The 40th Anniversary of the beginnings of the movement in that part of the world was celebrated in Hong Kong remembering the opening in 1970 of the first focolare. To mark the occasion, which coincided with the second anniversary of Chiara’s departure for heaven, 500 people met in the Theatre Meeting Hall of Bishop Pashan School in Kowloon Bay.

The protagonists of this story had arrived from Rocca di Papa (Rome) for the occasion: Giovanna Vernuccio, one of Chiara’s first companions who started the movement in Asia in 1966 and Silvio Daneo, who was also one of the first Focolarini to come to Asia. Rubi Tong who is the first Chinese focolarina was also there. In recent years she has been living in Fontem, a Focolare town in Cameroon (Africa).

The hall was filled with families, young people, priests and religious – Catholics and other Christian denominations were present, and people of other religions. Silvio Daneo commented: ‘Looking at the hall one can’t but recognise the fulfilment of that unity which Jesus wanted when he prayed to the Father, that all may be one. And it is this unity that synthesises Chiara’s great ideal, which has spread to every corner of the planet. The Chinese welcomed it enthusiastically almost as though Confucius had pre-announced it centuries before Christ, with his great maxim: amid the four oceans (the 4 points of the compass), we are all brothers.’

At the solemn celebration in the morning, Card Joseph Zen, emeritus bishop of the vast diocese of Hong Kong, spoke of his first meeting with the Focolare in 1957 when he was a student in Berlin. The Venerable Kok Kwong’s talk was very moving. Now quite elderly he is head of the Buddhist community here and met the Focolare in 1969. Many leaders were present: many pastors from different Christian churches, local Buddhist representatives and some members of the Buddhist organisation Rissho Kosei Kai.

There were artistic presentations expressing the Chinese culture. The directors of the Movement concluded the day saying that it had been a celebration and thanksgiving to Chiara ‘for her life’ and for how much the ‘Focolare Movement has done in these lands’ with the undertaking to face the future ‘with renewed enthusiasm’.