting with the young people, there was a discussion about the rights and duties of the children and youths. When someone asked if anyone could name one right that young teenagers have, one boy immediately answered: “To love!” Source: www.school-mates.org
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26 Aug 2013 | Focolare Worldwide
Africa, the Middle East was the cradle of great civilizations and 3 monotheistic religions. For thousands of years these lands held a very noticeable influence on Asia Minor and the European Mediterranean. Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Hittites, Phoenicians, Persians, Greeks, Arabs and Turks have let an indelible mark through their culture, art and religions. Judaism, Christianity and Islam were begun in this region, and it was here in Jerusalem that their holy city is found.
November 27, 1999 in Jordan is a day that will forever remain an unforgettable day for the members of the Focolare in these lands. Founder Chiara Lubich visited the Middle East and met some thousand members of the Focolare in Amman. They came from more than 20 countries (from the Middle East and beyond), some travelling over 20 hours by bus, others in airplanes, and overcoming impossible obstacles. A thousand people representing the more than 25,000 people who belong to the Movement in those lands. On that occasion, Chiara said to the crowd: “It’s wonderful to be with you. We are many peoples, but in this hall we are one.”
Two days later, on November 29, during the 7th Assembly of the World Conference of Religions for Peace (WCRP), which was held in Amman, during her speech, Chiara Lubich presented the “Art of Loving” including the aspect of loving everyone without distinction, taking the initiative in loving, putting yourself in the other person’s shoes and remembering that every human being has made in the image and likeness o God. She offered as an effective way of building peace among individuals and peoples.
On August 28, 2013, the current president and co-president of the Focolare, Maria Voce and Giancarlo Faletti, are expected to meet with the Focolare community in Jordan. Their visit will last through September 1, 2013 and is seen as an important and delicate encounter, considering the latest painful events in that region, especially in Egypt.
At the WCRP Assembly in 1999, Chiara Lubich had stated: “We are here today because we believe that in spite of everything,, peace is still possible. In fact it is the only path for a future that is worthy of the highest human values.” Perhaps these words are the key or understanding the upcoming visit of the Focolare president in Jordan.
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24 Aug 2013 | Non categorizzato
The week-long retreat, entitled “In the Footsteps of Chiara Luce”, organised by the Gen Seminarians (Gens) of the Focolare, concluded with a joyful international feast at the Sassello parish church (August 13, 2013 – August 16, 2013). Twenty Gens, 15 priests and 20 seminarians and youths took part in the event. They travelled from 13 countries (one from the Mariana Islands in Oceania) to spend ten days ‘In the Footsteps of Chiara Luce.’” For some it was the first encounter with the Focolare Movement.”
The president and co-president of the Focolare Movement welcomed the young people with a written message: “Dear Gens, It would take forever to share with you all that our young people are doing everywhere in the world. Together we have set out to be living gospels and to give witness through mutual love that God is the most beautiful, fulfilling and liberating ideal that any young person could meet, regardless of their calling.”
The 10 days together at Sassello were like a Mariapolis. There were also families with children, grandparents and some nuns. We attended Mass together and prayed the Rosary in our different languages after supper. A few times we had moments of common meditation and reflection. A strong relationship was formed with the Sassello parish. At the concluding mass on Sunday, there was an exchange of gifts.
The best part was the close moments spent together with the parents of Chiara Luce Badano, first in their home where they welcomed us with open hearts and told us about little Chiara’s life until the age of nine. Then they came a second time to visit us and share with us about Chiara Luce’s life and her relationship with the Focolare Movement. With them came Chicca and Franz Coriasco, friends of the young Blessed, who told us about her life as a Gen. We all realized that we could never really know her unless we went to the source of her holiness: the charism of Chiara Lubich.
Also touching were the testimonies of people who had lived with Chiara Luce: Giuliano, the barman at the coffee bar stressed her normality; Aldina, instead, led us to understand the secret through which Chiara Luce had managed to live those “25 minutes,” that is, her ongoing ‘yes’ to Jesus Forsaken, when she was informed that her illness was serious and irreversible. But the fact is that from when she was a child, a Gen 3, she had already heard talk of Jesus forsaken and she had always tried to live each moment of her life saying to Jesus ‘For you, Jesus’ or ‘if you want it, I want it too, Jesus.’”
Some impressions; “This was a marvelous experience. Not only have I deepened my knowledge of the extraordinary figure of Chiara Luce, but I’ve also sensed the universal breadth of the church united by the personal love of Jesus for each one of us. I want to enter more deeply into the spirituality of the Movement, but also to transmit what I’ve taken in during these days” (A seminarian).
“I’ve grown in the faith and here I’ve learned that it’s important to begin again” (A young man who is “searching”).
“This was an enriching experience;” a “launching pad for a new take-off;” “normality is a path for becoming saints.”
By Alexander Duno
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22 Aug 2013 | Focolare Worldwide
Mumbai is the economic heart of India and one of the largest and most densely populated cities in the country. But many of its 20 million inhabitants live on the streets or in slums found all over in the city. In one of these, about forty minutes by train from the centre of the city in the north west, live about 400 thousand people in conditions of extreme poverty.
It is here that in 1997 several families in the slum decided to set up a social project in collaboration with ‘Support at a Distance’, a project run by New Families. In 2001, during her first visit to India, Chiara Lubich encouraged them to develop what they had begun as ‘a practical response to the poverty around us.’
From then on the project has grown. Today it cares for 115 young people from 4 to 22 years old. Its activities aim at supporting students in their schooling, nutrition and health, in order to raise the standard of life for them and their families. In 2004 the project took the name ‘Udisha’ which means ‘the sun ray that announces the new dawn’. Today Udisha participates in the Schoolmates project, a Teens for Unity project, which seeks to build up a network among school classes and groups of young people in various countries and to support projects that promote solidarity.
Main activities:
Schooling and education. In India the schools have 70-80 students per class. This makes it difficult to give individual tuition and, to pass their exams, the young people have to attend expensive private support lessons. The poorest among them, since they cannot afford this, are forced to give up their studies. Udisha, therefore, offers free support lessons in several subjects. In addition it tries to raise funds to pay for further schooling, educational equipment and school uniforms. Occasionally extra-curricular cultural and recreational activities are organized.
Intercultural awareness. There are various religions present at Udisha: Christian, Hindu and Muslim. One of the project’s objectives is to contribute to creating constructive integration, culturally, religiously, linguistically and also between the generations. It encourages exchanges of experience and activities, working together especially with the Shanti Ashram of Coimbatore.
Medical treatment. Many of the young people suffer from malnutrition. They are at risk from the seasonal epidemics that come with the rains or floods. For this reason during the year there are group medical visits involving both doctors in the area and other organizations. Help is also given to improve domestic diet with proteins and vitamins through the distribution of food stuffs and dietary supplements. For some time a counselling service for young people and parents has also been on offer.
Training in parenting. Meetings to raise understanding and to share good practice among families are organized periodically for parents. These are occasions for a rich exchange of experiences, advice and points of view.
Microcredit. A year ago Udisha began an small venture into microcredit which involves seventy of the young people’s mothers. Split into three groups that meet monthly, these mothers have been trained in microcredit in the kind of atmosphere of mutual trust absolutely necessary for such a venture to work. This year they will start to offer loans.
Source: Schoolmates website
