![A discovery as the earth shook]()
Jul 4, 2012 | Senza categoria
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“I reached my mother’s house just a few hours after the first big earthquake shock. We tried to figure out what to do, what to do that night . . . every few minutes we felt that we had better get out of there! And what about the people in my building who lived alone? And so with a bit of courage, I invited them to leave with me and settle down for the night in the welcome centre that had been set up by the public protection agency.
We were surrounded by hundreds of people with such lost looks on their faces, children and newborns weeping, elderly in wheelchairs. . . I was quiet, not a word, because those who suffer acquire a particular sensitivity that has no need of words. People feel love through small concrete acts of love and compassion. It’s what I tried to do all night long. But inside my heart was breaking.
It reached a point in which any word was useless, fragile as the bricks that crumbled so quickly in my land of Emilia. It swallowed up the life of people who only yesterday were enjoying their peaceful existence, without any tremors, in spite of the crisis. Time was relentless and slow; the night seemed like it would never end. And then during the following days, each moment seemed endless. . .
After restoring some order to my mother’s apartment, where some pieces of furniture had fallen and a few things were broken, I finally was able to convince my Mom to move away from the danger zone, to go and stay with my sister some 150 km away.
Then there was a second shock and my birthplace is now a ghost town: houses destroyed, thousands sleeping in the streets, in tents or somewhere far away. My land continues to shake.
In Modena, Italy, one teacher recounts: ‘This morning, I found myself under my desk to hold on to the arm of a boy who was close to me and was shaking with fear, while the other children were calling to me, and I could only tell them: stay calm. Twenty minutes are but a breath in the wind, but they can turn into an eternity. Some wept, but they all followed me out of the building. They grabbed on to anything they could see, to the person standing next to them. Parents began to trickle into the garden, seeking the only thing that remained unshaken in their minds through this earthquake: the faces of their children.’
Ican still see the sadness and the inconsolable grief of people whom I know from my town, the elderly especially and the children. And also priests who no longer have a church: Eucharistic Jesus was the first evacuee in each area that was hit by the quake.
There are no longer any churches made of stone, but we are the first stones for the rebuilding. The question that should be asked: is there something in life that cannot be shaken? What does the Lord mean to tell us through this earthquake. At times his handwriting is “illegible”. We need faith, and it only takes a pinch of faith to “move mountains”. We ask that it may truly “still the plains”!
Is there something that can’t be shaken? Yes, God-Love. Everything can crumble, but God remains standing.
Meanwhile, messages began to arrive from everywhere in the world, from friends and relatives: we’re with you; we’re praying for you; we are on body and when one part suffers, the entire body suffers. Yes, we are one and this gives us strength and energy and new life!
The people from Emilia are strong, tenacious and hard-working. They have a strong sense of solidarity and sharing. Just a few days after the schools closed the teachers from my area went to the welcoming camps, dressed as clowns to play with the children, their students who had spent the night in tents and cars. . .
We are living a dark moment, but there’s also hope that ruins are not the final world.
Sr Carla Casadei, SFP
![A discovery as the earth shook]()
May 11, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide, Senza categoria
Lights, a stage, colours, dance, music and lots of movement are some of the features of “Arts & Culture reshaping urban life” which has come to its last stop in Belgium with “Streetlight – The Musical” with Gen Rosso. The international musical group will be in Brussels between the 5th and 13th of May, highlighting the importance of creativity for building a more united world. For the 120 youths who are participating in the project it is an experience of unity in diversity.
Brussels is an alive city, a crucible for different nationalities and cultures. Against this beautiful backdrop, Gen Rosso held the first two days of its tour, some workshops for youths in view of the presenation of their musical Streetlight on a large stage at Tour&Taxi, the city’s renamed public arena. The young people come from at least three linguistic groups: Flemish, French and German, not counting those who are coming from farther away: Middle East, Africa and Asia. Their work began under the motto: “one for the other” as they set out preparing the musical in workshops for hip-hop dance, instrumental music, Broadway music, chorus, scenography and Brazilian dance.
Tells a true story that happened in 1969. It is the story of two boys, Charles and Jordan, who lived opposite realities and who in an important moment of their lives, saw their stories intersect. One of them, Charles, who with the help of the Streetlight Band whose music and song promote the values of a united world, is a sign of contradiction in his own environment – a Chicago ghetto.
Here are some of the impressions gathered from the young people who attended:
So many different languages, names, nations, ideas and attitudes. . . and in spite of all these differences our hearts were beating one for the other. I’ll never be able to forget this!
I’d like to say thank you, because before coming here I didn’t feel at peace, like an empty chest. . . Now I feel full, full of love and hope that I would like to bring back to my home. Thank you!
The last days of Gen Rosso’s tour in Belgium will be the 12th and 13th of May at the Together forEurope event, which will also be attended by Focolare president Maria Voce.
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Together4peace in Brussels is co-financed by the European Commission (http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/culture/index_en.php) as a sub-project of the European “Arts and Cultures Reshaping Urban Life” project (www.reshape.eu). Its purpose is to foster relationships among people through art, in an urban context. Artistic gatherings have already taken place in several cities in Germany (Schwerte), Italy (Udine, Venice) and Czech Republic (Sternberk, Olomouc), with the aid of Gen Rosso. These events include panel discussions, conferences and international exchanges. Together4peace is an initiative of Youth for a United World of the Focolare Movement in Belgium (focolare.be), in close collaboration with the Gen Rosso group (genrosso.com) and the Focolare Movement in Solingen (fokolar-bewegung.de).
![A discovery as the earth shook]()
Mar 13, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide, Senza categoria
Roberto and Patrizia live in the province of Naples, Italy. Like many Italian families they have really been put to the test by the economic crisis. Ten years ago they adopted a girl and now their family has grown in size with the adoption of a Chinese boy who is in urgent need of sugery and medical care. This experience of welcoming children into their home has brought them much joy, but also sacrifice. While reviewing the family budget, the question arose whether or not to continue the distance support which they had been providing for a girl in Brazil. “Life isn’t easy,” they write to their friends at Santa Maria di Igarassu School in Recife. “We Italians are losing economic certainty and peace of mind as an advanced industrial society. Many parents are losing jobs, young people can’t find work, people of advanced age are no longer certain of their pension. Health care is no longer completely free and the cost of living has risen so much. Faced with a scenario such as this, many families have begun to reduce cut back, to shorten their holidays – and we have also had to make sacrifices.” 
As the days passed, there was a growing sense of emptiness. Their thoughts kept returning to the “Escola Santa Maria” located, since 1967, in one of the poorest regions of North East Brazil, surrounded by unemployment, alcoholism, drug abuse and violence. Many children living below the poverty line have been rescued over the years thanks to the generosity and perseverance of distance adopters, and even the entire community has benefited from their support. “We looked at each other, spoke some more, and realized that it would be a mistake to turn in on ourselves. We realized that we should rather widen our hearts and continue with the distance support (link http://www.famiglienuove.org/it/sostegnoadistanza.php) for the Brazilian child. She and everyone else at St Mary’s School were our family in Brazil. It would never be justifiable for us to just abandon them.” 
Meanwhile little A.X. will be facing his first surgery, which will last six hours. “We got through it with much serenity and courage. Those who sow love, reap love. Our hope for him, for his sister at home and for the one in Brazil is that they will have a positive future in which the love they’ve received and will one day emanate, may one day reach out to help others.
Mar 9, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide, Senza categoria
Please note: The geolocalisation feature on this website – which displays cities and towns where Focolare centres are present – is only meant to be a guide. The markers on the map do not necessarily point to a specific address and they must not be relied on for navigational purposes.
