Meet the participants: Bishop Michael Mulvey
How to watch English subtitles, click here https://youtu.be/01Yu21H5vbg
Voting has started for the men and women general councilors
Diary of the General Assembly no.10, 3rd February 2021 Today’s program is dedicated once again to voting. The General Assembly has met together in a plenary session to begin the process of voting, so as to elect the men and women general councilors of the Focolare Movement and this will conclude tomorrow.
The Electoral Commission at work
Meet the participants: Father Egidio Canil
How to watch English subtitles, click here https://youtu.be/Z0azW5nKBQU
Covid won’t hold us back. Love takes on the challenge of distance
Despite restrictions imposed by the pandemic, the Focolare community in Toronto remains close to a sick mother and her family “I don’t feel alone on this journey, and it’s thanks to all of you who are my family!”. Susan lives in Toronto, Canada. She has five children and was diagnosed with advanced cancer about a year ago. Her journey has been a rocky one, with moments of progress and feelings of hope alternating with moments of trial when her health deteriorated. But sharing her experience with the Focolare community, of which she has been a member for a long time, has helped to relieve the burden of her suffering and echo her joy. Not even the restrictions imposed by the pandemic can stop them sharing this suffering. It must be because love can overcome the most difficult obstacles. The same is true for the fraternal relationships linking members of the community together. From the Focolare in Toronto they said: “When Susan shared the situation with all of us, she told us she felt at peace and wanted to offer her suffering for everyone affected by the pandemic. We assured her of our personal prayers, and one of our families had the idea of meeting together on Zoom to pray the Rosary for her healing”. So since last March, members of the Toronto Focolare community have been meeting on Zoom every Sunday at 4pm: “We take turns praying one decade of the Rosary, and leave Susan and her family to pray the fifth decade”. It is such a strong moment of prayer that they feel the spiritual presence of Jesus among them, according to the Gospel which says “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mt 18:15-20). And through the intercession of Chiara Lubich, founder of the Focolare Movement, they are asking for Susan to be healed. “When we finish praying,” they continue, “Susan gives us an update on the treatment, and we all rejoice with her and Nino, her husband, if there has been progress and suffer with them in the difficult moments. She continues to tell us that she feels stronger spiritually and emotionally thanks to the spiritual presence of Jesus among us and that we are all carrying this suffering together!” Love for this mother and her family is also being expressed in very concrete gestures. If the doctors prescribe rest and advise against cooking, then the community takes it in turns to prepare a meals for the family which is different every time. “It’s incredible”, they say, “with love, you can overcome every difficulty, even those caused by the virus with the lockdown. For Susan’s family, especially the young children, it is always a great joy to see what has arrived for dinner because every time, from our multicultural community, there is a dish from a different world cuisine. This experience with its many acts of love has made us grow as a community”. It is this feeling of family that is giving Susan courage, and it is from this love for Susan that the community is rediscovering itself as a family every day.
Claudia Di Lorenzi
Greetings from around the world
General Assembly Diary 9/ 2 February 2021 After the first ten days, the Focolare General Assembly has reached a turning point. The election of the new President Margaret Karram, and the Holy See’s confirmation today of the re-election of Co-President Jesús Morán, completes the first phase. Tomorrow, in her first official duty, the new President will establish the number of General Counsellors to be elected by the Assembly. These cannot be less than 20, in line with a recent modification to the General Statutes of the Movement. Today, as the Assembly continued working on the direction and lines of action for the next six years, greetings and congratulations to the newly elected president have been pouring in from around the world. Here are a few highlights: “With great pleasure we heard of your election as new president of the Focolare Movement. […] Being so expert in dialogue between cultures […] your nomination will strengthen the witness of unity among cultures and religions. […] In the cooperation of ‘Together for Europe’ we wish to be a trustworthy partner in contributing to a new culture of unity”. P. Heinrich Walter, Schoenstatt Movement “Dear Margaret, […] I wish to congratulate you, on behalf, also, of Andrea [Riccardi] and all the Community of Sant’Egidio on this important role. […] We’ve met on various occasions already […] particularly in our shared commitment for unity among movements and ‘Together for Europe’. […] Building bridges and links of fraternity is a real necessity for our world and a ‘vocation’ for which your own personal story, your provenance from a land of suffering and conflict, makes you partcularly sensitive. […] In this spirit of fraternity, we’ll continue our friendship between the Focolare Movement and the Community of Sant’Egidio”.
Marco Impagliazzo, President of the Community of Sant’Egidio
“The Federation of the Fellowship of Christians and Jews in Italy expresses our sincere best wishes for your new role. […] We call to mind the light and colours of your cities: Haifa, Los Angeles and Jerusalem, and we hope to collaborate for the promotion of Jewish-Christian and inter-religious dialogue”. “With great pleasure, on behalf of the Union of Islamic Communities in Italy, I extend our hearty congratulations on your nomination as President of the Focolare Movement. On behalf of the communities I represent, I renew our wish to collaborate always on the way of dialogue, of sharing, of encounter, in the hope of gathering fruits of peace.” Yassine Lafram, presidenteUCOII “The Order of the Holy Sepulchre sends our best wishes to the newly-elected President of the Focolare Movement, Margaret Karram. […] As a Catholic Arab of Haifa, you have always been intensely involved in the activities of inter-religious dialogue working for the culture of encounter in the Holy Land.” Before concluding this diary, we ask you, our dear readers, for your collaboration. Disappointingly, documents, photos and recordings of the General Assembly are already being shared on various platforms. Let us not forget that this Assembly is not a public event. Please help us to protect the reserved nature of our Assembly. Please don’t join in the improper sharing of any content which has not been authorized by this office. Grazie! Thank you!
Focolare Communications Office