30 Aug 2016 | Focolare Worldwide
- From 7- 17 September for Latin America, North America and Oceania
- From 28 September – 8 October for Africa, Asia and the Middle East
- From 15 – 23 October for Europe
Around a hundred participants will attend every session (Castel Gandolfo Mariapolis Centre, Rome), with a program partly in common and another part with various themes based on the demands and needs of each geographic area. The themes to be discussed will range from enculturation in Africa to the emergency of refugees and dialogue with Islam in Europe; other topics will focus on the challenges in Latin America, Asia, the Middle East, North America and Oceania in the social and ecclesiastic fields, from the perspectives of the family, the new generations, ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, and many other themes.
30 Aug 2016 | Focolare Worldwide
- From 7- 17 September for Latin America, North America and Oceania
- From 28 September – 8 October for Africa, Asia and the Middle East
- From 15 – 23 October for Europe
Around a hundred participants will attend every session (Castel Gandolfo Mariapolis Centre, Rome), with a program partly in common and another part with various themes based on the demands and needs of each geographic area. The themes to be discussed will range from inculturation in Africa to the emergency of refugees and dialogue with Islam in Europe; other topics will focus on the challenges in Latin America, Asia, the Middle East, North America and Oceania in the social and ecclesiastic fields, from the perspectives of the family, the new generations, ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, and many other themes.
30 Aug 2016 | Focolare Worldwide
- From 7- 17 September for Latin America, North America and Oceania
- From 28 September – 8 October for Africa, Asia and the Middle East
- From 15 – 23 October for Europe
Around a hundred participants will attend every session (Castel Gandolfo Mariapolis Centre, Rome), with a program partly in common and another part with various themes based on the demands and needs of each geographic area. The themes to be discussed will range from enculturation in Africa to the emergency of refugees and dialogue with Islam in Europe; other topics will focus on the challenges in Latin America, Asia, the Middle East, North America and Oceania in the social and ecclesiastic fields, from the perspectives of the family, the new generations, ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, and many other themes.
30 Aug 2016 | Focolare Worldwide
“Sport and Nature” was the title chosen for the 2016 Summer School organized by Sportmeet which gathered sport players from around the world to reflect on the environmental crisis and the specific contribution that sport could make to developing an authentic ecological conscience. Sport holds a great potential for creating friendship among peoples and with the Creation. It also has important educational value when practiced in the name of altruism and reciprocity. Eighty-three people attended the summer school: players at a variety of levels, ages and disciplines, leaders, physical education teachers and professional trainers, as well as others involved in sport as recreation. Paolo Cipolli, international coordinator of Sportmeet, presented the past and present history of the project. His presented had been preceded by numerous greetings from the public authorities who were present including Vice-Mayor Križevci Tomislav Katanović, Vice-President of the City Councill and ex-federal handball instructor, Ivan Pal, Deputy Minister off Science, Training and Sport, Hrvoje Šlezak from the Swiss Embassy in Croatia, Stefan Estermann, Second Secretary to the Italian Ambassador in Croatia whose greetings were given by Anna Lisa Gasparini and Zdenko Horvat. During the three-day course experts and instructors offered their reflections on the theme: “Sport and Nature: A Discovery, Resource and Challenge”. Andrea Ceciliani from the University of Bologna offered an exciting hand-on workshop. Mirna Andrijasević from Zagabria University presented “Sport in Nature: A Lifestyle.” Ivan Prskalo from Zagabria University presented Ecology and Chinesiology in Križevci presented an entertaining hands-on workshop on traditional Croatian games. Andrea Ceciliani from University of Bologna presented “Outdoor Education” showing how to hold school in the open, which was accompanied by a lively hands-on workshop. There were also school trips to Mount Kalnik and to Lake Čabraj along with an evening for sharing best practices with the Sportmeet Network, which included a telephone link-up with Rio de Janeiro and Belgrade. The last day began with a video conference that had been held by Focolare foundress Chiara Lubich at the United Nations in 1986 on the theme of Fraternity Among People and Nations. This was followed by a long and lively discussion with all the participants, and it helped design the plans for the upcoming Summer School in Barcelona, Spain, June 2017. Source: Sportmeet online
See also: Sportmeet in the Balkans: When Sports Unites
27 Aug 2016 | Focolare Worldwide
Another year at Loreto School has come to an end and the families have returned to their homes in Brazil, Cameroon and the Czech Republic enriched by a gift that will never be wiped away but shared with the world around them. That doesn’t mean that Loreto School is now on vacation: it continues through the summer months. In the month of July there was series of families that showed up from several regions of Italy, Europe and other countries like Korea, Vietnam and Philippines for a period of vacation in the spirit of the Focolare. They lived and experienced the communion of goods. One donated a new lawn mower, which was useful in trimming the green areas around the lodgings. Another donated an electric sander that was used to brighten up the framing, doors and benches. . . Working together to fix up the flats, welcome the families, cut the grass and prune the trees, created an atmosphere of communion, lightened the work and created a sense of joy. People passing through Loppiano also got to shared in that family atmosphere and wanted to learn more about Loreto School and the New Families Movement. There were also opportunities for couples to discuss family issues in a relaxed setting with the help of experts, and the opportunity to take part in events at the permanent Mariapolis. There were many meals in the open air, field trips, moments for relaxation together – all in an atmosphere of evangelical brotherhood which is the law of Loppiano where Loreto School is located. One family from France was there on July 14th in Nice, the day of the terrible massacre along the sea, but they had fortunately decided to watch the fireworks on a hill overlooking the city. This experience taught them that life is a gift, and they felt called to spend the rest of their lives together spreading love to others. When it came time to leave Loppiano, the families, one by one, expressed their wish to return for the same experience next year, saying that despite the hard work they felt completely restored!
25 Aug 2016 | Focolare Worldwide, Senza categoria
“It’s the day after the earthquake that shook central Italy. As we write, the number of victims has reached 247 people and is rising. Many were children because they are often left with their grandparents during the summer months in Amatrice, Accumoli, Arquata and Pescara Tonto. More than 4,000 people have had to leave their homes in the two regions most damaged by the quake: Lazio and Marche. The aftershocks never end.” “The real face of this growing tragedy is the generosity of the many volunteers that arrived on the scene immediately and in great numbers, working non-stop at digging, first with their bare hands, then with buckets and finally with more sophisticated equipment. The willingness of the local people was also immediate providing basic needs, standing in lines for hours at the hospital to donate blood and to sleeping in tents in order to continue offering help and comfort.” “Ever since yesterday at 3:30 when we were awakened by the first shock, we have been directly following events in constant contact with the many people of the Movement that live in these regions. We were glad to hear about the Gen and his grandfather who were removed alive from the rubble; also the father-in-law and sister-in-law of a married focolarina. We were holding our breath all day long wondering about Rita, her niece and nephew – fourteen year old Elisa, twelve year old Gabriele and their grandmother who were still buried in the rubble. In the evening we received a message from their mother: “They all went to Jesus.” Other members of the Movement who were vacationing in Amatrice managed to reach safety.” “For all of us it was an opportunity to pull together in unity and live for others. From Umbria they write: “Thank you for your prayers and unity that have spread like a chain through the whole Movement in Umbria and supported us during this night of fear and trembling. Hearing that we were all alive made us thank God, and then our thoughts went to the ones who were still trapped beneath the rubble and to those who had lost everything. The fact of going online supported us and allowed us to follow events in the worst areas in real time. Elisabetta from Assisi told us that our message arrived at precisely the worst moment and brought her peace. We feel like a family more than ever. The Gen are online ready to offer support and are in the process of going into the worst hit cities to offer help. The adults are also willing to get involved concretely. Meanwhile, we promise to pray for those families that have suffered great loss.” “Right away messages were being sent out that told of the needs and the possibilities of assistance, primarily with the help of the Civil Protection and others. In Ascoli where we work alongside other associations, we began a clothing drive. The same was true in Lazio where the people from Abruzzese who are experts after the earthquake of Aquila (2009), mapped out lodging sites for the evacuees. Other regions have also offered lodging.” “We continue to stay connected with everyone and gradually understand how we can concretely respond to all this suffering in which we see the “face” of Jesus Forsaken.”
