Dossier Communion In The Church

Purpose: To nourish reciprocity among movements and new ecclesial communities, know one another better, share projects, to discover and value the gift that each contains, so by giving it to others it enriches the Church and society.

History: Ever since Focolare’s beginnings, Chiara Lubich met important charismatic figures in the Church a number of times. These included Fr. Leone Veuthey of the Movimento dei Crociati; Fr. Patrick Peyton, founder of the Family Rosary Crusade; Fr. Pedro Richards of the Movimiento Familiar Cristiano; Werenfried van Straaten, monk and founder of Aid to the Church in Need; the Catholic Charismatic Movement; Fr. Virginio Rotondi’s Movimento Oasi; and Fr. Riccardo Lombardi’s Movimento per un Mondo Migliore.

On May 30, 1998, on the vigil of Pentecost, John Paul II called the movements and new ecclesial communities together to St. Peter’s Square in Rome to share their experiences. Each is a specific product of a charism given by the Holy Spirit in response to the needs of our times. The pope called them important expressions of the charismatic side of the Church, integral parts of it, and just as essential as the institutional side. Among the founders present was Chiara Lubich, who promised in her words to the pope to commit with all her strength to achieve full communion among the movements.

At the vigil of Pentecost in 2006, it was Benedict XVI to call the movements and new ecclesial communities to Rome once again. He too was convinced that these new ecclesial realities are a providential gift of the Holy Spirit for the Church to respond effectively to the challenges of our time. At Pentecost 2013 Pope Francis renewed his trust in the many members of ecclesial movements who had come to Rome, directing them outward toward the existential peripheries within the evangelical mission of the Church.

In 2014, during the third worldwide conference of movements sponsored by the Pontifical Council for the Laity, the pope pointed toward the goal to reach: ecclesial maturity, while conserving the freshness of each charism, respecting the freedom of individuals, yet continually seeking out communion.

The communion between the Focolare Movement and religious families that were born from ancient charisms achieved important milestones when Chiara met with Franciscans in Assisi, Italy in 2000 and Benedictines at Monserrat, Spain, in 2002. The meeting between ecclesial movements and religious orders at Assisi in 2010 was also significant.

New developments: There have been hundreds of gatherings held that were modeled on Pentecost 1998 in many countries, counting more than 500 movements and new ecclesial communities taking part.

The progress of communion between Catholic movements has also opened up relationships of understanding and fraternity with movements that have sprung up within other Christian churches.

 

Contact:

Focolare Movement

Via Frascati, 306

00040 Rocca di Papa, Rome, Italy

tel. +39-06-94798355 - fax +39-06-94749320

email: primodialogo@focolare.org