“Worlds” which get the world moving

“Mondo Migliore” Conference Centre, Rocca di Papa: this is where the congress promoted by New Humanity of the Focolare Movement was held on 8-9 January 2011. The congress focused on what has become known as “worlds” of New Humanity.

“The New Humanity Movement is not made up of categories but of ‘worlds’, where people of similar social and professional experience come together,” said Chiara Lubich in 1983. These worlds, which are eight in total, represent the various fields of work: The world of health with the involvement of medical professionals and patients; the world of education with teachers, school workers and parents; the world of economy and work with business men and women, artisans, trade unionists, and so on.

More than 230 participants attended, mainly from Italy, as well as from Croatia, Spain and Portugal. They focused on the fact that these worlds represent a privileged and efficient instrument to help humanity. Their main task was to recognize the difficulties in specific social fields and to look at opportunities for betterment: to share knowledge and experience in order to be at the service of the local community, neighbourhoods, schools, hospitals, town councils, factories and offices and to find the best solution to the challenges being faced by today’s society, keeping in mind the ideals of universal brotherhood.

Apart from the plenary sessions, most of the work was done in groups. This involved in-depth listening and wholehearted participation and the result was that the people in the group not only got to know each other but they drew strength from the experiences of each one.

In conclusion, the ideas that emerged from the various testimonies were outlined and the group identified priorities which called for immediate commitment in the various fields.

The comment of Rosamaria Milisenna, who works in the field of education and culture in Sicily, is quite meaningful: “The beauty of these days was to discover that through your life, your professional skills and your enthusiasm, by being fully at the service of humanity, you’re able to suggest ideas and  solutions which that little piece of world you live in is waiting for … and to think that I’m not doing this alone, but together!”