Nov 5, 2018 | Focolare Worldwide
The 40 bishops, who are friends of the Focolari and come from various Christian Churches, have decided to meet in Sweden because of its profound significance in the ecumenial journey. The meeting will be taking place two years after the Lund event, one that has given a new impetus to ecumenical dialogue. In the joint declaration signed by Pope Francis and Bishop Munib Youman, who was then President of the Lutheran World Federation, one reads: “We pledge to witness together to God’s merciful grace, made visible in the crucified and risen Christ. Aware that the way we relate to one another shapes our witness to the Gospel, we commit ourselves to further growth in communion rooted in Baptism, as we seek to remove the remaining obstacles that hinder us from attaining full unity. Christ desires that we be one, so that the world may believe (cf. John 17:21)”. The periodic meetings of these bishops, who also wish to go deeper into the spirituality of unity that stemmed from Chiara Lubich’s charism, aim towards a communion that is a witness to the Gospel. They were held in Jerusalem, Constantinople (Istanbul), London, Augsburg, Katowice and other cities of significant importance in the ecumenical journey. The participants attending this 37th meeting belong to 12 Christian Churches and come from 18 different countries; they will reflect on: “The Spirit’s breath of life and today’s world”. Maria Voce, president of the Focolare Movement will also be present and she will speak about “The Holy Spirit, Soul of the Church in the experience and thought of Chiara Lubich”. Other related themes will range: from the ecumenical challenge in different geographical regions to the meaning of reconciliation in today’s culture; from the Church’s renewal to synodality. Space will also be dedicated to the joint commemoration of the Reformation (2017) and its meaning for the Churches today. Stefania Tanesini
Oct 29, 2018 | Focolare Worldwide
I am an internist and belong to the Russian-Orthodox church. As a person and believer, I was educated by my parish priest and the spirituality of Chiara Lubich. I was still very young when, through contact with the focolarine in Moscow, I felt the call to follow God in a radical way and I have been living in the focolare house of Belgrade (Serbia) for 7 years now. There is a particular and unique tradition in Serbia: the Slava feast, which the families celebrate on the day of that family’s patron saint; for the Serbs, the Slava is as ancient as Christianity itself. No Christian nation has this type of celebration, except the Orthodox Serbs. For a Serbian family the Slava comes after Easter and Christmas in terms of importance. The Orthodox-Christian missionaries who converted the Serbs to the Holy Orthodox faith, also Christianised their customs. Upon becoming Orthodox Christians, the Serbs accept the saint or saints of the day on which they are baptized. In Serbian culture, the Slava has always been a unique element throughout the history of the Serbian Orthodox people. Since the Serbs find themselves in a geographic region between the East and the West, and between different cultures, the Slava has become a feast identified with one’s own name and existence. It is celebrated by cities and even by military units also through cultural and social organisations. On that day, relatives, friends and acquaintances get together. The house is open to all. Our focolare is composed of Catholic focolarine from various countries and by me. For some time now we have felt the desire to make this beautiful tradition of the Serbian people our very own, and celebrate it together with our brothers and sisters. In the ecumenical spirit of the Focolare, our monk-friend, Fr. Djordje, helped us to choose our patron saint, and he suggested celebrating the holy “mironosice” women (the “women who went to the sepulchre with the herbs and spices”), and to whom the Orthodox Church dedicate an entire week starting from the second Sunday after Easter. So we have celebrated the Slava in the focolare for 4 years now. Many of our Orthodox friends were enthusiastic about our decision and helped us to prepare the things needed for the feast. Every year, for the Sunday of the holy women at the sepulchre, we welcome our friends of various churches, among whom are also our next-door neighbours, and some colleague, labourer or doctor. The highlight – the rite of slicing the Slava bread – is celebrated by our friend, Fr. Djordje, before the icon of the women at the sepulchre. We start with a devout prayer, accompanied by songs, and then, very moved and hand in hand, we pray according to the Slava feast tradition. Giving us the first benediction, Fr. Djordje pointed to the holy women of the sepulchre as models and protectors of the focolare, encouraging us to follow the example of the women, follow Jesus and become “like the salt that transforms society and its surroundings.” The rite is followed by the agape, with various culinary specialties in an atmosphere of joy and communion, as in a family. One of our acquaintances told us that he considered this step “a real enculturation that appreciates and makes the other’s culture one’s own: true Christianity.” Source: NU, new humanity, no. 231, p. 75.
Oct 25, 2018 | Focolare Worldwide
“During the summer months I attended the business programme of the network of businesses that belong to the Economy of Communion in the United States. So, in addition to the two-year course in Economics and Management that I was taking at the Sophia University Institute in the international town of Loppiano, Italy, I found myself in Indiana during the months of July and August. I only expected it to be an experience of scientific research. Instead, I found myself immersed in a series of activities, but also in the midst of a compelling personal adventure. (A reminder for the next times: How necessary it is to disarm ourselves of any expectations in order to embrace the full depth of every experience!) The internship for young people is held at Mundell & Associates Inc headquartered in Indianapolis, USA. But this year was something more: The interns could spend time and share their professional skills inside Project Lia, which is another EoC business that is developed along two tracks: social impact and environmental impact. It was really an extra bonus to be able to draw closer to this business sector as well. 
I’d like to share a couple of thoughts. First of all, I think that one of the most important things about studying, observing, practicing and promoting the EoC is the will to collaborate. In order to enter into the relational dynamic of this proposal, it is necessary to open one’s heart, mind and eyes to those small details that make each day something extraordinary: mutual encouragement and a welcoming smile, recognizing the value and the humanity of the other person, the personal encounter with people you never knew before, the ability to wonder, striving for a balance among the different aspects of life, the decision to appreciate every learning opportunity, to assimilate new information, to recognize and support the change that is taking place, to take part in the transformation of obsolete concepts. EoC is an economic proposal that is different from the others, because it is managed by a diverse group of people. It’s not the model in itself, but the people that constitute the center of all the action. At the conclusion, when I was getting ready to leave I asked myself: How will I describe this experience? The internship was very demanding: the encounter with Project Lia, an innovative business experience, had given me so much. Among other things, working so closely with Elizabeth Wallin, who had begun the project, I saw myself in the future being able to face and overcome challenges and difficult moments. I so much appreciate the time that I had to learn her story: it permitted me to understand business, but also to enter into contact with what is the essence of a business that serves a social purpose. I saw that launching a start-up is quite an enriching process. It’s no secret that doing business is an ongoing Discovery of new things, a real battle. Watching Elizabeth, day after day, I admire her capacity to navigate in a sea of changes. Giving one’s life for a business is an activity that is born from intelligence, but also heart. To launch a project of the EoC society, you need to be able to step out of your comfort zone and encounter the others, just as they are. Patience is needed, humility and flexibility. When this path opens for me too, I’ll be a little closer to what I really am.” Source: Sophia University Institute sophiauniversity.org See also: Project Lia: Transforming Lives
Oct 24, 2018 | Focolare Worldwide
On November 2-4 the International Prophetic Economy event will be held in Castel Gandolfo, Italy. It is being organized by several international movements and institutions whose goal is to create new paths of collaboration among change-makers (individuals as well as private and public organizations) from around the globe. These are change-makers who utilise sustainable solutions for social and environmental problems, work and become engaged in new creative forms of “prophetic” economy that favor the human person, especially the most needy. “Our world,” they claim, “faces an ecological and social crisis. Climate change and growing inequality are nourished by unjust political structures and short-term aid, along with obsolete policies and procedures. Many people around the world believe passionately in human development and in sustainable development that can change the rules and require justice. It’s time to put ourselves together and be more than the sum of our parts. The event was preceded by an award contest, the Prophetic Practices Award 2018, which 135 change-makers held in 35 countries. The experiences of the finalists, chosen by an international jury of experts (Vandana Shiva, Jeff Sachs, Cristina Calvo and Stefano Zamagni), will be presented live during the event in November. See: Prophetic Economy website
Oct 24, 2018 | Focolare Worldwide
In the heart of Europe with its 7.8 million inhabitants within a territory of 41 thousand km, Switzerland is a small country with a broad variety of languages, cultures and religions which has also been held up as a model of successful integration. The spirituality of unity, which is particularly congenial to a social fabric oriented towards relationships and acceptance spread rapidly in this land ever since 1960 and caught on quickly. Many successive spiritual intutions regarding the development of Focolare spirituality are linked to the summer holidays Chiara Lubich spent in the Swiss valleys. A centre of formation has been operating in Baar since 1975. It is open to all and has become, over time, the heart of the Focolare town of “Eckstein” (cornerstone) where several small businesses operate. The centre offers opportunities for contact and encounter not only among Catholic and Reformed Christians. 
At the end of September a meeting was held for around 400 men and women Religious, first at City Hall which is not far from the Centre. The group was restricted to superiors and persons in positions of responsibility, with the behind the scenes assistance of Focolare members. The participants were members of eighty communities, including a dozen from the Reformed Church and an Orthodox community, as well as members of Secular Institutes, Movements and Ecclesial Families. “In today’s world we have to help each other to stand together, to not look at the barriers between us, not our differences that must nevertheless be preserved. But we have to do in such a way that all our differences shine in one grand experience, in the footsteps of Christ and of our founders.” These were the words of Cardinal Joâo Braz de Aviz, who attended the meeting. In one interview, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Consecrated Life explained: “All the structures that form the Church – Religious, Hermits, Monks, Nuns, Brothers, Sisters, Secular Institutes – all of them are seeking a common life. In today’s culture everything has drawn closer together.” “At this moment in time,” he explained, “we are in need of a path that we can take together and, even we who belong to Orders, Congregations and Consecrated Life, need a tool, a way of life that draws us together in all ways. This is not the path we took at first, that of an individual spirituality, that is preserved. We need to move on to ‘looking’ together, to looking at the other with the same attentiveness with which we look at ourselves. All of this we are just beginning to learn, including us cardinals…” He concluded: “I wish that all of us, in this moment, would sum up all of our beauties and form one grand unity, remembering what Pope Francis says: “Unity is not built [by] destroying, but harmonizing the diversity.” It’s a path that at times causes fatigue, because we have to learn to go out towards the others, “the first move we have to make is to go towards the other,” as the Pope points out. If we don’t go out of ourselves, we remain at the centre. This is beginning here in Switzerland, with simplicity, as if we were all at the School of Mary.”
Oct 23, 2018 | Focolare Worldwide
At the Focolare’s international town of Loppiano, “24 Hours of Light” returns on October 27-28, dedicated to Chiara Luce Badano. The event will offer two days of prayer, performances, testimonies and music about the life of Blessed Chiara Luce Badano who died of osteosarcoma at the age of 18. She is one of the young witnesses at the Synod on Youth and, together with her, this years protagonist is the Gospel that the Blessed Chiara Luce described as “her only scope in life.” The event is open to all and will begin on Saturday, October 27 with Holy Mass at noon in the Mary Theotokos Shrine of Loppiano. “24 Hours of Light” is promoted by the Focolare youth living in Loppiano and attending the Gen School formation centre for young people from around the world.
