8 Dec 2015 | Non categorizzato
We can still vividly see the images that reached us from Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, where Pope Francis demonstrated great courage, and where he opened the first “Door of Mercy.” On that day, 29 November, he said: «Today Bangui has become the spiritual capital of the world. The Holy Year of Mercy was opened in advance in this land which also represents all the countries that are undergoing the cross of war. Bangui has become the spiritual capital of prayer for the Father’s mercy.» And in referring to the chosen date of 8 December, the Pope explained in the Bull that «This liturgical feast indicates the concrete mercy God has always shown to mankind from the very first dawning of the history of humanity. After the sin of Adam and Eve, God did not want to leave humanity alone in the hands of evil. This is why he ideated and made Mary holy and immaculate (see Eph 1.4), so she would be the Mother of man’s Redeemer. Before the gravity of sin, God responded with the fullness of forgiveness. Mercy will always be greater than sin, and nobody can ever place a limit to the love of God who forgives.» «On the feast of the Immaculate Conception – continued Francis – I will have the joy of opening the Holy Door. It will be on this occasion that whoever will enter the first Door of Mercy will experience the love of God who consoles, forgives and gives hope. » But opening the first “holy door” in faraway Bangui is not an amazing novelty, since Francis wishes many doors to open throughout the world, to give all Christians the chance to enter them with the same effects of interior renewal as for those who will enter the door in Rome, the centre of Christendom. In fact, in the “Bull” the Pope continued by indicating that “on the next Sunday, the third of Advent, ‘the Holy Door’ in the Cathedral of Rome, the Basilica of St. John Lateran will be opened. In the subsequent days, the Holy Door in the other Papal Basilicas will also be opened. On the same Sunday, I establish that in the local Cathedrals in every particular diocese in the world, other ‘Doors of Mercy’ will be opened for all the faithful, for the entire Holy Year.». He requested that this also be done in the Sanctuaries where pilgrims go, and in all the «sacred places where people are often blessed with grace and find the path of conversion.» Every country will thus be directly involved in «living this Holy Year as an extraordinary moment of grace and spiritual renewal.» The jubilee will, however, be celebrated in Rome «as in all the local Churches worldwide as a visible sign of the communion of the entire Church.» Read the entire text: The Bull
7 Dec 2015 | Non categorizzato
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6 Dec 2015 | Non categorizzato
If you want to go to Okinawa from Kagoshima, midway along the route – after spending a night on the ship – you will come across the island of Amami. It is an enchanting place for its natural beauty, and the profound bond between the inhabitants themselves and with the environment. They say that in the rice planting season, the inhabitants had the custom of helping one another by going to each other’s homes when necessary. It was a lifestyle which the islanders still call the “bonding” spirit. Missionaries have landed on the Island ever since the 19th century, bringing the Christian message which took root among the population. With pride, the inhabitants of Amami boast of three bishops born on their island, besides a great number of priests, religious men and women. It was precisely one of these priests, who launched an idea in 1996 during a retreat held on the island: “Why don’t you look into the Focolare? It’s a place where people live evangelical love and unity.” 
Immediately some of those present contacted the centre of Nagasaki and the following year, two of them, after a night on the ship and travel of more than five hours by car, arrived at Sasebo, two hours away from Nagasaki. A Mariapolis was then underway: a happening of a few days for those who wanted to know more about the spirituality of the Focolare. These two people certainly never imagined that 19 years later a Mariapolis would be held also in Amami! 19 years in which the road has not always been easy. Joys, new spiritual energies, but also misunderstandings and all types of suffering – overcome by mutual love intensively lived – consolidated the new community in unity. And since unity is always diffusive, the community expanded with the desire to let all know what they had discovered. They spoke with friends and acquaintances. They visited seven parishes. Last May, 150 people of the island and some from outside, participated in the Amami Mariapolis. Some of these did not frequent religious groups; others were Buddhists, and still others were of diverse beliefs. There were also five priests and the Bishop of Kagoshima, Bishop Koriyama who confirmed: “The Focolare really suits the bonding spirit of Amami.” Suddenly, sometime later, he wrote a letter of thanks to the community: “…among the fruits the Focolare brings I saw a new culture of faith take root, and the possibility also for non-Christians to freely come in contact with the Church without fear.” And he hoped that the Mariapolis would not remain an isolated event, but be repeated under some other form of activity during the year. This encouragement filled all with joy. After discussing the matter, a letter was sent to all the parish priests of Amami, communicating the bishop’s augur, and the plan to hold a one-day Mariapolis, an event which took place last 25 October. The same letter also reached the Bishop who replied: “Congratulations! I am happy about this Mariapolis day, worthy to be celebrated and go down in the history of a new faith… I urge you to build, with a sole heart, the tradition of a new faith for the evangelization of the Amami Island.”
4 Dec 2015 | Non categorizzato
It was not at all easy to delineate a social project from the start, as it occurred for the Pho Cap School in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. A few days ago, this project was honoured by the private visit of Laura Mattarella, daughter of the Italian Republic’s President, who accompanied her father on an official visit to the country. Laura Mattarella who came to visit the 100 children of the school, was welcomed simply – without protocols – by some members of the Focolare Movement, the current heads and collaborators of the School. Pho Cap School was established in 1998 by a Focolare priest, with the help of some university students who were among the first to adhere to the spirituality of unity: a project inspired by love for the poor who filled the Binh Thanh district. The school facility was an abandoned house, and once cleaned from the numerous syringes, the youth rebuilt the roof, then the toilets and electric and water systems. All was done with small donations received, and a lot of sacrifice. The youth became whitewashers, labourers, plumbers and electricians… One of them, now a Focolarino, remembers those days: “It was tough work, but the spirit of the Movement pushed us to love concretely. Also some labourers gave a hand. The project was really achieved together!” In a few weeks, the facilities became liveable and so schooling activities started. It was a matter of convincing the people to send their children, and making them understand that it was better for them to study rather than work. In fact, many of those children passed their days on the street of Saigon selling lottery tickets and did not go to school. The young people had to go from house to house to look for the “students.” After the first group was formed, soon also some girls joined in, and gave their time and enthusiasm to the project. From a small group of students who were not given any meals, the school started to hand out daily snacks, and then lunch. The project continually developed, overcoming many difficulties. It was a success and became a school of “prestige” but which remained poor and for the poor just the same, though managing to give a convincing testimonial in a difficult suburban context. Most of the children come from Buddhist families but in the eyes of the children of Pho Cap, one can see trust, serenity and zest for life. Laura Mattarella noticed this and wanted to keep the photos of this “beautiful” meeting, as she said, in its simplicity, and so full of humanity, gentleness and relationships. The school directress commented: “The visit of the daughter of the Italian Republic President encouraged us to continue in the spirit that inspires us: living fraternity among us, the collaborators, and transmitting it to the students, so they in turn become messengers of this spirit in their families and in society.”
4 Dec 2015 | Non categorizzato
The profession of educators is a poorly paid one. This speaks volumes about the regard given to education by society and by governments. From November 18th to 21st, 2500 people gathered in Rome for a convention organised by the Congregation for Catholic Education, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Vatican Council II Declaration on Christian education, and the 25th of the Apostolic Constitution on Catholic Universities. “I came here with a Jewish colleague, and from India there were Catholics and a few Hindus,” said Nieves Tapia from Argentina, director of CLAYSS (Latin American Center for Service-Learning). “I felt that this was already a fruit of the Council: the Church in dialogue. With the motto, ‘Educating today and tomorrow: a renewing passion,’ we came together from all over the world, from very different situations.” The experiences from Catholic schools in frontier locations demonstrated the challenge of dialogue in action. As in Morocco, where teachers and students are Muslims; or in the Philippines, a Catholic country by majority, where the universities, also open to Muslims, encourage students to fast during Ramadan and reserve a place of prayer not only for Christians but also for Muslims. “It was an experience in a universal context,” affirmed Nieves Tapia, “not only because of our geographical origins, but also because of the types of schools and universities represented: public, private, and many schools who also work with the poor.” Pope Francis’ passion for education shone through in his address: “The pope responded to a few questions, and he spoke off the cuff, from his heart and with passion. He highlighted the need to go to the periphery, not to do charity, but because there, a new culture will be born. There we learn what profound wisdom there is in suffering. If we think about the great educational reforms (Don Bosco, Freire) we can say that they all came from the outskirts. Francis stressed furthermore the importance of working for the unity of the person, taking into account the mind, the heart, the hands; the importance of rebuilding the educational pact, that is the unity between the school and the family, the school and the community, the relationship with real life without closing oneself in the classroom. In addition, the importance of going out, which is also a response to the culture of the elite, the great danger of many educational systems, with the risk of leaving people out.” Among the subjects discussed in the convention, the pope implicitly underlined that of service learning, an educational program which actively involves the individual in the frontline… “It is a pedagogy that we have sought to enrich with the Latin American experience and with the spirituality of unity: service learning. It is necessary to allow the student to leave the classroom and begin to serve: to learn to do, to live, to be a better citizen. Research demonstrates that the learning cycle is not completed until the individual is able to practice what he has learned.” “This is confirmed when the teens learn to use their classroom knowledge to serve others. For example, in a technical school, instead of making a robot prototype, the youth construct wheelchairs for people who need them.” Service learning has been in use for almost 50 years, and there are thousands of universities and schools throughout the world that put into practice what is learned in order to serve others.” What prospects have emerged from the Convention? “The guidelines are those which the pope gave us. Above all, the necessity to renew our passion for education came into relief. ‘We must change education in order to change the world,’ said Pope Francis. We are already on the way and this is a sign of hope.”
![Silvana Veronesi: in the beginnings with Chiara Lubich]()
2 Dec 2015 | Non categorizzato
Silvana Veronesi has passed away at the age of 86. She was one of the close collaborators of the founder of the Focolare, Chiara Lubich. The news of her passing was communicated by Focolare president, Maria Voce, to the worldwide Focolare Movement: “We accompany her with the certainty that there will much rejoicing in heaven.” Her first meeting with Chiara Lubich was in 1945. She was only 16 years old and in search for something great to live for. From that moment, fascinated by the spirituality of unity, she entered the initial group that gave life to the Focolare Movement. In 1949, she moved to Florence, Italy, to attend Medical School. With great simplicity she bore witness to the novelty of her new life to young men and women, giving rise to the first Focolare community in Tuscany. She then spent some time in Turin and Milan.
Silvana Veronesi with Chiara Lubich, International Gen Centre, Rome 1987
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