Argentina: 60 young people from Latin America at a Summer School

Dec 21, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

The first Summer School in the Mariapolis Lia, the Focolare little town in Argentina, called in Spanish Escuela de Verano, is without doubt an extremely important step, with far-reaching consequences, in the academic development of Latin American young people.

It is not the first time that this little town has hosted an intense university-level study programme. It  already hosts various well-attended seminars and courses in politics, economics and the arts.

The Escuela de Verano is the first such educational project run jointly with the Sophia University Institute, based in Loppiano, near Incisa Valdarno (not far from Florence, Italy), whose international educational status means it can give academic accreditation to the Summer School. Among its aims, Sophia offers a course of life, study and research that explores a deeper understanding of Christian culture, as inspired by the life and work of Chiara Lubich who founded Sophia in 2007. The ideal of universal brotherhood, which she proposed and developed, can be seen in the experience of that culture and in the way it expresses itself. It is a culture that seeks to shed light upon the many dimensions of human knowledge, in its various disciplines, as it searches for the common good.

This first Summer School will look at: Epistemological Foundations for a Culture of Unity from the Perspectives of Theology, Science and Politics. Apart from established Latin American lecturers, it is significant that Prof. Piero Coda the President of Sophia will be present and will give a lecture on The Trinitarian God and the Historical Development of Christian Faith. Prof. Sergio Rondinara, who works in the fields of epistemology and cosmology, will give two lectures on The Relationship between Humankind and the Cosmos, Scientific Rationality and the Relationship between the Natural Sciences and Faith, and Ecology. Dr Daniela Ropelato, lecturer in political sciences, will also give two lectures on Contemporary Forms of Democracy, New Social and Political Agents, and Fraternity as a Political Category.

The Escuela de Verano offers university-level education to young men and women through the medium of an intense experience of study and of a shared life with others. It builds an academic community and is designed to enhance the students’ career development and their intellectual progress in their various disciplines. This communitarian enterprise, rooted in a dialogue sustained by a mutual exchange of experiences, fosters both the personal and corporate growth of its participants.

There seems to be great enthusiasm for this first Summer School in Latin America, which will begin on 28 December 2012. Already 100 university students from Mexico, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and Argentina have asked to be enrolled. From these 61 have been accepted on the courses.

The Legion of Honour Award to Catherine Belzung

Dec 20, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

Specializing in emotional psycho-biology, Catherine Belzung has made a crucial contribution to our understanding of the human being, particularly in the study of depression. This is why this professor of neruosciences and collaborator of Nouvelle Cite was decorated a Knight of the Legion of Honour on 11 December 2012 at the Francois Rabelais di Tours University in France.

In her research Belzung has highlighted how, contrary to what has been assumed up until now, in a certain region of the brain, there are cells that renew themselves and control the hormonal and nervous systems. But what most contributed to choosing her for this award was her ability to share the questions and knowledge of science and to allow them to be shared at a humanistic level.

At this level each one both brings and ‘loses’ his own scientific reasoning. This way of dialogue is a veritable challenge among university crowds, where the differing points of view are often incompatible with each another. Belzung’s conferences are being attended by many young people and students who are thus trained in the practice of dialogue and are opening new paths for further research.

Source: www.focolari.fr

Fidelia and her 1,083 students

Dec 19, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

Video on VIMEO (Italian only)

“My name is Fidelia. I’m Congolese and have been living in Central Africa for four years. I’m the director of a school with 1083 students between the ages of three and eighteen.

I always try to keep the Gospel before me as I carry out my work for the children. How can I live the Gospel with them? I’m always mindful of Jesus’ words: ‘Whoever welcomes one of these little ones, welcomes me.’ One time I had so much work to do that I closed myself up in my office where I could work in peace.

Suddenly a small boy of six years arrived, and I remembered those words of the Gospel regarding the little ones: if you do not convert and become like these little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. And so I opened the door and the child entered my office telling me that he hadn’t attended school for a week, since his parents separated. ‘I didn’t want to go with my father or my mother, and so I am staying with my grandmother,’ he told me. Then he continued: ‘You’ve been always teaching us that we should love everyone, even our enemies. And so I’ve come to ask you: ‘Can you do something for me?’

I asked for his parents’ telephone numbers and was able to speak for a long time with his mother. Then I telephoned his father but neither one of them wanted to forgive the other and accept their mistakes. This went on for some time until after a long conversation they were finally able to reconcile with each other. In fact they wanted to come and stand before me as they asked each other forgiveness. They forgave and were reconciled. Now they’re together again, which is a great joy for me and for their son.”

Prize for Young People for a United World in Hungary

Dec 18, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

It’s not every day that you go to a government ministry to receive official recognition. This is what happened to Youth People for a United World (Y4UW) in Hungary, after they had worked hard for a year in their own country to organize the Genfest. It was a huge event that from 31 August to 2 September 2012 drew together 12,000 young people from all over the world. Among them were 2000 from Hungary. Rita and Agoston, among the key figures, spoke of receiving the prize at the end of November. What was the prize for? ‘At the beginning of October the Hungarian Ministry of Human Resources sent us a message to say that, in recognition of our professionalism at the Genfest, the Focolare’s Young People for a United World was to be given a certificate of merit. We were surprised and happy at the news. It immediately spread to all the young people of the Movement. The minister, accepting our candidature, was recognizing the youth of the Focolare Movement and was giving us a prize. This took place on 20 November on the occasion of Universal Children’s Day.’ Someone within the ministry had nominated Y4UW. This person and the Minister of State for Social, Family and Youth Affairs, Miklós Soltész, had been at the opening of the Genfest. Rita and Agoston continued, ‘Both of them were struck by the dynamism, enthusiasm and sense of fraternity they experienced with the young people.’ On 20 November a delegation of five young people representing the Focolare and Y4UW went to the ministry. ‘The prizes, 14 in all, were given to organizations and persons who had done something special for children and youth. In his speech Miklós Soltész emphasized that all the prize winners were ‘examples’ who, with their activities, poetry and prose had educated young people and, through them, had also given help to parents, supporting them at critical moments.’ In the official citation, the youth section of the Focolare Movement received a certificate of merit for having put on the Genfest collectively, efficiently, professionally and in a way that was effective and exemplary in the youth sector. For Y4UW this contained a pleasant surprise, ‘We really liked hearing that word “collectively”, because it showed us that there was an understanding of our intention of building universal brotherhood by living the spirituality of unity.’ After the Genfest, new prospects have opened up for young people in Hungary, especially with regard to the United World Project: ‘After the ceremony the Minister of State said again how, at a personal level, that international meeting had been an important experience. He said that he hoped in the future to work together with us for the good of young people. We gave him as a gift a copy of Új Város [the Focolare Movement’s magazine in Hungarian] which contained articles on the Genfest.’ Rita and Agoston concluded by saying, ‘Now, together with many young people who’ve worked with us in the last few years, we will carry along the way of building a more united world “together”, as highlighted by the prize’s official citation.’

Sardinia, Italy: In the Buoncammino Prison

Dec 16, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

Luca Pani (Cagliari)

With some members of Youth for a United World, we have begun a special experience in the Buoncammino prison in Cagliari, Italy. We were offered the opportunity of presenting an hour of catechesis to the inmates at the jails. We divided up, some in the left wing, some in the women’s jail and some in the high security section. This was an opportunity for us to dedicate some time to these persons, “other Jesuses”, who never come your way because of their condition, and whom you never have an opportunity of ever meeting under normal circumstances.

Stepping into a jail is stepping into a society that is completely different from the one we live in, a small world in miniature, with its own rhythm, customs and problems. An inmate begins to lose contact with the outside world. Oftentimes relations with family and friends become clouded and some inmates sink into solitude and depression. But within this world you find yourself surrounded by people whose lives are connected . . . new friendships are formed, new relationships. And even though there is a long term sentence, they no longer find life outside but within the bars of the jail.

When you listen carefully to an inmate, stories, problems and lives are presented to you that are not like your own. And you begin to see how important freedom is and how difficult it is to really live it within this world.

Inside I found nice, normal, perhaps clever people . . . but thinking about it, you also find such people outside of jails. They ask you, “Why did you come into this jail? Who made you do it? Why aren’t you outside running around with your friends? You certainly have nicer things to do than this?” The answer was simple. I told them that if I were an inmate, I would like it if someone came to visit me just to break the monotony.

Then I discover that gratuitous love is not a given. On the contrary, it is practically inexistent for some of them. A gesture of courtesy or love should at least be followed with some respect if not gratitude.

When I returned from the Genfest that was held in Budapest, Hungary, I was carrying a thought in my mind, something I had heard during the fest: “If you don’t change your world, who will do it for you?” Finding myself among these inmates, after that extraordinary experience of universal brotherhood, I was a bit surprised. Everyone fell silent as my friends and I told the inmates about the various events: the bus ride, the food, the experiences. They listened and intervened with interest. We were so tempted by the desire to share with them the experience of the United World Project, and we asked them: “According to you is a united world where disinterested love reaches beyond cultures and religions, possible? Then a very lively debate was begun.

We don’t know what will come of this. We don’t know whether one of those young men among the inmates has decided to cooperate with justice after meeting us, or how it will turn out. This experience has borne some fruit in my own soul, and it has revived my convictions as a youth for a united world. This is one fragment of the united world that is becoming something real.