Telephone calls to the world
300 telephone conversations made by Chiara Lubich during conference calls with Focolare communities worldwide have been edited into one volume. Maria Caterina Atzori, one of the steering committee members entrusted with the “Works of Chiara Lubich”, at the Chiara Lubich Centre in Rocca di Papa (Rome), is interviewed about this book. Conversations is the second volume in the series “Works of Chiara Lubich”. The first volume, “Words of Life”, was published by the New City Press, in collaboration with the Chiara Lubich Centre, in 2017. Can you tell us more about this second volume? In the book “Conversations” there are 285 spiritual thoughts, which Chiara Lubich wrote between 1981 and 2004. She shared them personally with Focolare communities in various parts of the world during telephone conference calls made from time to time. These rich thoughts speak about life and delineate a spiritual journey in its various stages, lived in the light of the charism of unity. Chiara traces a path to collective holiness, one that opens a new road marked by its communitarian dimension and that leads us to God “together” with our neighbour. She was the first one to embark on this journey, but at the same time she was joined by those, who were led by her example and guided by her “telephone calls”. They accepted her invitation to set out together on this “Holy Journey” of life, an expression Chiara used to define this journey which recalls Psalm 83. Has Chiara Lubich created a “new literary genre”? Chiara had no intention of creating a new literary genre. In fact, the texts in this volume were not meant for a written publication. This came later on. Initially, New City Press published them in small booklets, as they were widely requested not only by Focolare members, but also by others who met the Charism of Unity. These texts were written one at a time; they were written to be “spoken”, to be transmitted through the use of the telephone set. The novum of their “literary genre” lies in the fact that during each telephone call the speaker managed to create an immediate dialogue with her listeners; she formed a family worldwide, a family united in its commitment to walk the “Holy Journey” of life together. Later on, these same texts were put together for publication. So, in this sense, one can say that “Conversations” brought to life a new literary genre: a genre that combines word, communicative methodology and life, and establishes an intimate and profound dialogue between the author and her interlocutors, in a broader sense between broadcaster and listener, writer and reader. What are the characteristics of these texts? The text of each telephone call is presented in the book as a letter. Although each one is contextualized in time and space, yet it is still aims at establishing direct contact with its new readers, who are addressed with the opening words: “Dear all”. These “conversations” are still happening, not through the telephone set but through the pages of a book. Chiara uses a language rich in warmth and colour; that goes well with both young and old, people from different social backgrounds. From time to time, she engages in contemporary reality, interprets man’s life in the light of the Charism of Unity, recounts her experience about the thought she wants to transmit, interacts with her interlocutors, proposes a motto to be lived till the next telephone appointment (in the book: till the next letter). She expresses her spiritual thought through concrete daily images, familiar to her interlocutors. Frequently, she uses similarities, metaphors and slogans that are lively and easy to remember. Thus, her message is clear, engaging and “easy” to live. And each of these texts continues to invite the reader to live the message. We have been told that the “Opera omnia” (the complete work) of the Focolari foundress is to be published in a series of volumes. The first one was “Words of Life”, and now we have the second one. May we know what are the next scheduled publications? We prefer to speak about “Opere” (works) rather than about “Opera omnia”. In fact, the documentary material signed by Chiara Lubich is very substantial and there might be further acquisitions. This material needs to be sorted out and catalogued, a process that takes quite a long time. However, we already have the possibility of editing a corpus of works, drawn from both published and unpublished material, that offer the legacy of her thought in a systematic way. The series “Works of Chiara Lubich” is to meant to achieve this. It will consist of 14 volumes, organized into three main thematic areas:1.The Person; 2. Spirituality (the first two volumes published by New City Press, Words of Life and Conversations, are part of this second section); 3. Work (the next volume, which will contain speeches in the civil and ecclesial spheres, falls under this third section. It is work in progress, expected to be finished within the next year). Are these texts only published in Italian? Are there any publications in other languages? The volume Words of Life is currently being translated into English. We hope that Words of Life and Conversations will soon be translated into several languages. Both the individual spiritual thoughts and the comments on the Words of Life have already been translated into various languages for immediate communication with non-Italians; so we hope that the volumes of the series “Works of Chiara Lubich” will soon be in bookshops in a wide range of languages.
by Anna Lisa Innocenti
“From Argentina, we decided to move to Lámud, Peru,” said Javier, “the town where Jenny was born, in what is called ‘Ceja de Selva’ (half jungle, half mountain). It’s located near to where the great Marañón and Amazon rivers begin. We wanted to be close to her parents, who are now elderly and in delicate health.” Javier is Argentinian. He met Jenny while she was studying in Rosario, Argentina. They have three daughters, aged 2, 4, and 17. They sold “what little they had” and left for the Amazonas, Peru’s poorest region, 1,600 kilometers from Lima and 14 hours from the nearest Focolare house. Moving from a big city like Rosario to a town with 2,500 residents at 2,300 meters elevation was a big change for the family. “We knew we wouldn’t be making a return trip,” he said. Moving from a big city like Rosario to a town with 2,500 residents, at 2,300 meters elevation, was a big change for the family, and it was especially challenging for Javier. At a young age, both Javier and Jenny met the Focolare’s spirituality of unity; they now wanted to live the Gospel as a family. That’s why “their biggest concern” was to get to a place where they “would be alone,” with no one with whom to share this ideal of unity. They decided to do everything they could to bear witness and proclaim the Gospel with their lives, so that even in the Amazon, a seed of the spirituality of unity would be planted. They decided to live the commandment of reciprocal love so that Jesus would always be spiritually present in their family, according to his promise: “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in their midst” (Mt 18:20). With the conviction that, as Chiara Lubich once said, “one of the fruits of Jesus in the midst is giving birth to a community,” they left for Peru. A few days after arriving, the local bishop visited their town. They introduced themselves as a “Focolare family.” The bishop blessed them and encouraged them to continue in their commitment. They began by touring the periphery of the village by visiting “the poorest of the poor.” They went to people’s houses—if you want to call them that—where they found elderly people who “didn’t even have a decent bed to die in, such was their poverty!” They met many families and children who could afford to eat only once a day. “We would bring them something to eat, hug them, look them in the eye, and give them a word of encouragement,” said Jenny. Sometimes, they would stay two or three days with them, “sharing their pain, their poverty, their brief joys and hopes.” 
Hopeful that they could help bring to life a small community in their town, they began to organize meetings of the “Word of Life,” but with no success. They changed tactics several times. “We never got discouraged,” said Javier. “We knew that Jesus has his time and the important thing was to stay in the game.” They invited their neighbors again to meet about the Word of God, and gradually some people joined, including some of the mothers of the children in kindergarten with their daughters. They also organized a children’s program. This felt like the beginning to them, a small calling. Then the parish priest asked them to take on the family catechesis of the village and ten other surrounding villages, including some located two hours away. Recently welcomed their first visit from the Focolare community of Talara, a city located 650 kilometers and 12 hours by car from Lámud. It was a visit that marked them in a special way, “a before and after in the life of our community.” Jenny and Javier share in the joy of those who have found their place in the world. “We are few, but something was born!” they say. “We don’t want to set expectations, but we believe that Jesus has a soft spot in his heart for the Amazon, for the poorest of the poor. This is so perhaps because he was also born among the poor, and he stayed with them. We don’t know the roads he wants to take us, but they’re the only ones on which we want to travel! Like Him, we want to give our lives for our people.” 
While the settings may be different, the experience is the same: the Mariapolis is the typical expression of the Focolare Movement where those who participate in these gatherings – usually held in the summer – are invited to experience a few days of utopia: a society based on living the reciprocal love of the Gospel. A very big European Mariapolis was held in Fiera di Primiero this summer where the very first Mariapolis took place sixty years earlier. It ran in four stages, each lasting a week. In many other parts of the world the Mariapoli attracted people from very different backgrounds. This year there were 235 Mariapoli around the world with bringing together around 46,000 people. Our editorial team has received letters and reports from Wales, Vietnam, Peru, Canada, Finland, Italy, Bulgaria and Brazil. 
In Turkey the Mariapolis took place in Şile, a little town on the Black Sea near Istanbul, a resort that provided a holiday atmosphere which everyone appreciated. The 70 participants came from Ankara, Iskenderun, Izmir as well as other countries. The main theme – personal and collective sanctity – was developed by presenting some of Turkey’s best-known saints: St. John Chrysostom, St. Ephrem, St. Helena and St. Thecla whose lives have had a great influence on the Church of the early times. In Kerrville, Texas (USA), the theme of the Holy Spirit and the Church was explored which has guided the life of the Focolare Movement all over the world this year. Out of the 350 people present, 100 were participating for the first time in a Mariapolis perhaps because studying the Church was particularly attractive to people at a time that has been marked by so many scandals and sufferings. The same subject, presented with an focus on ecumenism, was at the heart of the Mariapolis in Sweden held in Marielund-Stockholm with Lutherans and Catholics taking part. Two Buddhists as well as those who do not profess a 
specific faith were also present. The participants came from different cities in Sweden and a good representation from Norway. Despite the diversity it was possible to deepen the idea of “the Holy Spirit as the one who is the Church’s vital energy and who gives each person the particular grace to realize their own calling through the unity of all the members of the mystical body of Christ”, in their own words. The participation of newer generations to the program gave the Mariapolis in Lviv, Ukraine, a joyful touch. Young adults, teenagers and children were entrusted with the preparation and running of an entire day which they did in a lively and engaging way. At the start of each day it was the children who “taught” the adults by telling them how they had lived the words of the Gospel of the previous day. The Mariapolis in Penang, Malaysia, was characterized by the diversity of languages, cultures, ethnic backgrounds and people travelling great distances with participants from Singapore, for example, travelling 700 km. “The effort made to keep mutual love alive among us” – they wrote – “and thus give space to the presence of Jesus in our midst, the commitment to face and overcome difficulties and the willingness to give up one’s own ideas, made this undertaking possible”. 
After more than fifty years of life theirs is an artistic proposition capable of continuous renewal. At the same time, they keep the compass fixed on some key points: a life lived under the banner of fraternity, a collaborative production between artists of various nationalities that speaks of unity between peoples and nations, a message that proposes a culture of giving and sharing – attentive to the challenges of our planet. This is Gen Rosso an international music group, made up of musicians and technicians of different vocations from Europe, Asia and Latin America. Recently their “Life” tour became an album with eighteen tracks chosen from the songs recorded by Gen Rosso over the years. We talk about it with one of the group, Michele Sole. – On July 1st your live album from the “LIFE” Tour was released. How was this new album conceived and what are its characteristics? From the autumn of 2018 until today we have had some beautiful concerts all over Italy with our production “LIFE” and since the audiences were enthusiastic, like we were ourselves, from there we had the desire to create a cd ‘Life – live’. Once the recordings made on stage were re-created, we mixed them trying to keep all the energy and emotion that we breathe in our concerts. You can hear the audience singing with us, their applause and their voices, giving the listener the feeling of being right there with us on stage. In short, a real live recording! – 
Recently you have created, in the international little town of Loppiano where you are based the “Gen Rosso Music and Arts Village”. What is this and what are the objectives? The “Gen Rosso Music and Arts Village” will be held this year from December 27th 2019 until January 5th 2020, this will be the third edition. It is an artistic experience, the sharing of values from the perspective of the charism of unity. It involves young professionals and students, aged 18 and above, from different disciplines such as music, dance, singing, theatre. The teaching methodology is designed by Gen Rosso tutors together with teachers who have recognized artistic skills and experience. The program includes an in-depth study of specific themes from the art world, the exchange of experiences, creative spaces and practical workshops that will converge in a final performance. You can register at village@genrosso.com. The programme will start on December 27th 2019 and will end on January 5th 2020. 
– In your travels, you participate in events that promote peace and friendship between peoples and universal fraternity. Is there a recent one that you remember in particular and why? Yes, in the spring we had the joy of being in Jordan, thanks to “Caritas Jordan”, to carry out the project “Be the change” . We worked with hundreds of students from different social classes, different religions and different nationalities, It is a project to foster dialogue and promote a culture of peace and friendship, with the participants themselves being the promoters of a change in their lives and in their cities for a better future. – What are your plans and future appointments? First of all, we will resume the world tour with the concert “Life” along with educational projects and the inclusion on stage of young people prepared during various workshops. The tour will begin in Italy (September 28th in Venosa; October 12th in Piacenza; October 23rd and 24th in Acerra; October 26th in Prato, November 1st in Teano). Then an Asian tour in Indonesia for almost the entire month of November 2019. 
Meanwhile, we will continue with courses in the little town of Loppiano, sharing experiences, training and art. From October 15th to 17th we will examine in depth light design, a course intended for people interested in expanding their knowledge of the use of light and colour. In addition, to support young emerging artists, we have started co-productions. The first is Stabat in Silentium, the staging of a play by the young writer Francesco Bertolini. This play is the result of a profound experience of solidarity that emerged after the earthquake in Amatrice (Italy). “How can one still believe in God after an earthquake?” is the “uncomfortable” question which is the starting point of this work. The protagonists are the young victims, but also the volunteers who leave their quiet life to go where tragedy has occurred.