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19 Mar 2011 | Focolare Worldwide
Brotherhood, the importance of dialogue, care for the least fortunate, the urgent need of legality. Chiara’s third anniversary, was the chance for the Italian Focolare communities to approach topics close to all Italian’s hearts in the light of the Spirituality of Communion. 
In Brescia, for example, the founder of the Focolare Movement was commemorated with a round table discussion entitled “Chiara Lubich, a life for unity. The challenge of brotherhood”. In Milan, Archbishop Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi celebrated mass in the Basilica of Sant’Amrogio. All of the major cities in the Lombardy region remembered Chiara in this third anniversary of her departure for Heaven. Rome paid tribute to Lubich by highlighting the pathways to dialogue opened by her Charism. “Chiara Lubich, a woman in dialogue. Inspiration for dialogue between religions and within the arena of contemporary culture”- this was the title of a meeting held in the prestigious “Palazzo della Cancelleria”, or Palace of the Chancellery. Two female speakers gave talks at the event: Lisa Palmieri form the American Jewish Committee and Shahrzad Houshmand professor of Islamic Studies at the Gregorian University. Concerts, masses, book launches, thematic meetings, even a guided tour to discover “Chiara’s Rome” given by Oreste Paliotti. The Italian capital thus paid tribute to Chiara with a full programme in venues throughout the city. “This programme of events marking three years of Chiara’s passing”; the promoters of the events explained, “aims at underlining and highlighting the life of the Focolare’s Roman community, widespread in the most diverse environments of each municipality and neighbourhood in the city” (romaamor.it). In the central Italian regions of Abruzzo and Sardinia the events organised for the occasion were numerous and widespread. In Lazio there were 18 events in remembrance of Chiara: from Poggio Mirteto and Tuscania right up to the Roman coast there were masses, community meetings, book launches, thematic roundtable discussions throughout the provinces as well as in its town centres.
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18 Mar 2011 | Focolare Worldwide
A festive representation of the Focolare’s local community welcomed Maria Voce and co-president Giancarlo Faletti to Toronto at its International Airport on 16th March. Amidst the waving of the Canadian flag with its red maple leaf, Maria Voce was presented with an elegant bouquet of white and yellow flowers and many warm embraces.
A quick glance at the members of the welcoming committee was enough to confirm that the local Focolare community is a faithful representation of Canada’s multiethnic, multicultural society. A hospitable nation that homes numerous immigrants from over 150 countries, in 1976 it amended its law that limited non-European immigration.
The terrible tragedy in Japan is therefore very much felt by the local population where there is a significant and particularly integrated diaspora from the Land of the Rising Sun. This experience of solidarity is repeated in Canada every time an immigrant communities’ country is struck by hardship. The welcome given on March 16th is typical of the Canadian population with its 34 million inhabitants, 90% of whom live in a concentrated strip of land- only 160 km long- running along the immense U.S. border. This is despite the fact that the country boasts 10 million km², making it the second largest country after Europe.
The cohabitation and integration of peoples, races, cultures and diverse religions that characterises Canada make it a source of interest and study for an ever increasing number of countries affected by migratory fluxes due to poverty, war and oppressive regimes.
Toronto, with its 5 million inhabitants from over 100 ethnic groups, thus lends itself as a perfect starting point for a first meeting with Canada. On the warm sunny day that followed, Focolare president Maria Voce visited the city before heading to an undisputedly fascinating wonder of nature only 140 km from Toronto: Niagara Falls.
“If I were to define this nation after what I’ve experienced so far, I would say that it’s peaceful”, commented the lady who followed Chiara Lubich as president of the Movement after she passed away on 14th March 2008. “Its open spaces, that stretch as far as the eye can see, the friendliness of its people, the diversity of its population all make it a country that deeply expresses peace”.
Canada’s 13 million Catholics make up just over 43% of the population. However the country is experiencing a persisting secularisation process which tends to banish religion and all its symbols from the public sphere resulting in intolerance from the mass media and making the Church-State relationship difficult.
On this backdrop of radical transformation the Focolare movement and the Charism of Unity is present. Silvana Veronese, one of Chiara’s first companions, and Giò Vernuccio stopped off in Toronto for the first time in 1961 where they met a small group of people. But it wasn’t until 1964 that a Focolare community truly kicked off and in 1967 a women’s focolare was founded followed by a men’s focolare two years later.
A well known story to the Canadian Focolare Community that looks forward to meeting Maria Voce and Giancarlo Faletti over the next number of days.
By our correspondent Paolo Lòriga
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16 Mar 2011 | Focolare Worldwide
February saw a growth of interest in the Economy of Communion (EoC) in two European cities. On 19th February, in Madrid, there was an evening for students and business people, focused on the opportunities the EoC can offer to Spanish society in this time of economic and moral crisis.
Luigino Bruni, Professor of Economics at the Bicocca University in Milan, repeated in Madrid from a lecture given in July 2010, “If we look at how the EoC industries work, we see that fraternity is truly lived out, there is no hiding behind a hierarchy, if you are open to the other …whilst you suffer more, you receive more blessings”, One member of the audience appreciated and understood the novelty that comes from choosing to follow EoC lines, they said: “This is a very, very courageous idea”.
The discussions went on at length including over supper which closed the event. Another entrepreneur present, who had come for the first time, declared: “…I have understood that being an entrepreneur within the EoC means choosing a new style of life…”. Read report
On 26th February, in Nuremburg, there was the conclusion of the Congress of Christian Executives, in which the Economy of Communion was one of the 300 exhibitors.
The title of ths Congress-fair, the only one of its kind in Germany, was “Fostering company growth through advocacy of Christian values”:3,800 participants and wide media coverage.
On the afternoon of 25th February there was a session dedicated to the Economy of Communion, which highlighted the importance for a Christian of the “culture of giving” in respect to: working with clients, fraternal relationships between two directors, and also in the most difficult times for the business: “ What I heard this evening is what I’ve been looking for all my life” commented one business leader, whilst another participant said: “You have put into crisis my principle of profit, which I held as indispensible”.
Hopefully these brief extracts have given you a foretaste of the upcoming congress dedicated to the 20th anniversary of EoC which will be held in the Meeting Centre in Ottmaring, Bavaria, Germany from 24 – 26th June 2011. Read report
