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May 21, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide
With 93 million inhabitants speaking in 70 dialects, spread over an archipelago of over 7 thousand islands, the Philippines- the only catholic country in south-east Asia- is amongst the most populated in the world. In spite of the human richness and natural resources, the majority of the population lives in poverty. The social structure can be compared to a pyramid: 80% of the wealth is in the hands of 5% of the population, and the middle class is almost non-existent. The Filipinos are a very hospitable, joyful, and generous people, who know how to bear and give value to suffering, thanks to their Christian roots. As far back as 1966, they welcomed the spirit of the Focolare Movement that gradually penetrated in many sectors, both religious and civil. Today there are around 5000 close members, and over 100,000 adherents and sympathizers. 
Chiara Lubich visited the Philippines twice: in 1982, she underlined what “a wellspring of spiritual fuel” the Philippines were for the rest of Asia; and in 1997, she received from the University of Saint Thomas in Manila, the Honoris Causa degree in Theology. She was the first lady and lay person to receive such an honour. This facilitated the establishment of relationships of collaboration, particularly in the field of the Economy of Communion. The centres of the Focolare Movement are present in Manila, Cebu, and Davao and the many communities of the Movement are scattered in many of the thousands of islands, and they are linked by the same way of life, in spite of the distances, and experience a real family spirit, so much in conformity with the local character. The Mariapolis Peace of Tagaytay, one of the little towns around the world, founded by Chiara Lubich in 1982, bears witness to concrete and reciprocal love also among Muslim friends, Hindus and Buddhists. It is the seat of the School for Oriental Religions where courses are held periodically to learn to dialogue in mutual respect. Not less is the lively communion of life with brothers of other Christian churches and communities. One must underscore the participation of many priests and seminarians in the life of the Focolare, and also that of several bishops, friends of the movement, thanks to the school for priests at Tagaytay. The spirit of the Focolari is also seen as a possible solution to the many social problems. One notes the experience of 6 centres of Bukas Palad, that reach thousands of the poor, the Pag-asa Social Centre at Tagaytay, Sulyap ng Pad-asa, the Focolare carpentry shop, in Cainta, one of the major projects developed by Action for a United World in the Philippines, that has trained hundreds of youths. And also the Solidarity at a Distance project, in collaboration with the New Families Movement, that brings help more than 1800 children. The concrete actions in the towns and villages are numerous, such as help after natural disasters- as for example that after the Ondoy typhoon of 2010-and interventions to promote more just laws. This is the case in the community of Antipolo, a city of around half a million inhabitants, at the far end of the capital, where a sensitization campaign is underway to protect the family and life, in response to the decree on so called “reproductive health”.
Tagaytay, 1997
Visit the Philippines in Focolare Worldwide! From the archives:
Guido Mirti (second from left) and Gio' Vernuccio (far right) with the first Focolare community of the Philippines
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May 20, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide
Tacloban City is located on the island of Leyte, in the North East of the Philippines. In this city lives Placido Maga, known by everyone with the name of “Plas”, who, since 1991, has lived the ideal of unity, striving to put into action this commitment in everyday life.
In 1996, Plas started working as a guitar teacher, giving instruction to children in different primary schools. Teaching became for him an opportunity to love and to serve others through his musical talent.
In the year 2000, as he was walking along the streets of Ormoc, a city in the province, Plas noticed some children sleeping on the sidewalk using cardboards and newspapers for warmth and shelter. There were other children who lacked warm clothing. He decided to approach them and learnt that they didn’t even have anything to eat, and, almost always, went to sleep with an empty stomach.
Plas was quite troubled by this situation and he took the children some food. They felt his love and opened up their hearts to him. They, the most forgotten and the most defenseless in the city, had found a true friend, and were abuzz with happiness.
Plash remembered the words that Chiara Lubich had said in a meeting: “When we give something of ourselves, putting love into every action, life grows within us”. And the happiness he experienced that evening, because of the contact he’d had with those children, was the proof.
The day after Plas was back on the scene, keeping his promise to spend some “quality time” with his little friends. At the same time he felt he had to do something more, to take care of them and to look for somewhere for them to stay.
The ideal of unity that for years he had been trying live, was giving him the opportunity to do something concrete for those on the margins of the society, those who become the “last” of the city, but who in effect needed to become the most privileged.
Plash presented the issue to the local council; he contacted the Non-Governmental Organizations operating in the area, to draw their attention to the problem. Without any fear of being laughed at or misunderstood, ready to face all negative consequences that his actions would bring, he continued to seek a solution in the interest of others, in this case the children.
He succeeded in his plan to involve other people, who, like him, lived for the same purpose. He realized that when Gospel love becomes the “rule” of our lives, we all become more creative, more courageous and sometimes even heroic.
Plas was not satisfied in having an emergency situation fixed up; he felt compelled to place the children in a position so that they themselves could give something, to have them experience the same joy he had felt when he had opened his heart to his neighbour. He started to teach the children how to play the ukulele, creating a small repertoire which the young ones performed in two shows, receiving applause from the people.
Now the children live in Lingap Centre, a former rehabilitation house converted into a dormitory by the Department of Social Health. Plas continues to visit and to support the children, teaching them not only to play, but also to pray.
Source: www.umanitanuova.org
May 19, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide
Please note: The geolocalisation feature on this website – which displays cities and towns where Focolare centres are present – is only meant to be a guide. The markers on the map do not necessarily point to a specific address and they must not be relied on for navigational purposes.
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May 19, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide
On 17th May, three appointments, very diverse, but of great significance marked the stay of the president and co-president of the Focolare Movement in Austria. One of them was the visit, including Mass and lunch at the Cistercian abbey of Heiligenkreuz, mystical centre of the Viennese forest. This was followed by the meeting with Cardinal Christoph Schőnborn at the archbishopric of Vienna. Finally, at the Am Spiegeln Mariapolis Centre, an evening activity was held with a large group of “Youth for a United World” who came from various localities of the country. The activity was entitled “Let’s bridge Austria”, one of the introductory stages towards the coming Genfest in Budapest (31st August-2nd September 2012).
The co-president, Giancarlo Faletti, reviewed the day and confided with us “the profound impression made on him by the visit to the Heiligenkreuz, that is a thousand years old abbey, linked to the Benedictine charisma. Its vitality is expressed through its walls, its liturgy, and the very fraternal welcome by the Abbot and those primarily responsible for the Cistercian community.”
The president, Maria Voce told us about the very free and cordial conversation with the primate of Vienna: “The Cardinal has a great respect for the Movement, for what it is doing in Austria, and for the witness given by the Mariapoli Centre. He thanked the male and female focolarini of Vienna for immediately responding and putting into practice his appeal for a course of formation for disciples of Christ. On my part, I thanked him for giving our priests the possibility of forming a focolare in the new citadel. Living together by priests is a topic about which the cardinal appeared to be particularly touched, as he is very concerned that they often live in solitude. He also remembered Chiara Lubich, whom he saw for the first time at the Synod on the twentieth anniversary of Vatican Council 11, to which she had been invited together with Mother Theresa of Calcutta. At the time, he was a young theologian and he did not dare approach these two figures, whom he admired for their charismatic force.”
Both of them spoke about the effervescent evening spent at the Mariapolis centre – more than two hours of experiences, music and dialogue between generations – they agreed: “ It was very beautiful, a real immersion in vitality and enthusiasm. In being open and free from restrictions, the young people resemble all those from every part of the world. It is interesting to look at their eyes, their faces, feel them projected towards the future but also attentive to us, who have more experience behind us. When the Cardinal go to know about them and the Genfest, he was pleased: he observed that youths need these mass manifestations so as not to feel that they are alone and few, but together they are encouraged to witness their faith in Christ.”
By our correspondent Oreste Paliotti
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May 18, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide
The program for the 15th May included a visit to the Mariapolis Centre Seminarzentrum Am Spiegeln and the Focolare little town called “Giosi“, both of them in the whereabouts of the Schonbrunn, a summer residence of the Ausburgs, in the south of Vienna.
As it is very near the capital, the Mariapolis Centre is a meeting place for all the members of the Movement. It is also the preferred place for conferences and congresses, and not less as a place for holidays and tourism. “A privileged route for the new evangelisation to which the Church calls us this year” is how Maria Voce defined this modern structure immersed in greenery.
In the afternoon, they visited the citadel named after Giosi Guella, one of the first focolarine: around a hundred inhabitants live there permanently (families, a community of priests, men and women focolarini and young people), amongst whom Gerda and Hans Schwinger. These last two are more than seventy years old, but always young in spirit. They transferred to the little town to participate actively in its construction. They left behind them their house and habits, to start a new adventure as real pioneers. They told us about it during an evening feast dedicated to the presentation of the life that is lived there and to the outreach carried out from it.
“While preparing to transfer ourselves,” they told us, “we realised that we had accumulated many things over the years. Now we had to choose which to keep and which to donate, as in the new apartment there was not enough space for all these things. It was not easy to really detach ourselves from these things (we thought that on a spiritual level we always had this detachment) and this required that we find a solution each time together. But this had the effect of giving us a new freedom. Now we have been citizens of the Mariapolis Giosi for three years, and from the very beginning we felt at home. This life of sharing, that involves us in diverse activities and moments, is a continuous growth. We often take in persons who pass by for a short time. We are also in contact with some couples who are attracted by our style of life. We wish to donate our time, most of all, towards building authentic personal relationships.”
by our correspondent Oreste Paliotti
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May 15, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide
Burgos, Jerez de la Frontera, Granada, Jaen, Madrid, Talaveira de la Reina, Vigo and Canarie. These are the cities from one end of Spain to the other, where the show of the Gen Verde was held. It is a new spectacle, centred on the figure of Mary. from whom the show takes its title. “In the very first chords” –writes Javier Rubio in Ciudad Nueva, the Spanish magazine, “The thread is announced that weaves a sequence of songs inspired by her. But rather than an expression of devotion, the spectator perceives a continuous passage between the figure of Mary and the experience of each person, in such a way that the story of the Mother of Jesus touches each one, and the episodes of her life throw light on the vicissitudes of the present time.”
After a poetic opening that defines Mary as the star that steers the darkness, the various stages of her life follow, and the Mother is presented with notes and feelings from diverse cultures. Brazilian, Korean, African and Celtic rhythms compose a unique invocation, as though to underscore that fraternity is the link that unites persons.
At the end, the director of the Spanish magazine notes, “it is surprising that there is an intense link between the experience of some of today’s mothers, and the moment lived by Mary at the foot of the cross, where she was able to overcome the most acute and absurd suffering. The last word is the Resurrection of the Son that transforms Mary for ever into Mother of all.”
A surprising aspect is the work carried out by the Gen Verde beyond the show. These are a series of workshops, according to the various artistic forms, that already demonstrate the image a united world, besides the integration of various cultures that the group demonstrates by its being international. During their stay in each city, the group offers a panorama of multidisciplinary activities: liturgical singing, dialogue with students, or in prisons, and meetings to examine in depth universal values. The objective is to propose, through music and art, fraternity as a model of living together. And even in Spain, the echoes from thousands of persons who attended the shows and hundreds of students in the workshops, demonstrate that this objective is near.
