Oct 11, 2016 | Non categorizzato
Our Adoptions at a Distance Project contact in Haiti, Wilfrid Joachim has informed us that in Mont-Organisé, a rural region in the Ouanaminthe district, in the North-Eastern part of Haiti, where New Families have many children sponsored by the project, that “while thankfully there are no victims due to Hurricane Matthew there is widespread devastation. In particular many farms with stables have been damaged extensively and so there are grave consequences for the livelihood of the rural population which thrives on agriculture and the breeding of livestock. (Source: AFN) The coordinated appeal for humanitarian assistance has been launched and contributions can be made to the following accounts: CAUSE: Emergency Haiti
| Azione per un Mondo Unito ONLUS (AMU) |
Azione per Famiglie Nuove ONLUS (AFN) |
| IBAN: IT16 G050 1803 2000 0000 0120 434 at Banca Popolare Etica |
IBAN: IT55 K033 5901 6001 0000 0001 060 at Banca Prossima |
| Code SWIFT/BIC: CCRTIT2184D |
Code SWIFT/BIC: BCITITMX |
Contributions made to either of these accounts for the earthquake emergency cause will be jointly administrated by the Focolare’s Action for a United World (AMU) and New Families Association (AFN). There are tax benefits attached to such contributions in many countries of the European Union and in other countries.
Oct 11, 2016 | Non categorizzato
Lionello was born on October 10, 1925 in Parma, Italy. His family was wealthy and raised him to be honest and genuine. He attended high school during World War II and his attention was drawn toward civil society and social problems. In 1943 he enrolled in Law School and graduated with honors in 1947 after having done some prison time for providing help to the partisan movement. After the war he oversaw the educational and cultural activities of the Italian Catholic University Students, as well as the political activities of the Christian Democrats. He served the poor in the Saint Vincent de Paul Society, but feared becoming bourgeois. He joined in an initiative for young people who wanted to deepen their spiritual lives in the light of the Gospel. There he came to know Chiara Lubich‘s spirituality of unity and, in January 1950, Ginetta Calliari, one of the first focolarine. He recalls: “She spoke rather simply, but with quite a bit of conviction. […] The Christianity she was describing seemed so fascinating and fresh that it felt like I was hearing for the first time what Christianity was all about.” This spiritual growth was followed by professional growth becoming Italy’s youngest magistrate. In 1953 he attended the summer Mariapolis where he was immersed in the spirituality of unity. He met Chiara Lubich, Pasquale Foresi and Igino Giordani. Those days would mark his life forever. He remembers them in this way: “That community even though small had a certain completeness of its own: there were consecrated virgins and married couples, people that were not lacking in defects and naivetey. It was an organism into which the Lord had deposited a light, a law, a treasure that was destined to spread to the whole world.” At that Mariapolis he decided to consecrate his life to God in a focolare community. In 1961 he caused a bit of a stir when he left his profession (in the meantime he had been appointed Deputy Prosecutor of the Parma Judiciary) and dedicated himself completely to the Focolare. The weekly newspaper published an article on this Magistrate who had “given up the toga for a Bible.” In 1962 he was awarded the Premio della bontà (Goodness Award) by the Emilia Region of North Italy.
Loppiano: Lionello Bonfanti e Renata Borlone
Oct 9, 2016 | Non categorizzato
Oct 7, 2016 | Non categorizzato
“This festival was an incredible experience! It did its job in my heart and it allowed us to enjoy a very beautiful atmosphere of real brotherhood that recharged the batteries!” “I realized that I can decide to stay inside the cave, or step out of the cave. I discovered how important it is for me to open myself and share with others what is taking place inside me.” “I saw so much vitality, joy and depth in these young people.” “It was a very nice experience. I leave with the certainty that it’s possible to live a different kind of life, that we’re not alone in the effort to be what we really want to be – and to take that risk.” These are only a few of the thoughts that were shared by the thousand young people gathered on September 24-25 for the Youthfest 2016 at the Focolare’s Permanent Mariapolis Lia in the pampas in Argentina. It has become a traditional event that is repeated every year, thanks to the creativity that young people are able to have when it comes to transmitting to their peers the ideals they live for. This year, more than a thousand young people arrived for the event from Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile, Brazil and many cities of Argentina. They were drawn by the title: “Risk it! What you’re looking for exists.” What did the title stand for? An experience of brotherhood, sharing the life of the Gospel for 48 hours, which is the main characteristic of this permanent Mariapolis of the Focolare Movement. Currently 85 young people from 17 countries live there with other families and adults. They share an experience and, through music, theatre and dance also put in common the problems that young people find themselves immersed in: family relations, school, successes and failures in life, addictions, painful moments and, above all, the encounter with a God who is near, who has a personal answer for each and everyone. But the idea didn’t end there: they tried to involve everyone in building a more united world, regardless of one’s religion or belief. 
This year’s program was a combination of theatre, music and testimonies that happened on stage, beneath the large emblem that stood at the hall’s entrancel. The sign contained a one-word challenge: RISK IT! The language chosen for conveying the experiences and putting together the theatrical pieces, was direct and personally engaged everyone. The songs that were sung with such energy and captivating rhythm, helped to express this commitment in seeking something great to live for. The outdoor program – like the tour of the Mariapolis, lunchtime, strolling – made room for more sharing among the Latin American young people who had demonstrated their desire and capacity to build a more united world, a society that is for everybody. It didn’t take long for the feedback to arrive: “From Paraguay I want to thank all of you who made us live such and unforgettable day. We’re filled with emotion and prepared to accept the challenge!” “This morning, while I was on the bus going to work,” writes another person who attended the event, “the days we spent together came to mind and the desire to live today well, to give that little extra, to risk it.” Source: Southern Cone website
Oct 6, 2016 | Non categorizzato
The title of this year’s edition of LoppianoLab was a challenge that was launched by the thousands of people, both in person and via live-screening, who took part in the event. While there is an Italy where the so-called absolute poor have increased by 130% in seven years, where every day its southern shores become a bridge to the hundreds of thousands of migrants fleeing poverty and wars – at the same time there is the desire to be involved: volunteers, associations, young people who want to experience what it’s like to work according to new business models that are able to meet the daily emergency. Involvement is the spirit behind those that brought their experiences and projects to LoppianoLab 2016, from the fields of economy, politics, welfare, immigration, communication, technology and instruction. 
The project, which was promoted by Lionello Bonfanti Business Park, the Città Nuova Editorial Group, Sophia University Institute and the town of Loppiano, was begun in 2010 to be a national laboratory that would set in motion “those qualities that have made the Italians great, creativity and industriousness, welcome and solidarity, art and culture,” as Focolare president Maria Voce said in her greeting. Experts from the world of culture, politics and economy presented during the programme together with many other voices from civil society that presented projects from hundreds of associations, individuals and communities that form a close-knit network of people who are eager to translate ideas, projects and lifestyle into praxis. Three days, three focus groups to take on the challenges to peace: the challenge of techno-scientific innovation, development, and poverty. Two important anniversaries were also celebrated at LoppianoLab: the 25th anniversary of the Economy of Communion Project (EoC) and the 60th anniversary of the Focolare’s Città Nuova. Thirty multi-ethnic workshops, three via direct-streaming, along with workshops for children and teenagers: “Loppiano Kids and “Time to Give” with a series of meetings focused on topics related to poverty, solidarity and ecology; and “Loppiano Young” with performances and artistic exhibitions assisted by the international Gen Verde Band. Focolare co-president Jesús Morán offered some remarks at the end of the firest day. He spoke about three challenges that the world faces today: globalization, post-globalization, post-humanism. Also the humanitarian challenge of the sub-human, a challenge that calls for a “culture of resurrection,” in order to totally assume the suffering of the person that suffers. According to Jesús Morán, the question we should ask is how much space should be given in our own lives to the least, the “abandoned ones” of today Finally, during “The Wealth of the Invisible Poverty forum,” a proposal was launched to create an observatory on poverty that would create an information system to monitor the effects of the EoC around the world and study the results and methodologies of specific significant cases. See also: Città Nuova online Loppiano Economy of Communion
Oct 5, 2016 | Non categorizzato
Anne with her mother, Eleanor.
I remember my mother saying to me, ‘Be the first to love. When you go back to work tomorrow, be the first to pick up the phone and explain that you have a hearing loss, and say can you please speak slowly and clearly.’ Up to that point I didn’t want people to know that I had a hearing loss as I wanted to be normal like everyone else. The next day at work I heard the phone ring and in that moment I heard a voice within my heart saying to me, ‘Be the first to love’. For the first time in my life, I picked up the phone and informed the caller that I had a hearing loss. Surprisingly that person was so nice and understanding that it encouraged me to always pick up the phone. My work colleagues could see that I was always answering the phone, which meant putting the gadget on and off for every phone-call. Seeing this difficulty, they started to pick up the phone before me. It was like I had thrown a pebble in the water, causing a ripple effect. I had started to love first and then the others started to love me back. It became reciprocal. 
With Focolare friends in Melbourne
Experience shared at Health Symposium “Darkness to Light – Spirituality of Unity in Chronic Disease and Disability” Focolare Movement, Australia, July 2016
