Focolare Movement

Croatia: a New Humanity school

May 13, 2011

At the Little Town “Lighthouse” (Križevci) a three-day training on social commitment addressed to Eastern Europe participants.

“Lighthouse” is the prophetic name of the Croatian Little Town, a formation center for people of different countries, churches, religions, and for men of goodwill. This is how Chiara Lubich, founder of the Focolare Movement, envisioned it, when in the ’80s, a few-hectare piece of land with some buildings no longer in use was put at disposal of the Movement in Križevci, about 60 km far from Zagreb. Nowadays Lighthouse is known as a privileged meeting place for persons coming from all over the Balkans, in particular after the reconciliation effort among all the ethnic groups during the ’90s war. In this Little Town, in April a formation school organized by the New Humanity Movement took place, addressed to participants coming from 12 different counties of Eastern Europe. Some of these countries were at war with one another in a recent past, others were characterized by enormous economical problems and a difficult transition to democracy. These are delicate situations, not always easy to reconcile, and this is why from April 15 to April 17 the focus was on the knowledge of all the values that characterize the commitment of New Humanity, the social branch of the Focolare Movement. The aim was to provide a concrete expertise, in order to apply these values in the different challenges, which professionals have to face in all the social fields: from medical doctors, to youth workers, politicians, economists, judges. Everybody has his own specific job, but all together they are fraternity witnesses. Indeed this is mainly what came out of the intense dialogue among participants and members of the central New Humanity Secretariat, arrived from Rome and other regions of Italy. Delia from Split writes: “I think that for each of us this school was a new opportunity to feel like being a protagonist in living for fraternity in his or her environment, and to roll up one’s sleeves in order to improve the place where he or she lives. Indeed nothing of what we do for love is too small”. Sanja Jurić echoes her; she tells us: “Coming home, I told everybody what I had experienced: in my family, with my colleagues at work, and I started to live more intensely, trying to do as best as I can my share where I am“. These are just few validations to the message which Maria Voce, President of the Focolare Movement, had sent the first day of the meeting: “I wish you can draw on the strong and enlightnening presence of Jesus in your midst. His way of thinking and acting for the common good, knowing that – as Chiara has often reminded us : “The world belongs to all those who love it most, and can best prove it“.

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