Feb 28, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Circulating the gifts embodied in different religious families is good for the health of the Church, a process favoured by the spirituality of unity of Chiara Lubich. A Church which ‘Goes Forth’, a ‘field hospital’. Pope Francis has used many different ways to express how he’d like to see the Church today. A church capable of warming the hearts of the faithful, healing their wounds and going out towards ‘existential peripheries’. To be able to respond well to the demands of today’s fragmented and wounded world, the Church must surely draw on all the talents and strengths it contains. This is particularly true in the case of its charisms, those ‘forces for renewal’ born in the Church throughout its history in response to precise circumstances and events, which then took permanent shape in a host of religious families. But how should they turn to each other, find ways of being together, of acting in a united way, when the Holy Spirit created them all distinct?! A convention entitled “Charisms in communion: the prophecy of Chiara Lubich”, 8-9 February at the Mariapolis Centre, Castel Gandolfo, near Rome, Italy, aimed to demonstrate some of the tools which Chiara Lubich’s charism of unity can offer to achieve this end. The 400 participants included members of religious orders, consecrated men and women, and Catholic laity, together with some members of the Orthodox Churches. Representing 100 different religious families and 33 countries, they engaged in dialogue and benefitted from the different perspectives which emerge when placing in communion their own identities, and in so doing, recognizing a more beautiful, gift-laden, attractive Church. According to Focolare President, Maria Voce, in her address, the title of the meeting “stimulates us to listen and live as reciprocal gifts, because by offering the richness of each specific charism, we experience authentic sharing (…) to give to the world a credible face of the Church”. Cardinal João Braz De Aviz, Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life affirmed, “when consecrated men and women come into contact with the Focolare Movement, they are helped and incentivized to value the originality of their own charism, to renew relationships of fraternity within their own Institutes, to appreciate and love other charisms as their own”. The two day meeting produced a dynamic environment for discovering how these treasures within the Church can become ever more beautiful and fruitful, in announcing the Gospel and in enhancing the credibility of the Church. The presence of around fifty lay members of various religious families made a significant contribution in this context. “The charisms are a source of joy and express the beauty of the Church,” explained Padre Fabio Ciardi, Oblate of Mary Immaculate and theologian of consecrated life. “They make you exclaim, ‘How beautiful this is!’” “When I was a novice, I heard Chiara encourage us to ‘love the other congregation as our own’,” recalled canon lawyer Sr Tiziana Merletti, of the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor. “And I understood that unity really is a fundamental value.” “We no longer talk about adapting the indispensable contribution of charismatic realities to the mission of the Church, but rather of circulating the gifts of all for the benefit of all (…) to discern the most suitable ways of serving the proclamation of the Gospel” asserted Piero Coda, President of Sophia University Institute, Loppiano. “We have to arrive at a radical conversion,” he added, “to reach the point of loving the other, their charism, their religious family, more than our own charism and religious family. Only in this way can the Church truly be charismatic and missionary!”
Lorenzo Russo
Feb 26, 2020 | Non categorizzato
In a letter dated 1 February, Maria Voce, President of the Focolare Movement, convened the next General Assembly of the Focolare Movement which will begin on 31 August 2020. What is it? Who will take part in the Assembly? What must it do? What is happening in preparation? https://vimeo.com/389431349 The Act of Convocation in pdf format
Feb 24, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Maria Voce was one of the speakers at the International Conference of pastoral care of the elderly, “The Richness of Many Years of Life” To cultivate dialogue between generations and establish a relationship of mutual love between youths and adults, we need to realize that the other person, in all his diversity, is a gift for me. And we also need to build fraternal relationships based on authentic listening, that puts aside stereotypes and prejudices and opens new pathways. This was the core of the message offered by Maria Voce, the Focolare president, when she was invited to be one of the speakers who addressed the first International Conference of pastoral care for the elderly. This conference, that took place at the Augustinianum in Rome from 29 to 31 January, was promoted by the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life. In the presence of an audience of about 550 experts and pastoral workers from 60 countries, Maria Voce proposed a reflection on dialogue between generations. She said that in today’s current situation, one can notice that there is “an atmosphere of new understanding between generations” that reigns on a global level. She quoted the example of peaceful demonstrations that recently mobilized both young and old who joined forces to express their ideas and ask for a renewed commitment towards “common good, human rights, solidarity and peace”. The young people have been the promoters of a message of rebirth, while the more mature, driven by the enthusiasm of the younger ones, have chosen to share its challenges and commitment. When speaking about the outcome of this allegiance between generations, Maria Voce quoted Chiara Lubich, the Focolare founder. Lubich related: “I would not hesitate to define as Trinitarian the relationship we had with young people from the very start. In our generation of adults we perceived all the weight, the value of incarnation and concreteness, while in the young generation we saw ideality, authenticity, revolutionary power and certainty of victory. The first generation seemed to us to be like the Father, while in the second generation there seemed to be the beauty and splendour of the Son, the Word of the Father. And between the two there was a relationship of mutual love, almost a current of the Holy Spirit that gives a great witness to the world”. The Focolare President traced out various pathways that lead to this allegiance between generations. First of all, she underlined the need for deep listening, which means having “minds and hearts free from prejudices and stereotypes”. Then she spoke about the necessity of abandoning fixed concepts that depict the adult as boring and stuck to the past, and underestimate and judge the young person negatively. Finally, she highlighted the great importance of being open to new schemes to be able to overcome difficulties together. Maria Voce concluded by re-proposing the image of the Church offered by a young man during the Synod dedicated to them: “The Church is like a canoe, in which the elderly help to keep its course by interpreting the position of the stars and the youth row hard while imagining what awaits them further ahead”.
Claudia Di Lorenzi
Feb 22, 2020 | Non categorizzato
The Focolare Movement recommends adopting scrupulously the precautionary and safety measures stipulated by the health authorities of each country Following the detection of cases of Coronavirus infection (COVID-19) also in Italy, the International Centre of the Focolare Movement, having its headquarters in Italy and being the organizer and venue of events attended by people from many countries, invites the great Focolare family around the world to handle this health emergency with the required caution and with a great sense of responsibility in view both of personal health and the common good. In particular, the Focolare Movement recommends adopting scrupulously the precautionary and safety measures stipulated by the health authorities of each country and carefully following the relevant communications. With regard to events organized at the International Centre, the Centre itself is in close contact with the local health and civil authorities to follow developments and take the necessary measures. The International Centre recommends doing the same with regard to large events in other countries. However, what remains valid is the invitation made by Maria Voce (Emmaus) on 1st February, to have – precisely as a worldwide Focolare family – an unconditional love for everyone, a love “that makes no differences between people, and is fearless. Because even a person who can give you the infection is still your brother or sister and you must take care of him or her”.
Feb 22, 2020 | Non categorizzato
With a statement of March 1, the Organizing Committee of “The Economy of Francesco” has postponed the event to November. The Side Event, scheduled in Perugia for the end of March, will be postponed from 20 to 22 November. Why a parallel event? When dealing with “appointments with history”, the mission in question needs to be supported in some way! Behind the CVs of the young people who responded enthusiastically to the Pope’s invitation there are not only brilliant profiles, innovative research and projects, but also the clear aim to redesign theory and practice of the economic system, working to reverse world trends, together. And this represents a global challenge much too serious and important for us to remain mere passive spectators. Hence, the parallel meeting that will take place in Perugia from 20 to 20 November 2020 is an opportunity for all those who cannot participate directly in “The Economy of Francesco” (due to issues of age and logistics) but still wish to be part of this new process, closely following and supporting the work carried out by the under-35 gathered in Assisi. We will maintain the same structure scheduled for March, reprogramming the meeting, in support of the work of young people, from Friday, November 20 to Sunday, November 22, 2020 (from the night of Thursday, November 19 to lunch on Sunday, November 22): registrations are open again, to proceed in the best possible way with the organization of the work and continue on our path with the energy and responsibility placed so far. Promoted by the Economy of Communion, the Side Event is essentially a space open to anyone who believes in the need for a different economy: an inclusive place, functioning as a spokesperson for multiple realities. In the awareness that the current economy often fails, since it can work well for some, but clearly does not work at all for (many) others, while also threatening the social and environmental ecosystem, we will dialogue between young and old, between different cultures and backgrounds, experiencing the event through 3 generative dimensions: feeling-conceiving-acting. By alternating plenary moments with parallel / group sessions, we want to testify how important it is to let networks flourish, while learning from past failures and converting ideas into action. Under the guidance of a group of facilitators (similarly to what will happen in Assisi) and with the contribution of some important keynote speakers, which the young people in the Franciscan city will work simultaneously on 12 macro-themes, focusing on some contrasting key concepts, such as wealth / poverty and more. As in the case with Assisi, the wish is that these days spent in Perugia will serve to bring together visions, desires, skills and commitment: both on an individual as well as a collective scale. Yes, because, more than profit, the economy is really about vocation and if you believe in something alternative, you need to make your voice heard, empowering it, by putting it in relation to the ideas of others. In order for it to turn into actual collaboration, thereby creating a spirit of community. A community capable of creating real impact, by starting a necessary process: this is the aim of the Economy of Francesco in Assisi, and this is the cause that the event in Perugia aims to sustain. But in order to achieve this objective, it is not enough to merely make words like ethics and sustainability become fashionable, taking a real step of discontinuity, while breaking away from what is currently the dominant line of thought, will also be required. The Economy of Francesco will leave its mark thanks to its youthful nature, but it will be surrounded by a heterogeneous chorus of voices strengthening its opening of the passage, fertilizing this terrain of change together.
By Francesca Giglio
source www.edc-online.org Download flyer (1.06 MB) For further information: edcperugia2020@gmail.com For registration requests: https://www.umbriasi.it/pacchetto/side/
Feb 21, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Kevin and Trish Bourke live in Myrtleford, a small rural town of 3,500 in the state of Victoria. He is a volunteer firefighter. They tell of the damage caused by the disastrous fires that still continue, but of many episodes of courage and solidarity as well. The recent fires have been devastating. Our small district has lost over 102,000 hectares of national park, pine plantation forests and fertile farmlands to fire. We have also lost livestock and stock feed, but we are fortunate as we have only lost one house and no human lives. The fires have impacted every state and territory within Australia. They started in August 2019 and are still burning. The height of the flames has reached 40 metres, fanned by winds up to 100 kilometres per hour. As I write this account on 30 January 2020, large fires are still threatening a number of areas, including the southern borders of Canberra, Australia’s capital city. So far, the fires have burned in excess of 19 million hectares (nearly two-thirds the total area of Italy). The current number of lives lost is 35, thousands of houses, businesses, stock and native wildlife have perished. Yet the human spirit endures. People demonstrated an endless desire to help those impacted in any way they could. Many, especially those based in major cities, often stated that they felt somewhat helpless, as they couldn’t work out what they could do from a distance, as most of the fires were burning in rural locations. But people did help. Sometimes it was just by offering support through social media. Some made donations, and there was an extensive range in between. We were fortunate to be able to witness the good from the fire front. We saw people consoling others, sometimes when they just needed someone to listen to their story. Emergency services came to the fire effected areas, often from a distance, in some cases thousands of kilometres away, to help fight the fires. Most were volunteers, often incurring financial losses to assist us. Some firefighters came from across the seas. Canada, the U.S. and New Zealand were represented. The Army, Navy and Airforce have all provided troops and equipment, some fighting fires, and others ensuring water, food, health facilities and emergency accommodation were supplied and of a high standard. Relief agencies, including St. Vincent de Paul, Red Cross and Salvation Army, received donations from international musicians, actors, sports people and regular Australian citizens. To date this fund is AUD$500 million. Some farmers from areas that were not impacted provided stock feed to others who had lost their supply. In one instance a large group of farmers drove over 3,000 kilometres to deliver 140 semi-trailer loads of hay to fire-affected farmers. All of the hay was donated. The value of the hay was in excess of AUD$1 million. Neighbours checked on each other to ensure they were safe and well. Elderly and those with young families were offered additional support to make sure they were able to evacuate if the need arose. In some instances, the elderly needed to evacuate just to escape the smoke that drifted over the valley. They had respiratory difficulties and eyes that stung due to excessive exposure to hazardous smoke. People showed genuine concern for each other in so many ways. We loaned our trailer to a property owner who wanted to re-locate stock. As we were located in a zone that was blocked from traffic, the rubbish collection ceased – and our trailer was being used. So the neighbours collected ours, and many bins from the neighbourhood, and took them to the transfer station. Families donated food and clothing to those who had to evacuate without time to pack; others accommodated those who required shelter. Horse transport operators from outside the region provided free cartage of horses to safer locations. Businesses in nearby towns provided free emergency accommodation. On one of the days that I was fighting fires, a volunteer went to buy food for everyone’s midday meal. A couple waiting to be served in the shop realized that the food was for the firefighters and paid the entire amount: AUD$600. We didn’t even know who they were. Grandparents have appeared at the station advising that their grandchildren had asked them to provide their Christmas money to the firefighters to help them ‘stop the fires’. We sent the children a card and photo saying thanks. We have some new friends. This country has witnessed so much suffering through natural disaster. In most cases the fires were ignited by lightning reaching a parched landscape. No one was to blame, yet the memories will stay with many for a lifetime. It is often said that it is how you react to situation that defines us. We are happy to report that people reacted with love and compassion, and that too will be remembered for a lifetime.
Kevin and Trish Bourke
Feb 19, 2020 | Non categorizzato
President Mattarella took part in the “Trent meets Chiara” event at the Mariapolis Centre in Cadine. https://vimeo.com/389431100
Feb 17, 2020 | Non categorizzato
The international conference entitled “A Charism at the Service of the Church and Humanity” showed interesting perspectives for the Church. The participants, 7 Cardinals and 137 Bishops, friends of the Focolare Movement from 50 countries, gathered first at Trento and then at Loppiano It was a symbolic and solemn scene on the sanctuary of the Theotokós of Loppiano, that is, in a church dedicated to Mary, Mother of God. Surrounded by the inhabitants of this little town of the Focolare Movement who represented the people of God, a large assembly of Cardinals and Bishops declared to each other that they lived fraternal love according to the commandment of Jesus, ready to share each other’s joys and sorrows, to love the community of the other as their own, in short, to love each other to the point of giving their lives for one another. This solemn “pact”, formulated on Tuesday, February 11th, was the culmination of an international conference entitled “A Charism at the Service of the Church and Humanity” which gathered 7 Cardinals and 137 Bishops, friends of the Focolare Movement, representing 50 countries, first at Trento and then at Loppiano. 
Never before has participation in this annual conference been so numerous, due also to the fact that the meeting took place in the year of the Centenary of Chiara Lubich’s birth. The programme reflected the motto chosen for the Centenary: “Celebrate to meet”. The first part of the conference, which took place in Trento, the birthplace of the founder of the Focolare Movement, was in fact dedicated primarily to the celebration of this event: the visit to the exhibition “Chiara Lubich City World” at the Galleries of Trento; the greeting of the authorities at the headquarters of the Autonomous Province of Trento; the Eucharistic celebration in the Cathedral of the city and the artistic re-enactment “From the Tridentine Council to Tridentine Chiara ” held in the church of Santa Maria Maggiore, where the Council was held and in which Chiara Lubich received her baptism. Celebratory moments that were not characterized by the simple nostalgic memory of a historical figure, but opened our eyes to the relevance of Chiara’s charism, such as its global, ecclesial and ecumenical dimension. This was strongly underlined by a long message from Pope Francis, who warmly welcomed this conference expressing “gratitude to God for the gift of the charism of unity through the witness and teaching (…) of Chiara Lubich”. The Pope’s invitation to the Bishops, to “always put themselves back in the school of the Holy Spirit” and to live the main points of Chiara Lubich’s spirituality, was achieved in the second part of the programme held in the International Focolare Little Town in Loppiano near Florence. The context of a small community of 800 inhabitants, who see in Jesus’ commandment of mutual love the law of their living together, stimulated the prelates to do the same. The scenes of communion and sharing were moving, beginning with the small things: mutual help, deep listening, attentive reception of the requests, needs and ideas of each one. True “ministers” at the service of one another. 
Against the background of a profound and rich analysis of the historical context in which Chiara Lubich lived and worked, presented by Andrea Riccardi of the Sant’Egidio Community, the ecclesial dimensions that flow from Chiara’s charism were deepened: a Church that becomes dialogue; the ‘mysticism of us’ that is achieved in a Church-communion; the ecumenical dimension; the different formation paths offered by the Focolare Movement to deepen and spread these dimensions. The lived experiences of Bishops from all over the world illustrated the possibility of achieving this in their personal life and in their service to the Church. “It was not a matter of looking back,” an African bishop emphasised at the conclusion of the conference, “but an overture, that is, a beginning and an opening to the future. The “pact” that the Bishops made in Loppiano, in the Church of the Mother of God, had been signed, in the very same place, by Pope Francis together with the inhabitants of the Little Town during his visit to Loppiano. It is a pact, signed with the support of the People of God who implement it and continually draw strength from it, which can also be for the Bishops a beginning, a starting point, an overture which makes one glimpse the playing of new notes on the path of dialogue, of new harmonies on the path of communion of the Church of the future.
Joachim Schwind – Anna Lisa Innocenti
Feb 14, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Jesus taught us with his life the reason for service and for choosing the last place. It is the best way to transform apparent defeat into a victory which is neither selfish nor short-lived, but shared and lasting. Alcoholic Having both experienced the tragic effects of alcohol in our families, my boyfriend and I decided to make a pact. He promised me his commitment. Everything went well for a few years. However, suspicions surfaced from time to time: money missing from our account, a delay that couldn’t be justified… The real tragedy was not discovering that he had always been an alcoholic but that we, his wife and children, had not been able to get him out of that situation. I felt humiliated. I spoke to my parish priest about it. He recognized the seriousness of a deception that had been going on for years but he asked me if, for the children’s sake, I was ready to start again, but not alone. The community would support me. With what at times demanded heroic strength, I stayed with my husband. I was able to convince him to agree to seek help and supported him in his alcohol withdrawal crises. Two years have passed. The family has suffered a lot from these tumultuous times, but my children and I have gained new strength. Everyday life has become a wonderful gift. (J.K. – Romania) Refugees We lost everything in the Rwandan war: our home and several relations. From Kigali we moved back to my native town but later had to leave there and go to a refugee camp. We took just a few things with us, including clothes for the baby I was expecting. There were thousands of desperate, destitute people in the camp. After a number of nuns arrived in the camp, I volunteered to help with first aid. I was entrusted with providing social care but we had no money, nothing to give to the refugees. Among a group of orphans there was a seven-year-old boy who was separated from his family. His mother eventually found him after many days’ walk but was totally exhausted when she arrived at the camp. All I had was 300 francs, the equivalent of about a dollar: it was a fortune. I really needed it myself but she needed it more than me. I gave it to her convinced that God would think of my family too. With the money she was able to buy food and a small hut. Shortly afterwards, I met my elder sister, who had spent three days looking for us in the camp: she brought me 1,000 francs. (C.E. – Rwanda) Scars It wasn’t easy knowing how to treat Martha, our fourth daughter, who had been entrusted to us by the juvenile court. She totally rejected the suffering she had experienced following an incident that had left scars on her body, which she hid from everyone as marks of disgrace. Only with the patient love, dialogue and collaboration by everyone in the family was she able to overcome that trauma and discover and appreciate her talents. So, little by little, this difficult child was reconciled with her own body and the environment around her. We were so relieved to see the love of life growing in her. Gradually, with time, we were also able to share with her the value of pain. One day, as soon as she arrived home, Marta told us about a companion who looked shocked when she noticed her scars; but, instead of feeling hurt, she rolled up her sleeve to show the marks more clearly, and explained how she got them. At that point her companion apologized and since then they became good friends. (O.N. – ltaly)
Edited by Stefania Tanesini (taken from Il Vangelo del Giorno, Città Nuova, anno VI, n.1, gennaio-febbraio 2020)
Feb 12, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Few weeks before the global event that will bring together thousands of young economists with Pope Francis, we met the team organising the event. What are they hoping for? That the world will change direction. https://vimeo.com/389431214
