Franco and Anna married since 1991, have three children: Benedetta, Francesca and Federico. In August 2025, Franco suddenly left for Heaven, at the age of 63. This news deeply shook many people, not only in their city, Poggio Mirteto (Italy), but also among many friends of the Focolare Movement who knew him, both when he was a Gen (a young member of the Focolare) and, inflamed by the Ideal of Unity, he had said his “Yes” to the call to live for Jesus and also through his work (he worked for years at the Città Nuova publishing house) which brought him into contact with many people.
Together with Anna, their initial “Yes” to forming a family faithful to the promise “where two or more…”, grew throughout their journey of life together, enriched by their commitment in the local community, in particular in the New Families Movement (branch of the Focolare, composed of families who seek to live the spirituality of unity) and by accompanying couples as they prepared for marriage and for the baptism of their children.
After many years at the publishing house, Franco began a new professional experience as a religious education teacher in a technical institute. He gave himself completely to helping his students grow and flourish, despite the difficulties and personal sorrows that the young people confided in him. What remains most vividly in everyone’s memory are his outdoor lessons, in the shade of the trees in the garden outside the school, his profound ability to listen and his smile. His colleagues too remember that smile along with his commitment to creating a family atmosphere in the school through mountain hikes and social occasions.
In the final period of his life came his “Yes” to the call to become a Deacon at the service of the Church. He carried this out with humility, quietly but always present, ready to help anyone in difficulty. Those who met him remember how, always with his big smile, he was able to transform the hearts of those who crossed his path.
Pictured: Franco with his whole family; a trip to the mountains; whilst serving as a deacon
Their home was always open to everyone and still is. Many friends continue to support Anna and their children, thanks to the love sown over the years.
Even during Franco’s time in hospital, the last week before his death, the doctors were impressed by the continuous stream of young people who came to visit him to say a last goodbye, embrace the family, or simply to be there at their side for a prayer together.
A colleague of his, who described himself an unbeliever, hailed him as “the closest person to the Gospel” he had ever known.
At his funeral in a church packed with people, many young people also gathered in the churchyard: one of their banners read, “You spoke to us of faith but you taught us love”. A large group of priests and deacons stood on the altar around Bishop Ernesto Mandara.
During the homily, Don Mauro Guida, parish priest of the Cathedral of S. Maria Assunta in Poggio Mirteto, quoting Saints Laurence, Claire, Joan, Pontian and Hippolytus, remembered by the Church in the previous days, said: “Every time, every name, every word, every face of holiness, seemed to be the portrait of our dear Franco. Just as once upon a time children showed each other their picture cards, repeating to one another “I have that one, I have it…”, so Franco had suddenly become the image of someone who possessed every quality that could be described or even imagined; “the holiness of the saint next door”, as Pope Francis called it “.
Margaret Karram and Jesus Moran, President and Co-President (in 2025) of the Focolare, said in a letter, “We were deeply moved by the news of Franco’s call to Heaven and fascinated as we followed the story of his life. We assure our prayers and deep gratitude for his beautiful and luminous life. In the certainty that he is has already been welcomed by Jesus, we feel that he is a protector of New Families and of the New Generations. We are united in a very special way to Anna and their children”.
Pictured: the opening of the outdoor classroom at the school where he taught
The school where Franco worked, the IIS Gregorio da Catino di Poggio Mirteto, decided to create an outdoor classroom dedicated to him. This is the post published on the school’s Facebook page: “there are teachers who leave an indelible mark through the way they look at the world: Franco Fortuna was one of them. Today (5th June 2026) in order to remember the love he had for outdoor lesson, we have inaugurated a real outdoor classroom (…). We hope that it can become a place where students can continue to learn, to share ideas and dream, just as Prof. Fortuna would have liked”.
Lorenzo Russo Photos: courtesy of the Fortuna family
Video in English. Turn on subtitles and select your preferred language
For this story, I have to introduce you to my friend Anthony.
He was living in New Jersey at the time.
He had chronic kidney failure. And so, three times a week he had to go on for dialysis, which, of course, made it kind of hard to go about his regular daily life.
At one point in time, I was thinking, “Hey, you know, maybe I could be a kidney donor to him.” But these were kind of like mere thoughts and nothing—you know, I didn’t follow up. I didn’t talk to anybody about it.
A couple months go by, and at one point in time I find myself doing an Easter retreat. On the first day of the retreat, in order also to prepare myself a little bit, I went in for a visit to the chapel. Out of the blue, this question came back to my mind: “Hey, J.P., are you still willing to donate a kidney?”
I was kind of surprised because I hadn’t thought about it for months. But at that very moment there, I prayed about it, I thought about it, and I thought, “Yes, I want to follow up with it. And I want to see if that could eventually be a possibility.”
Then, on the next day of the retreat, one of the young people sharing was Gidget, Anthony’s daughter. First, she shared that during her teenage years, her mom went through a lot of suffering. She had lupus. She had kidney failure. And now, many years later, her dad kind of went through the same situation with the kidney failure. She said, “Even though we suffered so much as a family, I wouldn’t exchange this experience.”
Because recognizing Jesus on the cross in that suffering, she felt that she had come closer to God. And also, it had brought the family a lot closer together as well.
She walks off the stage, she comes back, she grabs the mic again, and she says, “By the way, just in case anybody is interested in knowing, my dad is O-positive.”
That came to me as a shock because I’m also O-positive. So I felt that the only reason she was sharing that was for me to hear that.
Then I understood also that God had allowed me, the day before, to make that decision in all peace and freedom, just between He and I at that moment in the chapel. So there was a gift.
Then we went ahead. We talked about it with some others in the Focolare community. We did some tests for the blood and the tissue. Everything was matching.
A few months later, we actually had the kidney transplant.
Of course, you hear also the consequences are—you know, you can live your life with one kidney. But it was, of course, not on my mind at all. I felt it was not just me wanting to do that, but I also felt kind of like that trigger from God, like, “Hey, if you want, this could be a possibility.” So it was kind of like a subtle invitation on His part to make me make that step out of love for Him. So that was also in the background here.
Of course, Anthony and I stayed in the hospital for a few days. I really felt a tremendous joy in my heart, you know. And I felt there was not just—not a joy because of, “I did something.” But I felt that joy came from God. That was very powerful and very tangible. It was a gift, you know, a special moment.
Jean Pierre Slee (Whashington – USA) Photo: JP Slee’s personal archive
This video is part of the On Point series produced by Focolare Media. This web series explores the key aspects of the Focolare Movement’s spirituality through reflections and real-life experiences. Visit Focolare Media or the YouTube channel to access other resources of this kind, available with subtitles and dubbing in various languages.
A few years ago, while living away from my family, I had to share accommodation for a while with a work colleague. My colleague, Alberto, was an atheist. We would talk about sport, culture, religion etc. On a couple of occasions, I told him what my own conversion and encounter with God through Jesus had meant to me. He always thanked me politely, although he naturally remained faithful to his own convictions.
At the same time, I knew that living the Word of God meant loving this person in a practical way, so I began to take a genuine interest in his life, his family, the things he enjoyed and the things that annoyed or hurt him.
Seeing that Alberto was extremely busy, I offered to do more than my share of the cooking and even washed his clothes. He loved running and although it was far from being my favourite sport, I started going for runs with him so that I could share more deeply in his interests.
One day he invited me to go out with him in search of female company. I politely declined and explained that, for me, sex was something deeply meaningful. He looked at me with some surprise and said, “I need to think about what you’ve just told me.”
Eventually, our paths went in different directions. Years later, we unexpectedly met again at an airport. We embraced and he said, “Do you know where I’ve just come from? A meeting. I’m the president of my parish council.” I was astonished. I could hardly believe it.
Alberto went on, “Miguel, do you remember all those years ago when you cooked on the days it was my turn, or when you washed my clothes and went running with me? I used to watch you, and I could see that there was something within you—a light, a strength in your life that I didn’t have. That was what touched me. Little by little, it began to stir my heart and my mind. “The result was a profound inner dialogue with God. I began reading the Gospel and gradually changed the way I lived. Then I was baptised and here I am: from atheist to President of the Parish Council. “Thank you for those months when we lived together.”
Something happened to me that reminded me why years ago we chose to be “new people” for a United World.
I was in a hospital. I caught sight of a young man who was crying alone, away from his group. He was studying to become an operating theatre and was in his final year, just three months from graduation.
I approached him. He told me that his father had lost his job. He used to go to college on his brother’s old bicycle, which had finally broken down. So he had to take four buses a day and no longer had the money for the fares.“I’m going to give up. I can’t go on any longer ,” he told me.
I wanted to give him money to top up his bus pass and get home. He didn’t want to accept. He agreed on one condition: that I give him my number so he could pay me back. He kept to his promise. Three days later he gave me that money back, but at the same time he confirmed the worst: he would interrupt his studies until circumstances allowed him to resume them.
That night, I couldn’t sleep. His face was constantly in my thoughts. I thought about how many young people like him were just one step away from giving up, ready to abandon everything.
Two days later, I was offered some unexpected extra work. The exact amount I needed. And a clear thought occurred to me, the kind that you don’t question: “What if God has sent this opportunity to me exactly for him?”
I didn’t hesitate. I gave him what he needed for three months of bus tickets and to finish his studies. That day, I heard nothing from him.
He called me 48 hours later. He could not speak. He was crying. Crying in the way you cry when hope is given back to you.
Then two years passed without any further news from him. Until one day I received a message from an unknown number. It was a photograph: his graduation as an operating-room nurse.
It was accompanied by a sentence: “I partly owe this diploma to a stranger who helped me without even knowing who I was”.
I was deeply moved. I cried with joy. I cried because I understood one thing:
A United World is not built with speeches. It is built with a bus ticket, with a repaired bicycle, with a hand held out outstretched without asking for a surname.
In fact, that young man never knew mine.
What matters is that, for 90 days, he was able to continue his studies. And that today there is one more operating-room nurse in the hospitals, saving human lives, because someone believed in him when he could no longer believe in himself.
Sometimes we think that changing the world requires doing something extraordinary,
when in fact the world changes because someone is able to take four buses.
I am sharing this not for my own sake, but because we need to remind ourselves that what we do may not be visible to us—and may perhaps only blossom two years later in the form of a qualification, a life, or hope.
Let us continue to be those “strangers” who lend a helping hand.
I was 16 years old when I began to live the words of Jesus: “Love your neighbour as yourself… Whatever you did to the least of these you did to me.” I started with those close to me: giving up my seat to someone who had none, remaking the bed for the girls I shared a room with, listening to someone…and also at home, where it could be more difficult. Joy grew within me and many questions found answers. When some friends wanted to know the reason for my change, I invited them too to live the adventure of loving everyone, without distinction. So we began to share our few possessions, our time and our talents. We sought to help the poor and in particular we became involved in raising funds for the construction of a hospital and a school in Cameroon. Thinking of the great debt the West owed Africa, this seemed right to us. This full and beautiful life, dedicated to God and to others, opened me to later to hear and respond to the words of Jesus: “Come and follow me.”
(Aurea – Italy)
Is God jealous?
I knew that the Bible speaks of a jealous God in Exodus, when it tells how His people turned to idols. But I too once had a small experience of this. I was going through a period in which God was not really at the centre of my life; I was caught up in many things, various activities and I confess I had neglected Him. Then one day I found myself confined to bed with severe back pain. I could not move at all without experiencing intense pain. This continued for several days due to sciatica that started in my back and ran down my whole leg. In those difficult moments I remembered Jesus crucified and forsaken, who had certainly suffered more than I had. I recognised Him and understood that even this was His way of drawing me back. He was “jealous” in the sense that He wanted me with Him. He had always been with me, as He is with all of us -it was I who had stopped being with Him. That experience helped me get back on my feet, not only physically, but also spiritually.
(F. – Belgium)
An Economy of Communion business
I am so certain of God’s love that I want to share this certainty with as many people as possible. In this way, groups were formed in my village and nearby valleys where we help one another to live the Gospel. But there is more – I and some friends made many sacrifices to start an agricultural business along the lines of the Economy of Communion (EoC), a global business and social model which allocates part of its profits to helping people in need and creating new jobs for them; another part is used to strengthen the company, improve product quality and ensure sustainability in the market and a third part supports the formation of people with a new economic mind-set based on fraternity and solidarity. Over the years I have experienced God’s providence many times! For example, when the courgette harvest unexpectedly increased, or when buyers offered more than I intended to ask. But above all, in working this way I feel God closer and this gives me the encouragement to continue along this path.
(L.F. – Italy)
Curated by Maria Grazia Berretta
taken from *Il Vangelo del Giorno*, Città Nuova, year XII – no. 4 – July–August 2026)
On Wednesday, 24th June 2026, at 6:04pm, Venezuela changed forever in less than a minute. Two earthquakes, magnitude 7.1 and 7.5, separated by just 39 seconds, struck the north-central part of the country. The epicenter was located near Morón, in the State of Carabobo, but the most devastating impact was felt in La Guaira, Caracas and the surrounding areas, where many houses and buildings collapsed. The toll of casualties, missing and injured continues to rise as rescue operations proceed. Specialized teams from many countries are arriving to join the search for survivors, bringing humanitarian aid and essential supplies, as part of an international response that is growing by the hour.
The aftershocks have given no respite; there have already been over 100. Some are barely noticeable while others force us to flee our homes repeatedly. We are living in a constant state of alert. We sleep little. Fatigue weighs heavily on us, as does fear. Added to this are the difficulties of a city trying to continue functioning: the telephone signal and internet connection work intermittently, electricity supplies fluctuate constantly and, in many buildings, the supply of gas has been suspended as a precaution. Even the simplest decisions require enormous effort: organizing ourselves, carrying out practical tasks, coordinating teams, or simply contacting loved ones to know if they are safe. Everything becomes more difficult when the earth keeps reminding us that it has not yet stopped shaking.
Venezuela is dealing with this earthquake from a condition of vulnerability. Many buildings were built without the earthquake-resistant standards that are now the norm in other regions and some have suffered from years of wear and insufficient maintenance. This emergency is unfolding with an already challenging socio-economic reality, which makes the response process even more complex.
However, in the midst of this fragile reality, we are also discovering an immense strength that comes from communion.
As the Focolare Movement, we have opened our homes – the Focolare centres that, fortunately, have not suffered any structural damage – to welcome those who have had to abandon their homes. Some families can no longer return home, because their buildings are at risk of collapsing; others have lost everything. We have offered accommodation, food, clothing and whatever else that can alleviate the most urgent and immediate needs.
Sadly the tragedy has also touched our family very closely. A volunteer from the Movement lost several family members due to the collapse of the buildings in which they lived. Only one granddaughter survived and has already been treated in the hospital. Like them, many families wait anxiously among the ruins for news; others mourn their loved ones and many continue to cling to the hope of finding those still missing alive.
Solidarity is part of our identity and these days it becomes tangible. From the very first hours after the earthquake, journeys between Caracas and La Guaira multiplies: private cars, volunteers, parishes, organizations and neighbors bringing water, food, medicines, clothes and tools. Entire communities from other regions of the country that experienced the earthquake very lightly, have spontaneously organized collection centers, sorted donations and prepared the aid that continues to reach the worst affected areas through the Church. Every small initiative, every phone call, every package prepared with care, every person who offers their time, weaves a network of fraternity that supports those who need it most today.
We are also deeply moved by the number of people, both within and outside Venezuela, who wish to help. We haven’t been able to respond to all the messages we have received. Family, friends, members of the Movement and people who simply want to know how we are or ask how they can contribute. We are activating every possible channel so that this enormous generosity can find concrete expression and reach where it is most needed.
We would like to express our sincere thanks to all of them. Thank you for the prayers, for the messages of closeness and for the concrete gestures of solidarity that are already being put into practice. In moments like this, we experience vividly what Chiara Lubich has left us as a guiding horizon: “Be a family”.
Perhaps the biggest challenge is to live in the present moment. Not to anticipate the fear of the next tremor or to remain paralyzed by the magnitude of the suffering. Remaining in the present is, now more than ever, the way to discover what Love asks of us in each moment.
Living the charism of unity, in this context, means giving a concrete response: being bridges where there is isolation, offering fraternity where fear created division and sowing hope where uncertainty seems to prevail.
There’s still a long road ahead. The emergency is not over and reconstruction will take time. Yet amid so much loss, we are also witnessing a humanity that refuses to give up, that organizes itself, that shares the little or much that it has and that reminds us once again that, even when the earth trembles, love can remain the firmest ground on which to rebuild hope.
