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14 May 2014 | Non categorizzato
For the opening of United World Week, teenagers from all over Portugal were welcomed to Mariapolis Arco Iris by the local band and over twenty groups that animated the afternoon with a variety of activities: judo, music (many songs written for the occasion), dance, Indonesian gamelans and 90 dancers from Cape Verde. Along with the media, several civil authorities also attended the event. Both the president and vice-president of the region attended, and numerous clergy brought youth groups from their parishes. Among them wes the head of youth ministry from the diocese of Lisbon. 
It was not only the Focolare that contributed: over 20 groups and associations gave their contribution to the Expo on Fraternity: a small living exhibit of the United World Project in which particpants were called on to share their experiences of Fraternity. A parliamentarian, a musician, an actor, a scientist and a mayor were on hand to share their expertise. The programme had five sections exploring the theme of fraternity, through music, testimonials and dance. They showed that the culture of brotherhood can be extended to all sectors of life, from the arts to the economy. An open discussion with economist Luigino Bruni turned out to be very meaningful. The workshops that followed invited the young people to become more actively involved in society, for the building of a more united world, and this was expressed in the impressions that were left by some: “Changing the world depends on us: this is the strongest impression I take with me from this day. Thank you for having given us your experience, because if we have the key for facing the difficulties, then a united world is truly possible.” “This was my first experience with the Youth for a United World. I’m amazed by this spirit of sharing, reciprocal assistance and true love that I have had the opportunity of knowing and living here. I leave here with a new life!” “In times marked by individualism and indifference, it is nice to see so many people fighting for a better world, and they don’t stop in the face of adversity. Today I realized that fraternity is truly within everyone’s reach, and takes place in daily life. It depends on me as well, to “take on the world” and try to make it better.”
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13 May 2014 | Non categorizzato
Each year, the university institute which is based in Loppiano, has an open day to communicate its educational project to anyone interested in learning more about Sophia. This event took place on 2nd May and offered an opportunity to live a typical day at the university, including lessons of economics, politics, Trinitarian ontology, moments of sharing, and dialogue with teachers and students.
At the heart of it all lies the choice of a new interdisciplinary academic approach, combining study and experience, helping students from different continents to acquire a “global vision”, as explained during the presentation.
The testimonies included that of Fabio Frisian, age 23, from Messina: “After three years study of Psychological Sciences and Methods, I enrolled in Sophia. The main reason for my choice was rooted in the substantial difference that I found between the traditional academic world and a world which was not just a course of study in order to feel satisfied, but something more. It was already the end of the summer and, after my degree in psychology and an experience of volunteering in Africa, I was still undecided. The last few years had given me so many doubts: should I continue to study following a pathway in which a strong “technologizing” of knowledge and unbridled competition among students prevailed?
Fabio Frisone
I felt quite sad. Despite my desire to return to Africa, I felt that I would have to give myself time to acquire a more complete education, also in order to be able to understand, in a less superficial way, the reality of Africa. I had heard of the Sophia project and I sensed that it could be the best solution for my needs. Now, after six months of this experience, I can say it was the right decision”.
And with regard to the itinerary of Sophia, Fabio continues: “From the professors, to the students, to the staff, the IUS is a new academic pathway. At the heart of the curriculum is the opportunity to gain knowledge and develop interdisciplinary skills. The constant search for this complementarity is an essential feature of the dialogue that takes place in the classroom between the different disciplines, and also in our personal relationships. The challenge of the Institute is to experience a new way of studying and doing research, to develop culture and to share it.
This produces a specific teaching methodology: the exercise of thinking requires you not to be in a hurry and to allow time for questions, so as not to end up confused by approximate conclusions. The invitation is to ask one more question each day, to get to the roots of the problems and to rework them, abandoning ideological solutions.
Each person becomes the protagonist of social and political change, confronting the problems and endeavouring to untie the most complex knots at the service of our cities and our peoples. I feel my way of thinking is becoming more and more open. It is a commitment that is renewed every day. If what drives us is the aspiration to build universal brotherhood, we know that to fly so high we need to start from the testing ground of everyday life.”
Source: Istituto Universitario Sophia
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12 May 2014 | Non categorizzato
“It all began two years ago,” recounts Maria Pia Redaelli, who is the contact person for the NFA non-profit organisation in the Democratic Republic of Congo where the Petite Flamme Project has been underway. Two of our teachers attended a training course offered by the Focolare in Douala, Cameroon. When they returned to us they decided to apply some of the ideas already implemented by other schools. One was the Children’s Parliament. Almost immediately the children took ownership of their school environment and became actively involved members of the school community. In previous years it was difficult to keep the classroom areas tidy, also the outdoor areas; but now there’s never a paper on any pavement.
Each parliament is comprised of a president, vice president and several ministers, depending on the number of children. Each of them is in charge of something. Mbuyi Idrisse, director of the Petite Flamme, Ndolo, which has 400 students, recounts: “I arrive just before 7:30 every morning. I’m there to welcome my schoolmates. I check to see if their uniform is clean and neat. If it isn’t, I send them home.”
Makwatshi Donnel is vice president: I assist the president in maintaining discipline, especially when the children are entering the classrooms and leaving at the end of the day.”
“I’m Minister of Art,” says Biamungu Bienvenue. “I intone the anthem as we begin the school day. Whenever there are festivities, I assist the teacher in preparing the performances.”
Minister of Finances, Beyau Vianney: “My job is to help my schoolmates to reach out to meet the needs of other students who are in need of support. For example, if someone loses a parent or sibling, we try to find money from our own pockets to offer help. The same is done when we come to know of children suffering in other parts of the world. I’m in charge of collecting the monies and handing them over to the school director.”
Luwala Precieuse is Minister of Health: “When I get to school, I go to fill up the water tanks and add a few drops of antispetic, to protect the children from illness. Then, during the ten o’clock break, I go to the kitchen to taste the bouille to see if it is good and has enough sugar to make my schoolmates happy.”
Losambo Jepthe: “I’m Minister of Sport. This year I tried to put together a few teams of both girls and boys. We practice every Wednesday and Saturday, and during breaks we hold matches between classes.”
Nakamuwa Pembe, Minister of the Environment: “I make sure the school is tidy; when I see a schoolmate tossing something on the ground, I invite him or her to place it in the trash bin. I also check to see that the toilets are kept clean and tidy.”
Luwula Preieuse, Minister of Culture: “I ensure that the children are speaking French, which is the authorised language of the school.”
Lastly, Binia Exauce, Minister of the Public Order: “Every morning I verify that there is chalk at the chalkboards, and i give a whistle that gives the sign for school to begin and end.”
Maria Pia concluded saying: “With the Children’s Parliament we’ve seen a qualitative improvement in the children’s involvement at Petite Flamme, and when they move on to other schools, the teachers admire their sense of care and involvement. Even recently the Italian Ambassador visited Petite Flamme and was very satisfied with the environment he found, the climate of harmony and mutual respect among all. He offered the teachers words of great esteem and encouragement.”
10 May 2014 | Non categorizzato
That Eloquent Gesture
In African society women and children are considered to be inferior creatures. I had asked Dieudonne what the conduct of a Christian would be like in that regard. We discussed this for two hours, but he wasn’t able to convince me. I had just said goodbye to him when a noise from behind made me turn. A small girl who was carrying a water jar on her head fell to the ground just a few metres away from us. While everyone else laughed without lifting a finger to help her, I watched as Diudonne hastened to help the little one out of the mud. And he didn’t stop at that; then he went back to the fountain to refill her water jar and carried it to her home. I was speechless as I contemplated the scene before me, as were the others – all of them dumbfounded that Dieudonne had acted in this way towards a child. That one gesture was more eloquent than the whole of our discussion.” A. B. (Cameroon)
Taking the Plunge
“I had always considered myself to be on good terms with everyone, but when my daughter began to take drugs my confidence collapsed. I realized that I had to take the plunge and overcome my isolation and reach out to others. I had the opportunity to approach two of my daughters’ friends who had recently been released from prison because of drugs. I went up to them without any judgements. A friendship was formed and, as my daughter found a new relationship with me, these two girls also found strength to return to their families.” M. T. (Italy)
All She Could
“When our daughter telephoned us that she was on the verge of a divorce, it was a great blow for us. There was no use in rebelling or giving sermons, but only sharing the pain. I tried just the same to make her feel that she wasn’t alone, even though she lives in another State. When she came to visit for a few days with her children, we did our best to make her feel our love and affection. We were so happy when, returning home, she informed us that she was willing to do all she could to rebuild the marriage rather than pursue the divorce.” J.S.-USA
Source: Il Vangelo del giorno, Città Nuova Editrice.
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8 May 2014 | Non categorizzato
Ubuntu: “I am what I am because of who we all are.” This ancient concept found in many African cultures is the main focus of the Sharing With Africa Project. On April 27 – May 4, 2014, a hundred young people from 29 countries gathered in Nairobi, Kenya. Professor Justus Mbae, who is Dean of the Catholic University of East Africa, explained it during an open discussion: “Any situation regarding me personally comes after the community, because each person is part of that community; the community comes first. It is then through the relationship with those other people that compose the community, that I become a person.” At Sharing With Africa, in the Focolare town in Kenya, the young people also shared their projects and stories as they try to respond to the challenge of their lands. Their creativity and commmitment were impressive, as they were able challenge even some public institutions. Their mission statement is inspired by a speech by Chiara Lubich, who was the founder of the Focolare, in which she suggested some positive steps for changing a city: find some friends who support your project; focus on the least and the needy, help them in their need, and turn to God for what is lacking. In this way you will be laying the foundations of a new city, and your gaze will begin to expand across the world. 
Benedicto is a young nurse at a hospital in Iringa, Tanzania. Blood is a very precious commodity in his country. The lack of blood in the public blood banks results in many deaths. One day many women were sent home from the maternity ward because there were no more bags of blood in the hospital. Benedicto informed the young people from the Focolare with whom he had already been sharing a spiritual journey of care and concern for the needs of the least. The solution came right from the group. Why not invite the public to donate blood? “It’s true that in our country we don’t have much to share; at times the misery is overwhelming, but everyone has blood, it’s inside us.” A request letter was sent and in a few hours they had 22 bags of blood. The head of the blood bank confessed that he had never witnessed such generosity. That was 2010. In the last 4 years the project expanded to the point of becoming an official reference for all the institutions of public health in the country. In January the students at Ruaha University in Iringa and the Islamic Institute of Dar el Salaam, became voluntary donors. 
This is only one of the 800 examples of fraternity that have been recorded since 2012. They’re called “fragments of fraternity” to show that even though they are small, they are able to generate change. The others are found in the Atlas of Fraternity, which came out during this 17th edition of United World Week, which is the annual event that displays to international institutions projects that are making fraternty possible among people. The official opening was on May 1, 2014 in Nairobi, with twenty minutes of live streaming that linked people from around the world with Sharing With Africa. In her message of greeting, Focolare President, Maria Voce, congratulated those who took part in the project for their “stubborn courage” and efforts “immersed as they are in the complex affairs of the contemporary world.”She also referred to the ongoing work for the Atlas, mentioning that it is like working at a “massive work site, but that it’s the dream of God, as Chiara Lubich loved to describe it. And this is a also great garuntee. Universal Brotherhood is no Utopia: on the contrary! Even though it is a strenous journey, it is an ustoppable vision.” This year’s goal will be to engage national UNESCO delegations in officially recognising United World Week for the contribution it offers to the unity of the human family. To the Young People for a United World: good work!
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6 May 2014 | Non categorizzato
Msgr Livio Maritano (far right) with Chiara Lubich, the parents di Chiara Luce Badano, and Maria Grazia Magrini, Vice-Postulator for the ause of beatification of Chiara Luce.
Msgr. Maritano’s relationship with the Focolare Movement became particularly significant after he met Chiara Luce Badano, a young member of the Movement, who lived in his diocese and suffered from a terminal illness, beatified in 2010.
He came to know her during the last part of her life and was struck by her radiant Christian testimony, “by the depth of spirituality, by the great love for God that gave her the strength to face her illness”.
At the news of his passing away, Maria Voce said: “He was able to perceive sanctity in Chiara Luce’s everyday life”.
After the death of the young Badano, while verifying the growing interest that continued to emanate, he recognized in her life signs of universal holiness that touched the hearts of many, especially of young people. Thus, he saw in Chiara Luce a model that could be offered to them, as Benedict XVI pointed out on the occasion of her beatification. Later, it was Msgr Maritano himself who related her experience to many in various places all over Italy; he was called by many to speak about her.
Msgr. Maritano met Chiara Lubich several times. His esteem for Chiara and her charism, which he saw incarnated with particular intensity in the life of the young Chiara Luce Badano, led him to keep in touch with the founder of the Focolare Movement even through an epistolary relationship.
“The Focolare Movement remembers Msgr Livio Maritano with gratitude and appreciation”, Maria Voce said. “We unite ourselves in prayer with his family, friends, the diocese of Acqui and the whole Church”
