![God loves me – God is calling me]()
11 May 2011 | Non categorizzato
“God loves me – God is calling me”, was the slogan printed on cards that identified the young people present at Loppiano (Italy), between 14 and 19 March 2011. This slogan expressed the goal of the days: to delve deeply into the vocation of a focolarino, someone who is called by God to become an “apostle of unity” – a beautiful expression used by John Paul II – and to follow Jesus by pursuing his prayer to the Father: “May they all be one” (Jn: 17: 21).
The thirty-three young people came from different parts of the world. There were students, labourers and entrepreneurs among them. But they were all united in the single desire to put aside everything for God, to renounce starting a family, in order to dedicate themselves to the building of the unity of the human family that Jesus prayed for. Many impressions were shared during those days, like Andrew and Jonas from Brazil. Andrew who just finished his master’s degree in history, said: “I left behind some nice things, some very nice things, only to find more beautiful things here.” Jonas, who is an airline pilot, remarked: “I’m left with the certainty of God’s call, because of the strong spiritual experience I had here.” Indeed, it is often the presence of the Risen Christ in the midst of the community who amplifies the voice of God and allows it to be heard in one’s heart. Stephen, an engineer from Rome, talks about the intensity of those days: “I will take home with me the relationships that I built with each one of you. I understood that Jesus Forsaken is the essence of our vocation.” He was referring to a central point of Focolare spirituality: Jesus dying on the cross for everyone and experiencing the abandonment of the Father, taking upon himself all the abandonment and suffering of humankind. The focolarini choose Jesus forsaken as a model of self-giving and the basis of their choice in life. Renzo, who is also Italian from Bari, added, with his face beaming, “I take with me the extraordinary beauty of life in a focolare”. 
Jay is a journalist from the Philippines. He says he learned in Loppiano “to recognize in pains and difficulties the face of Jesus forsaken.” Not only: the real discovery for him was that he had tried “to love Jesus forsaken with joy, not merely to get through the difficulties.” Anthony a young Kenyan student summarizes the challenge: “To aim high. This is the vocation of the focolarino, it’s mine, it’s ours.” At the end of those days that they will never forget, they wrote the following to Maria Voce, President of the Focolare Movement: “It was Jesus guiding us deeper into our vocation, in order to take us to a new level of intimacy with Him. We asked him to help us to be always faithful to Him.” And they affirmed their decision to live this “divine adventure, trying to imitate the transparency of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who never thought about herself but only of God, the most perfect model for a Christian of today and always.” Here are some images of some of the highlights of these days, which speak louder than words. [nggallery id=38]
![God loves me – God is calling me]()
10 May 2011 | Non categorizzato
14th March 2009 was Chiara Lubich’s first anniversary. With a live event entitled “With Chiara – a dialogue that continues” people around the globe retraced the steps of her life. One of the most significant experiences shared at the event was that of Mons. Dziwisz, who closely accompanied John Paul II. He was ordained priest by Wojtyla in 1963 and was by his side as secretary for 40 years. He is now Cardinal of Krakow, a role once held by his friend Karol. The following is a transcript of what he said in the video-taped interview.
Video: Interview with Msgr Stanislao Dziwis (Italian soundtrack)
![God loves me – God is calling me]()
9 May 2011 | Non categorizzato
And yet it was much more than a simple series of events around the globe: the thousands of young people from the most varied of cultures and traditions who took part in the week’s activities and projects were a visible demonstration of that united world that YPUW World (Young People for a United) live for. Even though taking an overview of each of the week’s events would be like going on a fascinating trip around the world, it would be too long to fit into one article! For now we’ll just take a quick glace at some of the activities. We’ll start from the Middle-East, a zone that’s experiencing a historical moment of change initiated by young people. The video that the YPUW from Egypt prepared (using the same title as the Meeting in Rome that kick started United World Week) was full of meaning: “Make visible change”. (link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYr664g4b6g&feature=player_embedded#at=63) 
The YPUW from Lebanon held an ‘interreligious movie night’, a sports day, an ecological project and a social development day. The social arena was also a focus point in Latin America. In Cuba, for example, the YPUW visited children who live in a shantytown in Havana that sprouted up under one of the city’s bridges. 
In Guatemala, a series of events coloured each day of World Unity Week in a different shade: Giving, Being the first to love, Dying for your People, Forgiveness, Ecology, Weaving Relationships were the various titles of the 6 days of events. Our last stop in Latin America brings us to Rosario, Argentina where two groups of 25 young people did a variety of mimes- on the footpaths at traffic lights- about building a united world! In various countries events were held for Japan in the light of the country’s natural disaster last month. In Los Angels a “Hike a thon” was held to raise funds for the population of Fukushima. In Florence there was a dance marathon and the main square of Frascati (Rome) was livened up by an open workshop on Japanese culture. 
In Goa, India, a day was dedicated to Chiara Luce Badano. The local YPUW presented the life of this young member of the Focolare- who was beatified on 25th September last- through songs, choreographies, traditional Indian dance, experiences and videos. In Chiara Luce’s home town of Sassello, with 1200 young people present and others following via internet, United World Week had its official closure. A musical called ‘Living the dream’ was preformed by a group of young people from Genoa: fruit of an exciting workshop with Gen Rosso. The musical was inspired by the life of two boys from Genoa who are also on the road to beatification: Alberto Michelotti and Carlo Grisolia. Then there was a special tour of the Badano house with Chiara Luce’s parents Ruggero and Maria Teresa. The replay of the event is available on: http://media.focolare.org/ClSMU2011.wmv. To top the day off there was an exciting announcement: Genfest 2012 will take place on 1st and 2nd of September in Budapest. Watch this space for further news on this! Detailed articles on World Unity Week can be found in Italian and Spanish on the blog: www.mondounito.net.
4 May 2011 | Non categorizzato
On the eve of Pentecost 1998 John Paul II gathered ecclesial movements and new communities to St. Peter’s Square. The Focolare Movement, represented by its founder Chiara Lubich, was amongst the participants. On that occasion Pope Wojtyla publicly recognised the role of these new realities within the Church; it was the first acknowledgment of its kind. That day Chiara committed herself before the Pope to help foster relationships of communion between movements.
Audio http://212.77.9.15/audio/ra/00259382.RM
He was truly the guardian of ecclesial movements because he recognised that the Spirit generated them for the whole Church. On that occasion, however, he also asked movements to progress from their initial stage of childhood in order to produce mature fruits of communion and commitment.
Pope Wojtyla closely accompanied the Focolare Movement throughout his pontificate…
We very often felt a particular love from him: in his glances, his greetings and also in his concrete gestures. It was his idea, for example, to give us use of the former building for General Audiences in Castel Gandolfo. It is now our Mariapolis Centre, used continuously for meetings all year round. He also visited the Movement’s International Centre where he underlined radical love as a characteristic of the Focolare Movement.
John Paul II had a personal and very deep relationship with Chiara Lubich: what was the basis for this spiritual harmony?
I believe that it was the spirituality of communion that he perceived in Chiara’s charism and witnessed in the life of the Movement. He longed for such communion to be present in the whole Church. I believe that this relationship was also due to the openness towards all men that he found in Chiara and in the whole Focolare Movement; an openness that didn’t know differences between social classes, religions, nationalities and that corresponded to his view of humanity, to his faith in the value of each man above all else.
Maria Voce, from your personal point of view, who was John Paul II and what do you think he wants to remind the Church and the whole of humanity of today?
He was a great figure in every sense and in all aspects. That which seems particularly important to me was this recognition that every man or woman is a Son or Daughter of God. This upmost dignity at a universal level lead him to favour relationships with everyone giving an impetus to all form of dialogue that the Church engages in. I was in Istanbul when he visited Patriarch Demetrius in 1979 and I remember the joy he felt in meeting this ecumenical patriarch.
I think his figure can give the Church and the world hope and trust in the action of the Holy Spirit who, in the darkest moments, takes the Church’s destiny under His wing. This was something he said and witnessed above all to the numerous young people who gathered around him because, with him, they experienced a young Church. He demonstrated this young Church, capable of giving answers to modern day man, to the whole world.
For the full interview in Italian- including the interviews with Kiko Argüello, Marco Impagliazzo, Maria Voce e Andrea Olivero- see the article : “Papa Wojtyla: le testimonianze di Kiko Argüello, Marco Impagliazzo, Maria Voce e Andrea Olivero” at:
http://www.oecumene.radiovaticana.org/it1/Articolo.asp?c=483009
“God loves me – God is calling me”, was the slogan printed on cards that identified the young people present at Loppiano (Italy), between 14 and 19 March 2011. This slogan expressed the goal of the days: to delve deeply into the vocation of a focolarino, someone who is called by God to become an “apostle of unity” – a beautiful expression used by John Paul II – and to follow Jesus by pursuing his prayer to the Father: “May they all be one” (Jn: 17: 21).
