Non categorizzato - Movimento dei Focolari

In Prague: Priests in communion

26 May 2011 | Non categorizzato

“ “We are few priests in the Czech Republic and it nearly impossible for two of us to live togerher, but when the priest who had married my parents became old I suggested that he come and live with me so that I could take care of him. The presence of an elderly person had an influence on the architecture of the vicarage and the church, in order to be more adapted to his needs. Shortly afterward he had a stroke and was in need of even more care. But if I had to say what was the most beautiful experience of my priesthood, it wouldn’t be so much the number of persons I saw convert, as much as this deep sharing of life.” “After ten years of hard work as a priest I suffered a nervous breakdown. Then I was offered the possibility of living with one of my confreres. This was my salvation. I was able to continue helping in the parish and, little by little, I regained myself.” These are two of the testimonies that were offered during a group meeting for priests affliated with the Focolare Movement, on 24 May, during the conclusion of Maria Voce’s visit to Prague. Life is not easy for priests in the Czech Republic. In a land which is 25% Catholic and 14 % practicing Catholics the number of priests is also very low and they normally have to care for more than one parish at the same time. The priests gathered at the Mariapolis Centre, most of whom have been living the spirituality of comunion since Communist times, never fail to underscore how sharing the joys and sufferings, fatigue and successes of their confreres was such a source of strength for them, even their salvation, as some remarked. We do not fail to mention the Nuncio of Prague Archbishop Diego Causero, who visited and greeted the group: “I thank the priests who spoke. Two things pleased me in particular: the willingness to live with an elderly priest and the fervour with which you shared your life. Many of us are lacking this fervour; maybe we know many things, but we need to be passionate. This still happens among the focolarini and it gives energy, creativity, and provides an expansive force. The focolarini played an important role during the Communist years: I hope they will have that same force again now, because the Czech people are in need of leaders with a wealth of humanity, a capacity to enter into relationship. Let’s get working! The discussion with Maria Voce and Giancarlo Faletti involved various topics such as: the novelty of the collective spirituality which the charism of unity brings; involvement in the local church; the inner-workings of the Movement; youth vocations. One priest asked: “In lands with a higher standard of living the number of vocation drops; vice versa, in places that are less rich, there are more vocations. Do you think there is a spiritual or social motivation for this?” “There are certainly social reasons, because in places where you find more economic opportunity, there are more distractions that can suffocate the voice of God. I don’t believe that there are less vocations, because God continues to call; but there are certainly fewer positive responses. However, even though youths are able to have all kinds of experiences, at times, it is precisely because of such experiences that they feel even deeper disatisfaction. Everything can be an occasion for God to make us feel something more. So I think that the spirtual side needs to receive more attention than the social side. Let’s be occupied with showing a powerful spirituality and that we are happy. The contribution of priests turns out to be a determinant factor in the field of youth: it’s natural that they should be the reference point for youths. And great attention is being given by the Church to the new generations, everywhere in this country. There are active “Youth Centres” in the new diocese of the Republic, where a priest lives and works full-time, a family, and some youths. These are spiritual centres for organised groups and for travelers, the baptized, the unbaptized, and non-believers. Some three-thousand Czech youths will attend the upcoming WYD in Madrid. (They are) a hope or the Church and for the country. By Aurora Nicosia

Fifty Years for the Unity of Christians

24 May 2011 | Non categorizzato

Rome 1962. (from left) Pasquale Foresi, Igino Giordani, Canon Bernard Pawley and Mrs Margaret Pawley, Chiara Lubich, Eli Folonari

On 14th January 1961 Chiara Lubich met with a group of Lutherans in Germany and this encounter led her to realize that the spirituality of unity, which is based on living the Gospel, was not for Catholics only but for all Christians. In May, Chiara met Anglican Canon Bernard Pawley, in Rome who afterwards was an observer at the Second Vatican Council. On 24th May Chiara made a note in her diary: “God’s will is mutual love. Therefore, to mend this break, it is necessary to love each other.” These were the antecedents that led Chiara to found the Centre “Uno” for the unity of Christians in Rome. She appointed Igino Giordani as its director, since he had been working as one of the pioneers of ecumenism ever since 1920. The year 1961 had been a year charged with intuitions. It marked the beginning of a promising ecumenical dialogue based on living the Gospel together.

Chiara Lubich, Gabri Fallacara, Frère Roger Schutz (1978).

As the years went by, the spirituality of unity drew the interest of Anglicans in Great Britain, and members of the Reformed Church in Switzerland, Holland and Hungary. It was received by members of various Christian churches in Europe and by Eastern Churches in the Middle East, and then by Christians in other continents. Patriarch Athenagoras I became interested in the spirituality of unity and invited Chiara to Istanbul in 1967 and encouraged its spreading in the Orthodox Churches. After 30 years of Focolare’s ecumenical involvement in 1996 another historic step was made in London. While meeting with about a thousand of Anglicans, Catholics, Methodists and Baptists who lived this spirituality of unity, Chiara sensed that a particular style of ecumenical commitment was emerging that was specific to the Movement and born from its’ spirituality: a “dialogue of life” or a “dialogue of the people”, which was not in opposition to other forms of dialogue but in support of them. There are now Christians from over 350 Churches in five continents who promote this type of dialogue and witness that it is possible to live in unity with Christ among us.

Istanbul, 2010. Participants of the 18th School of Ecumenism promoted by Centro “Uno” were received at the Fanar by Patriarch Bartholomew I.

The 50th anniversary of Centre “Uno” was celebrated in Trent, Italy at the Social Theatre on 12th March with an international ecumenical day entitled: “Chiara Lubich: a charism, a life for the unity of Christians”, which was part of an “Ecumenical Week” (11th – 16th March) in Cadine (Trent). It included eyewitness accounts of the early involvement of Chiara and the Movement and of successive developments in Focolare’s ecumenical commitment. Cardinal Koch, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity said in his message: “The service and the witness given by Chiara Lubich to the promotion of Christian unity are priceless and precious gifts” because “she has traced trails of light and deeply touched the life paths of many Christians of different generations and of many ecclesial traditions.” The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I invited the Focolare spread throughout the world “to foster the ‘dialogue of life’ among the Christian people, the leaven in the ecumenical Movement,” in the knowledge that “only intense spirituality can accelerate the march toward full visible communion through the acceptance of the progress being made in the official dialogues, on the part of an ecumenically prepared populace. A message also arrived from Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit, Secretary General of the World Council of Churches: “We remember her as a gift of God’s gracious love, inspiring, so many of us with her charisma and her spirituality of unity.” Then he recalled her first visit in 1967 in which she laid “the ground for decades of close collaboration which has benefited the fellowship of WCC member Churches in many ways.” The Centre “Uno” follows Focolare’s ecumenical commitment worldwide through a network of collaborators, promotes “ecumenical weeks” and ecumenical formation courses. Central Secretariat: Centro “Uno” Via della Pedica 44 A 00046 Grottaferrata (Rome), Italy Email: centrouno@focolare.org

Trip to Russia – May 2011

19 May 2011 | Non categorizzato

A brief history of the beginnings of the Focolare in Russia

19 May 2011 | Non categorizzato

In 1986 a Hungarian family from the Focolare Movement, the Fialowskys, moved from Budapest to Dugna, some 130 Km from Moscow. Some families and youths immediately began to gather around them. In 1989 and in 1991, two centres of the Movement were opened in the capital. At that time, the community was comprised of around 40 people. In August of 1991 there was the first and long-awaited meeting between Chiara and the members of the Movement from Eastern Europe, in Katowice, Poland. It was an important milestone for the members of the Movement in Russia, because for the first time, they would go beyond their borders to meet Chiara and the other members of the Movement in Eastern Europe. In April 1992 the first puclic gathering was held, the Mariapolis, with 220 participants. In September of the same year a first journey was taken to Celiabinsk, a city beyond the Ural Mountains, some 1900 km from Moscow, which up until shortly before had been closed to foreigners. Little by little a community of the Movement developed and, already in 1995, a first Mariapolis was held. This was followed by the birth of new communities in Novosibirsk and Omsk. In 2001 a focolare was opened in Krasnoyarsk, dedicated to the Siberian region of the country. It was the first encounter with the people who had already been receiving the Word of Life for some time. The spirituality was welcomed by in several cities of Siberia. The first Siberian Mariapolis was held in 2004 at Divnogorsk, a city near Krasnojarsk. The participants came from different cities, after having travelled distances of up to 2000 km. Ninety were of different nationalities and churches. After the fall of the Soviet Regime, Russian society was in search of an identity. In this journey, the Movement’s way of acting was always appreciated, especially in the relationship with the Russian Orthodox Church. At times, official representatives of the Patriarchate of Moscow took part in Focolare gatherings. Focolare co-president Giancarlo Faletti’s presence at the enthronement of Patriarch Kirill, in February 2009 was of significant importance for the community of the Movement.Some members of Orthodox associations watched with great interest the “Together for Europe” project, and have been attending the event since 2004. Among the early Focolare pioneers in the then Soviet Union, we cannot forget to mention Guedes, a Portoguese focolarino wh died in January of this year, and lived for 20 years in Russia. His humble generosity is a characteristic that is very appreciated by this people, who abundantly reciprocated his love in many ways, especially the many Orthodox friends. Then there was Regina Betz, a German focolarina, who lived in Moscow from 1990 until 2008, establishing true and lasting relationships with many people. One episode that she tells of, seems to express what building unity in Russia has meant in these many years: « I taught German at the Lomosonov University of Moscow. One of my colleagues, Alla, wasn’t well with her health. She saw it as a punishment from God because she had given up living as a Christian. She told me that during an udating course in Lipsia she had returned to the Church, but coming back to Moscow, she drifted away. One day she asked me if she could go with me to Mass. I explained to her that I wasn’t Orthodox, but Catholic, so as not to create any problems for her. The following Sunday we went together to Mass at Saint Lousi Church, at that time, the only church in Moscow. Then I didn’t hear anything from her for quite a while. When we finally met again, she told me that she had been baptized ‘Russian Orthodox,’ she said almost apologetically. I told her that she had done well, since she was Russian!” Presently, the majority of the Movement’s members in Moscow are Orthodox. One of them, Nina Vyazovetskaya, spoke in Rome, at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major’s, on the occasion of the third anniversary of Chiara Lubich’s death. She said: “I come from Moscow, and I belong to the Russian Orthodox Church. I am a doctor and I did my internship at the Moscow Hospital. I grew up in a family of unbelievers, as many people are in Russia. In 1990 they baptized me a bit ‘by accident’ because, with the fall of Communism came a time of change and everyone was searching for something new. But after that day, I never went to church. The encounter with the Focolare Movement marked a change in my life. I met God and my life changed. In order to get to know Him, I turned to the focolarine, who are Catholics, and they brought me to my Orthodox church. This was how I began to disover the beauty and richness of the church, of the Christian life, of living for God. And now I have decided to follow God along the way of Chiara in the focolare.”

A “Sign of Contradiction” in common

16 May 2011 | Non categorizzato

In 1977 Vita e Pensiero Pubishing House published “Sign of Contradiction”. The book is a collection of the spiritual exercizes preached in 1976 by Karol Wojtyla to Pope Paul VI and the Roman Curia. The following year, shortly after the election of Wojtyla to the Chair of Peter, Igino Giordani wrote a letter to the new Pontiff:

25 November 1978

Holy Father,

I am an 84 year old (!) focolarino.

I read your book: “Sign of Contradiction” and found it particularly enjoyable for two reasons: firstly, because of the way in which you dealt with the exalted topic with such rare wisdom and clarity; secondly, because I too, more than 40 years ago, with considerable presumption, wrote a book with the same title.

I take the liberty of sending you a copy of the latest edition of my book, as a humble tribute and expression of the joy that I, like all the focolarini and nearly every other living person feels, because of your election to the Pontificate and because of the depth and spontaneity of your daily apostolate.

Please forgive my boldness, and grant me your blessing.

Devotedly yours,

Igino Giordani

An immediate response from the Vatican Secretary of State:

1 December 1978

Dear Sir,

In a greatly appreciated gesture of courtesy, you sent as a tribute to His Holiness, a letter and a copy of the volume edited by you with the title, “Sign of Contradiction”, already in its fifth edition.

The Holy Father has asked me to share with you his feelings of deep pleasure and heartfelt gratitude for the delicate act of homage, which he greatly appreciated. The Supreme Pontiff, therefore, is happy to reciprocate such veneration, giving the desired apostolic blessing as a sign of appreciation for your long activity in the service of Holy Church and as a wish of heavenly graces.

I gladly take this occasion to confirm with distinct deference to your illustrious person.

Most devotedly yours,

+C. Caprio