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Mariapolis Peace

Mariapolis Peace

Feb 9, 2011 | Non categorizzato

The little towns, through the life style they promote, can offer new ideas for life in bigger towns and cities. They are models of a new kind of society, whose law is mutual love, the law of the Gospel, with the full communion of cultural spiritual and material goods that this entails. Through the life that circulates, their outreach in the world has remained constant. Each year they have thousands of visitors.   “This place is really nice; maybe we can build our Mariapolis Center here!” Touring Tagaytay in May 1966, Cengia and Silvio had just discovered a spot on top of the hill overlooking Taal Lake. And so… they prayed: “Jesus if it is according to your will, we’d like to ask you for this piece of land for the Mariapolis Center.” Then they took a small medal of our Lady and buried it underground. It was a custom followed in many other parts of the world. Read more

Mariapolis Peace

Lia Brunet

Feb 4, 2011 | Focolare Worldwide

Lia Brunet met Chiara Lubich in Trent, Italy in 1945. In 1958, together with Fiore Ungaro, a focolarina from Rome, and Marco Tecilla, the first focolarino, she made the first trip outside European boundaries. They were years of great social unrest throughout Latin America. During that trip the first knots were tied of a network of love that would produce spiritual and social renewal in those countries where Lia went on to spend 44 years of her life in limitless self-giving. On Christmas Day 2004 Lia turned 87. On the following February 5th she left for the next life. The first trip to Latin America was a leap into the unknown. Visiting the poor districts of Trent together with Chiara, Lia had experienced the Gospel’s transforming and propelling force on society. During their first12 intense months in Latin America, Marco, Fiore and Lia visited Recife, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte, Brazil; Montevideo, Uruguay; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and Santiago, Chile. Lia described their strategy in her book “Diario di un Viaggio” (translated as “Diary of a Journey”) with these words: “Ours is also a revolution, which makes use of the most powerful weapon – the Love brought by Jesus on earth. As did St Paul, we speak of putting on the “new man,” and doing away with our “former selves.” Ours too is a matter of life and death: its aim is: “that all may be one.”

Mariapolis Peace

Economy of Communion in Africa: hopes for the future

Feb 3, 2011 | Focolare Worldwide

African challenges were looked at with rationality and truthfulness. Geneviève A. Sanze, specialist in Business Ethics and Sustainable Development, underscored some stumbling blocks to development in Africa.

There was a strong emphasis on concrete experiences of entrepreneurs and economists from all around the world, like Teresa Ganzon, Managing Director of Banko Kabayan (Philippines), who recounted her experience in microfinance. Present also was John Mundell, president of Mundell & Associates, who shared his day-to-day experience in a highly competitive business environment in the United States of America.

The Apostolic Nuncio in Kenya, Archbishop Paul Alain Lebeaupin, was presented and commented, “I am happy that the Focolare Movement has been able to give this message of the EOC that the Pope feels so strongly about”.

Prof. John C. Maviiri (Vice chancellor, Cuea) underlined at the end, “A true African development must carry with it the spirituality of communion, a concern for others and solidarity with the needy. This is great opportunity to introduce a new dimension in the curriculum of studies on economics and human development.”

In the days preceding the conference, 23 – 25 January, “Mariapolis Piero”, the little town of the Focolare in Kalimoni (Nairobi), hosted the first “Economy of Communion School” for young entrepreneurs from all over Africa.

“As far as EoC events go, this Pan African school has had the most impact,” Professor Luigino Bruni said.

Some concrete details:

• The first 15 associates of the future business park at Mariapolis Piero have come forward, and the first funds have also arrived.

• Ten entrepreneurs present formally adhered to the EoC with their businesses. They outlined some concrete projects, starting with themselves. With one business in Burundi, the Bangco Kabayan will join as partner in a micro-credit program, starting the bank’s first activity outside the Philippines.

“Here, people want to live,” Luigino Bruni commented at the end of the school. “I was touched by how much the young people here love to study. For them, getting into college is the goal of their life, because it means future. You see people studying at night, below street lamps because they have no light at home. Without this desire and hunger for future, our movement cannot grow”.

Mariapolis Peace

Positive RevolutiON! Young people in Spain

Feb 1, 2011 | Focolare Worldwide

Many experiences were shared by the young people of the Focolare who told how they live their daily lives: in school, on weekends, organizing solidarity concerts, building “bridges of brotherhood” (like with some Muslim youths from Tangeri). The experiences of suffering were both powerful and profound. These were shared by a young woman with a serious illness, who gave the chance to Maria Voce – who had been invited to Spain by the youths themselves – to say something about the key to building unity: Jesus Forsaken, the culmination of God’s love for humankind. She invited the youths to take upon themselves the sufferings of others, the divisions, the difficulties. . . and to transform them into love as Jesus had done.

The Focolare’s president addressed the youth with her usual directness and depth: “In archery, when you want to center the target, you have to look higher, because the arrow descends during its trajectory. You need to look higher in order to hit the target. Look higher, don’t be afraid, you are the protagonists of your life. You all are. And you’ve already begun. How? Like the youths told us earlier: taking up the words of the greatest revolutionary, Jesus Christ. His revolution began two-thousand years ago and it isn’t over yet. Each one of us has to play his part in this revolution, beginning with the word love. Living in love, being love alive for all the people you will meet. Do be satisfied with anything less.” And she concluded with a challenge: “This evening was the beginning of something great. Now carry on, without fear. The world is yours. The positive revolution has begun.”

RevolutiON! also involved thousands of youths from around the world who already live and work for a more united world in the different zones of the world. The many messages they sent  bear witness to this.

The event concluded at midnight with an “explosive” celebration prepared by the Youth for a United World. Everybody left with joy on their faces, committed to begin right away with the “positive revolution” as a concrete way of responding to the difficult situation of all young people, not only in Spain.  Upcoming events for everyone: The “International Meeting of Youth for a Unite World” in Castelgandolfo, Rome, preceding the beatification of John Paul II; and the World Youth Day in August 2011 in Madrid, Spain.

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February 2011

Feb 1, 2011 | Non categorizzato, Word of

“Those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God”. These words speak to our Christian life, into which the Spirit of Jesus introduces a dynamic tension that Paul summarizes as the contrast between flesh and spirit. By the word flesh, he means the whole person (body and soul), with all our inherent fragility and selfishness. These are constantly opposed to the law of love, and indeed, to Love itself, which was poured into our hearts (cf. Rm. 5:5). In fact, those who are led by the Spirit must face the “good fight of the faith” (1 Tim 6:12) in order to curb all the inclinations to evil and to live in accordance with the faith professed in baptism. But how? We know that for the Holy Spirit to act we need to do our part. In writing these words, St. Paul had in mind, above all, a certain duty that we have as Christians, that of denying ourselves and winning the battle against selfishness in its many and varied forms. It is this dying to ourselves that produces life, so that every self-denial, every renunciation, every “no” to our selfishness is the source of new light, peace, joy, love and inner freedom. It is an open door to the Spirit. Giving more freedom to the Holy Spirit, present in our hearts, will enable him to bestow upon us a greater abundance of his gifts and lead us along the journey of life. “Those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God”. How can we live these words? Above all we have to become increasingly aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit within us. There is an immense treasure in the depths of our being, but we are not as conscious of it as we could be. We possess an extraordinary wealth, but for the most part, it lies unused. In order to hear and follow his voice within us more readily, we have to say no to everything that is against the will of God and yes to everything that is his will: no to temptation, with a clear-cut refusal of its suggestions; yes to the tasks that God has entrusted to us; yes to loving every neighbor we meet; yes to the trials and difficulties we encounter … If we do this, the Holy Spirit will guide us, giving our Christian life that vigor, that savor, that zest and that brightness that naturally follow when it is authentic. People around us will realize we are not only children of our own natural family, but sons and daughters of God. Chiara Lubich

Gennaio 2011

Jan 31, 2011 | Non categorizzato, Word of

“The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common.” Let’s take a closer look at what this unity was like. Above all, in the dynamics of mutual exchange, the Holy Spirit united the believers in heart and mind by helping them to overcome those attitudes that make this difficult. In fact, the greatest obstacle to unity is our individualism, the attachment to our own ideas and to our personal viewpoints and tastes. Our selfishness builds barriers that isolate and exclude us from those who are different.

“The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common.” As a result, the unity brought about by the Holy Spirit was reflected in the life of the believers. Unity of mind and heart was lived out and expressed concretely by sharing goods with those in need. Precisely because their unity was genuine, it did not tolerate having some in the community lacking in their basic needs while others were living in abundance.

“The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common.” How can we live this month’s passage? It emphasizes the communion and unity so strongly advocated by Jesus, who gave us the gift of His Spirit to accomplish it. For this reason then, we will seek to grow in this communion on all levels by listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit — on the spiritual level, above all, by overcoming the seeds of division that we have within us. It would be a contradiction, for example, to want to be united to Jesus and at the same time to be divided among ourselves, behaving in an individualistic way, each one walking alone, judging one another and perhaps excluding one another. So we need to make a renewed conversion to God, who wants us to be united. Furthermore, this Word of Life will help us to understand more clearly the contradiction that exists between Christian faith and the selfish use of material goods. It will help us to achieve an authentic solidarity with those who are in need, within the limits of our possibilities. Since this is also the month in which we celebrate the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, these words urge us to pray and to strengthen our bonds of unity, loving and sharing with our brothers and sisters of different churches, with whom we have in common, through baptism, the one faith and one spirit of Christ. Chiara Lubich

Mariapolis Peace

Video: Mass media: “The Media and the Unity of Peoples”

Jan 22, 2011 | Non categorizzato

The mass-media is that wonderful phenomenon familiar to all of us and in a sense characteristic of our times, but also because the media have always been closely associated with and fundamentally important to our Movement. I had the opportunity to underline this in a discourse in Bangkok, Thailand, in January, 1997 when the prestigious St. John’s University conferred upon me and, through me, upon the Movement I represent, an honoris causa degree precisely in the science of social communications.

In fact, a double affinity profoundly links the communications media to us and prompts us to speak of them. There is first of all an affinity in relation to goals.

The goal of the Focolare Movement is to contribute toward accomplishing what our young people describe as the dream of a God, that is, the heartfelt request that Jesus made to the Father shortly before he died: “May they all be one” (Jn. 17:21).

What is the purpose of the media? The collective sense of their vocation is clear: they too are aimed at helping people to live together.

But it is not only the purpose for which the Movement works that makes the media so close to our life. There is a second affinity, related to its method: the spirituality of unity, characteristic of the Movement, is lived not only in a personal dimension, but in a communitarian, collective dimension. In the birth and development of the communications media we can discern a new step in the evolutionary process of humanity. This development introduces an irreversible thrust, so to speak, from complexity to oneness, from fragmentation to the search for unity in real time.

In examining our spirituality we realize that precisely because it is the way of unity, it is a way of communion.

In a world pervaded by individualism, in a Church which fostered and proposed traditional, though always admirable individual spiritualities, the Holy Spirit impelled our Movement, twenty years before the Council, to change direction and make this very decisive move towards our neighbors.

This is not the moment to give you an in-depth analysis of the key ideas upon which our spirituality is based, but we can affirm that in each one of them there is a clear communitarian dimension. It is a collective way. We go to God through our neighbor, or better, we go to God with our neighbor, with our brothers and sisters whom we love.

And because this love is reciprocal, it is possible to pattern our lives on the life of the Trinity, becoming one as God is one, without ever being alone, as God who is triune. And Christ is in our midst, as he promised: “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mt. 18:20).

This spirituality gradually proved to be a spirituality of the people. It is the animating spirit of an evangelical revolution of love capable of spreading quickly all over the world. And not only among Catholics, but also among Christians of other Churches, among faithful of other religions, among men and women of good will who aspire to a more united world. It is a phenomenon of universal brotherhood among millions of people, present now in 184 nations and animated by a deep need: to feel that they are “one” with all.

This thirst to feel united has always been a characteristic of ours, from the very early days, when a constant exchange of letters put the work God was beginning to do within each one of us into communion. And this work of God became evermore fruitful as it was shared with others. …

The Movement has had an official web site on Internet, where ideal contents are presented, as well as the history and spreading of the Focolare with links to similar sites of other nations and pages of updated news. …

As we said, our use of the media was born from concrete needs, from simple circumstances, like the desire to keep in touch or the need to update those who were not present for certain events we felt were important, or from the responsibility to give spiritual support to those in difficulty.

For many years we did not publicize the Movement or its exciting spread. Even now publicity does not come so much from the Movement itself but spontaneously from circumstances.

Above all, we want everything to keep on flourishing from life, even though we are ever more convinced that the communications media are, so to speak, made especially for us, given their vocation to the unity of peoples. Besides, the early Christians did not have the media. They had their hearts overflowing with the message of Christ, and they passed it on by word of mouth to such an extent that, as Tertullian said, although they were born yesterday, they had already invaded the world. Jesus used words, he spoke; the Gospels don’t speak of him writing down anything, expect when he wrote on the ground (cf. Jn. 8:6).

If we take a quick glance at the modern communications media, we cannot hide the fact that, along with a rapid development which makes them increasingly more useful and fascinating, they present a series of new and weighty problems for society, families and individuals. Therefore, it is a panorama of lights and shadows.

To cite only a few of these problems: there is globalization which leads to a leveling of cultures suffocating their inherent riches; ethical relativism which mixes authoritative messages with others that are superficial or biased; sensationalism, at the cost of intruding upon the suffering and privacy of others; an exaggerated atmosphere of competitiveness within the productive structures of the communications media; excessive intrusiveness on the public… How can we use the media without being used by the media?

Lights and shadows, I said… in some cases, the media today are dogmatically accepted without an attitude of objective criticism; in other cases, they are blamed for the amorality, violence, and superficiality they propose; and in still others they are over-estimated as infallible instruments of power, almost as new idols of a humanity which has lost other certainties. We know that they are simply means, but we want to appreciate this “sleeping giant of potential evangelization”[1] according to a well-chosen expression of the Pope, and we invite everyone to use them well, faithful to the prophetic message they contain.

The message is one of “unity”. At this point I would like to raise a prayer of thanksgiving to God for the way he is present even in modern discoveries and new technologies, for the way he leads history.

At the very moment in which humanity seems to be wandering in the dark after the fall of strong ideologies and the blurring of many values, at the very moment in which there is a longing for a more united world and a demand for universal brotherhood, at this very moment we find ourselves equipped with these powerful means of communication, a sign of the times which says “unity”. Can we not see the hand of God in all this?

[1].             John Paul II, Address to Bishops’ Conference of Poland, February 14, 1998, in L’Osservatore Romano, Weekly Edition in English, March 4, 1998, p. 8.

Maria Voce

Jan 20, 2011 | Non categorizzato

In 1963, she felt the unexpected and “overwhelming” call of God to follow in the way of Chiara Lubich and she immediately responded. She gave up her promising career and went to attend the school of formation for focolarine in Grottaferrata, Rome. Chiara gave her the name Emmaus, and this is how she continues to be known in the Movement. This name recalls the story of the two disciples who walked with Jesus following his Resurrection, and it recalls what is at the heart of the Focolare’s charism: Jesus makes himself present “where two or more are united” in His name. From 1964 to 1972 she was in Sicily, in the Focolare Centres of Syracuse and Catania. From 1972 to 1978 she belonged to Chiara Lubich’s personal secretariat and, in for the following ten years she lived in the Focolare Centre of Istanbul where she established ecumenical and interreligious relationships, especially with the then Patriarch of Constantinople, Demetrius I, and with numerous metropolitans including the now Patriarch Bartholemew I, as well as with representatives of various Churches. As a law expert, from 1995 she was a member of the Abba School, the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies chaired by Chiara Lubich. And from 2000 she was also co-responsible for the international commission, “Communion and Law,” a network of academics and professionals involved in law. From 2002 until their approval, which came in 2007, she worked directly with Chiara Lubich in updating the General Statutes of the Movement. On 7 July 2008 she was elected president of the Focolare Movement and she began by revealing her presidential style would be to remain committed to “giving priority to relationships” and continuing to strive with all her strength towards the goal for which the Movement was born: to seek unity at all levels, in every field, pursuing the various paths of  dialogue that were opened by Chiara Lubich. On July 27, 2008, at the conclusion of the General Assembly, Maria Voce was received by Pope Benedict XVI at his residence in Castel Gandolfo, together with the Co-President Giancarlo Faletti and an international representation of the Movement. On April 23, 2010 Pope Benedict XVI received her in a private audience. The pope spoke of the “charism that builds bridges, that makes unity” and recommended that the Movement continue in implementing the charism with renewed commitment through an ever deeper love and striving for holiness. In October 2008 she participated and spoke at the Synod of Bishops on “The Word of God in the life and mission of the Church.” On 24 November 2009 Benedict XVI appointed her as a Consultor for the Pontifical Council for the Laity. She has made several trips to meet communities of the Movement around the world and to continue contacts with people in civil and ecclesiastical environments, in cultural and political environments, and in ecumenical and interreligious environments. These important steps strengthen the ties of friendship and cooperation constructed during almost 70 years of the Focolare’s life and they bring newer developments on the path to brotherhood. Maria Voce was re-elected for a second consecutive term in September 2014. The Holy See immediately confirmed her election, as prescribed by the Statutes of the Work of Mary. Cardinal Rylko, President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, wrote: “At the beginning of this second term we invoke the special assistance of the Holy Spirit for Maria Voce, and we entrust her service to the maternal intercession of Mary Most Holy whose Holy Name we celebrate today.”

Midwest – Ohio

Jan 20, 2011 | Non categorizzato

Please note: The geolocalisation feature on this website – which displays cities and towns where Focolare centres are present – is only meant to be a guide. The markers on the map do not necessarily point to a specific address and they must not be relied on for navigational purposes.

Southwest – Dallas, Texas

Jan 20, 2011 | Non categorizzato

Please note: The geolocalisation feature on this website – which displays cities and towns where Focolare centres are present – is only meant to be a guide. The markers on the map do not necessarily point to a specific address and they must not be relied on for navigational purposes.