Love with a capital “L”

Sep 25, 2010 | Non categorizzato

Audio mp3 – Discorso Maria Voce nella Basilica di San Paolo fuori le Mura.

Returning from the visit in Great Britain with the Holy Father, as I sat beside him on the plane, we spoke of Chiara Luce Badano. He said that “we shall have to value our Blessed as a valuable example for youths.” This is what Cardinal Bertone, Secretary of State of the Holy See confided to the young people who filled the great Roman Basilica in the presence of 3 cardinals, 15 bishops, and 200 priests who were concelebrating with him. The cardinal recalled the challenge that Chiara Luce had handed over to young people: “I can no longer run – she said – but I want to pass on the baton, like at the Olympics.” The cardinal added: “Your presence here is a sign that you’ve accepted this challenge.” Then he recalled the invitation of John Paul II at the World Youth Day of August 1989: “Young people, don’t be afraid to become saints! Fly high!”

In his homily, the Secretary of State reviewed some of the highlights of Chiara Luce’s life: A firm and constant faith in the love of God which was reflected in love of neighbor; a joyful life, filled with many interests and healthy friendships; a precocious Christian maturity which demonstrated itself in the way she faced sickness and death in a heroic way. He spoke of the factors that contributed to her formation: First, her family, which “carried out its educational duty perfectly” as did the ecclesial community and the social environment of Sassello. Then he added: “The Focolare Movement played a determining role in the formation of Chiara Badano. In fact, at the age of nine she met the Movement in which she had a strong and progressive communitarian experience of Christian life” and “deepened her personal relationship with God” to the point of living that last extraordinary stage in her life and concluded her ascent to holiness.”

Chiara Badano, the Secretary of State concluded, was and is an example which gives concreteness to the recent message of the Pope to Young People for the World Youth Day in Madrid: “Often the Cross frightens us because it seems to negate life. In reality, the opposite is true! Suffering is God’s “yes” to man, the maximum expression of his love and the fountain from which the eternal life flows.

In her final words of thanks, Maria Voce, President of the Focolare, remembered with deep emotion that the Basilica of Saint Paul was also the site for the final farewell to Chiara Lubich on the 18th of March 2008. “These two celebrations – she added – melt into one. From this place the witness that Chiara Luce gave to us is launched to all. Now it’s our turn.” Maria Voce’s words were then expressed symbolically by two young people who were handed on a baton, that they might continue the race with Chiara Luce.

Then Cardinal Bertone surprised Chiara Luce’s parents by extending to them a special blessing from Pope Benedict for their upcoming 50th wedding anniversary. The basilica exploded with applause for the couple who are also a witness and example for everyone.

At the Angelus, Pope Benedict’s XVI’s words were received by the youths with much joy and emotion.

Dear Friends,

(…) only Love with the capital “L” can give us true happiness! This has been demonstrated by another witness, a young girl who, yesterday, was proclaimed Blessed here in Rome.

I speak of Chiara Badano, an Italian girl, born in 1971, who was led to her death by an illness just shortly before she would have turned nineteen. But she was a ray of light as her nickname reminds us: Chiara ‘Luce’ (‘Light’).

Her parish and the diocese of Acqui Terme and the Focolare Movement, to which she belonged, are in celebration today – and it’s a feast for all young people who can find example of Christian integrity in her. Her last words of full adherence to God’s will were: “Bye, Mamma. Be happy because I am.”

We give praise to God, because his love is stronger than evil and death; and we thank the Virgin Mary who guides the young, even through difficulty and sufferings, to fall in love with Jesus and to rediscover the beauty of life.”

The Light on the Lamp Stand

Sep 22, 2010 | Non categorizzato

The visit which was surrounded in controversy during the time of its preparation, concluded in great joy. It turned out to be a great feast for an event which made such an indelible mark. There were protests, but they were small compared to the thousands of people – both Catholic and non – who surprised everyone by pouring out into the streets to welcome Benedict XVI. Even the Catholic bishops were overcome with joyful emotion. No one was expecting anything like it, such a success, a true miracle in answer to many prayers.

In 4 days the Pope spoke to the laity, religious, children, youths, politicians, bishops and seminarians, the Catholic faithful, members of other Churches and of other religions. He instilled hope in everyone and placed Christianity and its values at the heart of the society, encouraging everyone not to marginalize them. His words were an answer to the challenge of secularism, which is so strongly felt in this country, and they provoked a positive and generous response in those who heard him speak.

He completely dispelled the vision which some people had of him as a cold and distant man. The visible testimony of his union with God, his concentration in prayer, and his personal love for every person won over the hearts of many! Each word that he spoke seemed to throw light on specific topics.

The ecumenical ceremony in Westminster Abbey was an intensely spiritual moment where a new vision of ecumenism emerged, the churches joined together in response to the “aggressive secularism”. This was underscored by Archbishop Rowan Williams when he addressed the Pope with these words:

“ . . . (We) pray that your time with us in Britain may help us all towards a renewal of the hope and energy we need as Christians to witness to our conviction that in their relation to God men and women may grow into the fullest freedom and beauty of spirit.” And speaking to Catholic and Anglican Bishops who were joined together, the Archbishop said: “The obstacles which still exist do not prevent us from finding new ways to build each other up in holiness”.

A remarkable number of people followed his visit on television. BBC and Sky transmitted all the events live. It was like living with the Pope for four days.

As he said goodbye to the Pope at the airport, Prime Minister David Cameron remarked: “He spoke to a nation of 6 million Catholics, but more than 60 million citizens listened to him. He offered a message not only to the Catholic Church but to each of us, persons with faith and those without faith. His words challenged the entire nation to ‘wake up’ and think . . . because I think that all of us can share his message to work for the common good and that each of us has a social obligation towards the other, towards our family and our community and, obviously, this caring should extend beyond our shores . . . His presence among us was a great honor for our land.”

The Pope thanked everyone for the warm hospitality which he received. He confirmed that the diversity of English society offers opportunities to deepen ecumenical, interreligious, and intercultural dialogues and that it is, for this very reason, greatly enriching for the entire community.

In his concluding remarks to the Catholic bishops, the Pope encouraged them to “explore appropriate and efficacious ways” of “involving in the Church’s mission” “the new ecclesial movements that have a particular charism for evangelization.”

When at Mass we heard the words of Jesus to “put the lamp on a lamp stand”, it seemed to be confirming what the Pope had done in the heart of each person who heard him speak.

[:it]Silvana Veronesi in Sardegna

Sep 17, 2010 | Non categorizzato

[:it] Il perdono di Don Marco

Sep 15, 2010 | Non categorizzato

[:it]Più efficace di una tazza di caffè

Sep 14, 2010 | Non categorizzato

Credible Witnesses

Sep 9, 2010 | Non categorizzato

The will of God in the life of Christians. This is the central theme of the 29th Ecumenical Meeting of Bishops, friends of the Focolare Movement, which is taking place between the 9th to13th of September at the Mariapolis Centre in Castel Gandolfo, Italy. There are 35 bishops from 17 countries participating, from Australia to Hong Kong, from India to Brazil. They include bishops from the Syrian-Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Methodist, Lutheran-Evangelical churches, and the Roman Catholic Church. On Sunday 12th of September, the bishops will attend the Angelus with the Pope at Castelgandolfo. A visit from Cardinal Walter Kasper, president emeritus of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity, is foreseen, in which he will give a review of the present situation of ecumenism.

The witness of Christians. “Sermons have no value today. Faced with the inflation of the spoken word, which the media has so accustomed us to, what is needed now is witnessing; this is the most promising prospective for evangelization”. These were words spoken by Cardinal Miloslav Vlk, Archbishop Emeritus of Prague, as he presented the Ecumenical Meeting of Bishops to some journalists. The focus of this year’s meeting will be to reflect on: “The will of God in the life of Christians”.

“This topic,” Cardinal Vlk went on to explain “is not uniquely religious, because in a secularized world in which you feel the absence of God, the human person tends to close himself in his own will, making it difficult, then, to accept or to confront it with the will of an other”. According to Vlk, “the answer to the crises that Europe is passing, would be to show by our witness that God is near to every person in history”. But this is a witness – the Cardinal immediately added – that necessarily requires “the unity of the churches, because it is only if we are united that our witness will be efficacious”. This is the great novelty and message that you derive from important meetings like these.

With regard to the state of ecumenism today and the crisis in dialogue, the cardinal reiterated: “What unites us is much more than what divides us. In a sense, there are many things that allow us already now to live as if we were a united church. The experience of these 29 years of uninterrupted meetings between bishops of different churches,” the cardinal concluded“confirms our confidence that “unity is possible”. Bishop Christian Krause, from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany was of the same opinion, while noting that there is an “institutional crisis taking place in Europe at all levels”. He did not share the recent idea of an “ecumenical winter”, often heard of in ecumenical circles, because there are many initiatives that are testifying to the contrary. He offered two examples: the experience of Kirchentag in Monaco, Germany; and “Together for Europe”, which is an ongoing joint initiative between 160 European Christian movements. When the Anglican Bishop Robin Smith from the diocese of St Alban’s in England took the floor, he stated that he has been participating in these meetings, sponsored by the Focolare Movement, for twenty years. “You don’t come to these meetings to debate about our differences, but to live a concrete experience of unity, taking for ourselves the prayer of Jesus to the Father, ‘that all be one’. This is an experience that allows us to experience the presence of the Risen Lord among us.”

The Pact of Unity. The bishop’s meetings include a “pact of unity”. Bishop Armando Bortolaso, one time Apostolic Vicar of Aleppo in Syria, now living in Lebanon, explained it in these words: “We declare that we are prepared to give our lives each for the other, to love the other’s diocese as we love our own. Then we put our signature to it and exchange the sign of peace”. It’s always a powerful and moving moment that gives – as the Catholic bishop says – “the temperature of this ecumenism of life and of the heart. These are meetings between brothers more than between friends, because each is ready to give his life for the other”.

[:it]La crisi di coppia non è sempre irreversibile[:es]La crisis de pareja no es siempre irreversible[:fr]Les crises du couple ne sont pas toujours irréversibles[:pt]A crise do casal nem sempre é irreversível

Aug 22, 2010 | Non categorizzato

[:it]I diciotto anni di Chiara Luce Badano[:pt]Os 18 anos de Chiara Luce Badano – segunda parte

Aug 17, 2010 | Non categorizzato

[:it]Casetta “Primi tempi”

Aug 14, 2010 | Non categorizzato

Nuove iniziative economiche: la chiave per il futuro

Aug 13, 2010 | Non categorizzato

Economy at the Service of all Peoples

Aug 12, 2010 | Non categorizzato

Caux is a small Swiss village overlooking Lake Geneva, about 1000 meters above sea level. In its monumental castle, which is now a hotel, an international conference on “Trust and Integrity in a Globalized Economy” is scheduled to take place between the 12th and 17th of August 2010. The conference is intended to be six days of research and debate during which, experts, academics and members of the international business community from all over the world, we will try to “explore new avenues to a more equitable world economy” as the conference’s subtitle states. And it will take place right here, in the same country that annually hosts the World Economic Forum in Davos. The conference is sponsored by the Swiss Foundation CAUX-Initiatives of Change, which operates both within Switzerland and internationally, to promote conflict prevention, intercultural dialogue, and trust between different social entities. This foundation belongs to a wider network of entities whose common connector is the, CAUX-Initiatives of Change, an NGO that has consultative status in the State Economic and Social Council at the United Nations (ECOSOC). Already in 2003, Chiara Lubich had gone at the invitation of President of CAUX-Initiatives of Change, Cornelio Sommaruga, to speak on how “religions can be partners on the road to peace”. To meet the unprecedented challenge that emerged following September 11, “the contribution of religions is decisive,” Chiara said. She went on to narrate a personal experience, the discovery of the art of loving, which is rooted in the Gospel, and leads to a love that “knows no discrimination”. (See full text) The 2010 conference is aimed at young people, students, businessmen, and economists. It looks forward to being a full immersion in the current economic situations of our cities and countries to understand the reasons for the global crisis in which we are immersed. Seen from this perspective it will also propose measures which can be taken at community levels that aim towards a more equitable economic system, in harmony with sustainable development and progress for all peoples. Especially interesting will be the dialogue between northern and southern hemispheres of the world. Speakers will include Lavinia Sommaruga Bode from Alliance Sud (Switzerland), Myrna Roselind Jelman, Consultant to the Ashridge Business School, researcher Juan Carlos Kaiten, from Mexico, and Amira Elmissiry from the African Development Bank. On the morning of the 14th August, Maria Voce, President of the Focolare Movement, will speak about the Economy of Communion as an instrument at the service the human person, in view of a more united world.

[:it]“Ci si fa santi con una sola grande idea!”

Aug 9, 2010 | Non categorizzato

A Loving Response

Aug 7, 2010 | Non categorizzato

On the 7th of August, Benedictines, Trinitarians, Augustinians, Salesians, priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and religious from other ancient and new charisms, gathered from around the world at Mariapolis Faro, which is located in the small Croatian town of Krizevci about an hour from Zagabria. This annual meeting has become a tradition for these representatives of the many other religious men who have grafted the spirituality of unity upon the roots of their founder’s charism. This year too, Maria Voce, President of the Focolare Movement, was invited to participate in their meeting, which is being held in an Eastern European country for the first time. She began greeting them by saying: “Chiara’s family is everywhere!” The Will of God In her dialogue with the religious, Maria Voce, together with Giancarlo Faletti, touched on several important points for the life of the Movement in the coming year. “Throughout the past year we have considered God-Love and we allowed ourselves to be loved by Him. There was joy, difficulty, unexpected providence – all of them signs of His love for us. In the upcoming year, I feel that He’s challenging us to respond to His love, to see what we can do, and to see where the practice of reciprocity might lead us. Then let us do his will, awakening our thrust to holiness. But not alone: We can only do this in unity. Collective holiness, therefore, the holiness of the entire Work of Mary. Doing the will of God will be our response of love.” More Beautiful A religious asked Maria Voce how she thought the Church could be helped by us in this difficult moment. She responded with her usual spontaneousness and serenity: “I have the feeling that Our Lady wants to caress the Church, that she wants it to be beautiful, also through us. If the Work of Mary is itself, it contributes like a small daughter to making its mother more beautiful.” Co-president Faletti stressed the fact that difficult moments help to cause things that are nonessential to fall to the side, everything that is not God. More than in other years, this year’s dialogue highlighted the creativity, initiative, involvement, and needs of individual religious: To be a proactive leaven in the world community, to feel responsible not only of ones own small or large area of activity, but for everything, in order to bring things forward together, to work as a body. Difficulty and Optimism There were also some difficult questions, like how the religious should bring the Gospel to the people. Giancarlo Faletti pointed out that: “Even in our own past there were times when we couldn’t hold public manifestations in certain places, or even meet, or even talk about the Gospel. We seemed to be at a complete loss, and yet, it’s precisely then that what is at the core of our life came into evidence: Keeping Jesus in our midst always.” Maria Voce added: “These are not just words or a concept, but a Person, a Companion; it means never having to be alone, to know what to do in every situation, without the risk of becoming an ugly copy of the past. The socio-ecclesial reality of today is different from that of the past, so we can’t go on repeating things from 25 years ago. And since God has something to say to the people of today also through us, we need to bring up to date what our charism tells us for the Church and for the society of today. This is the challenge that lies at the centre of my experience as president.” She concluded by saying: “What a beautiful family Chiara gave us! I can’t help but be optimistic.” Faro – Beacon The mass followed, celebrated within the splendid Greek Catholic Cathedral of Krivzevci. Finally, people from the local communities of the Focolare Movement offered a feast for Maria Voce, Giancarlo, the Religious and the Gen (youth members of the Focolare). There was singing, comic sketches, traditional costumes and local delicacies. In her final farewell, Maria Voce underscored mutual love, which had been the premise of all the day’s events: “Mutual love among everyone here at Mariapolis Faro allowed many peoples and languages to form a single harmony today. If each of us, returning home, brings this harmony back to his and her country, then this Mariapolis will truly be a ‘faro’, a ‘beacon’ for many.” Giulio Meazzini See Photo Gallery for other images of visit to Mariapolis Faro

Verso la Chiesa di domani

Jul 20, 2010 | Non categorizzato

Esperienze, canti e contributi artistici attorno alla figura del sacerdote di oggi nell’aula Paolo VI ieri pomeriggio per la vigilia della chiusura dell’Anno sacerdotale.

Una nuova corrente di spiritualità

Jul 20, 2010 | Non categorizzato

Un’unità che rende visibile il Risorto, lì dove ognuno vive: nelle famiglie, nei quartieri, nelle fabbriche, nei parlamenti. Quando il Risorto è fra noi, come da lui promesso quando due o tre si riuniscono nel suo nome, cioè nel suo amore, in qualche modo si tocca il divino, la sua pace, la sua luce, il suo amore, l’unità!

Che tutti siano uno

Jul 20, 2010 | Non categorizzato

Come testimonia Chiara Lubich, “è stato proprio mentre si credeva di vivere semplicemente il Vangelo, che lo Spirito Santo ha scolpito a caratteri di fuoco nelle nostre anime quelli che sarebbero diventati i cardini della “spiritualità dell’unità”, una nuova spiritualità, personale e comunitaria insieme”.

[:it]La città e il dialogo per un futuro di speranza[:es]La ciudad y el diálogo por un futuro de esperanza[:fr]La ville et le dialogue pour un avenir d’espérance[:pt]A cidade e o diálogo por um futuro de esperança

Jul 12, 2010 | Non categorizzato

I discovered Heaven!

Jul 8, 2010 | Non categorizzato

“Today I discovered Heaven: God is Love, He loves us immensely!” This is what the 780 Gen 4 sang – children of the Focolare Movement – gathered at Castelgandolfo for their congress. They came mostly from Italy and other European countries, but in the first row were also girls from Burundi and Ruanda, Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia and Lebanon.

Valeria from Bolivia: “Honestly, this congress is the best thing that ever happened to me. What I liked the most was learning from Jesus how to love, and now I love more than before, I don’t know how to thank God.”

Travelling to Rome would have been unthinkable for her had it not been for a variety of money-raisers by Gen4 from around the world. They raised more than 5,000 euros, which enabled her and others from outside Europe to attend the event.

Like the Gen4 boys, the girls also examined the God’s Love for his Chosen People, all the way to Jesus, who came on earth to bring us the Father’s love. A lively game lasting all afternoon helped them to discover Jesus’ presence not only in Heaven, but among us, when we love each other, in our neighbor, in his Word, and in the Eucharist.

“The answers you gave were all interesting and we felt them coming from your heart,” they wrote to Maria Voce following her meeting with them, in which she answered some of their rather demanding questions. They also wrote: “Thank you for answering so wisely to our questions! I finally know how to fulfill my dream: To become a saint you need to love everyone because Jesus in everyone! (. . .) “The congress taught me many things about Jesus, it changed my heart. I won’t be the same when I return home. I’m not the same. Whenever there’s an opportunity to help, I’ll be the first to step forward.”

There was a feast with dancing, songs, and skits as they met with the first companions of Chiara. It was a mutual gift, a moment of such intense and profound simplicity that it was difficult to say who enjoyed it more.

Having experienced the love of God, the Gen4 girls realized that they are truly sisters beyond their countries of origin, languages and culture. “I was happy being with the other Gen4,” writes Laurette from Ruanda. “We loved each other and when I reach Ruanda I’ll love everyone.”

Everywhere in the world – from California to Hong Kong – groups of Gen4 got together to follow some moments of the congress via internet. From Fontem, Cameroon, they write: “The video link-up was so beautiful! We saw that it doesn’t matter where we are: God is always with us and in Heaven at the same time. . . . We’re happy to give to our friends the most beautiful treasure we have: God! With love, we can transform our world that is so filled with hatred. This will Jesus please Jesus and we’ll meet him in Paradise. Thank you!”

Gen 4: the Growing Wave of Love

Jul 1, 2010 | Non categorizzato

The title announced: “The World’s Greatest Adventure”. Already during the preparations for the gathering which were done by the older members of the Movement for these little ones, you could feel that this congress was going to be like a game of love played in the light of the Sun which is God. The importance of the event was also underscored by its global dimensions. There was a live link-up with all the Gen4 of the world, with photos, experiences, songs, and skits, which they sent, and there was a link-up via internet. The Gen4 congress was made even more precious because of the offering made by the Gen4 who are suffering because of illness and offered their sufferings for the success of this event. One of the main topics was how God manifests himself in history: in Creation, in his friendship with the Chosen People as their protector, defender, guide, and saviour. His greatest gift was the gift of his own Son, Jesus, who reveals to us the very heart of God in the story of the Merciful Father who welcomes back the Prodigal Son. They were introduced to the Prophets, Saints, and all those who, like Chiara, were messengers of God’s love and whose message has reached us.

In a video, Chiara herself said again to the Gen4: “Do you know what true happiness is? Try it: It’s the happiness that people have when they love and love and love. When you love you are happy and if you always love, you’ll always be happy. What can you do for the world? Give it happiness. Teach everyone to love.”

Her message was received. Flavio said: “During one game we had to run back and forth without being captured. . . but then I saw a small score book on the ground. I stopped, picked it up and brought it to its owner right away.”

And Joe: “I made a paper airplane, but a boy had lost his. So I gave him mine.”

Besides many creative and recreational activities, the meetings with many of Chiara’s friends was another opportunity to “experience the secret of true happiness”.

One of these was the meeting with Maria Voce (Emmaus) who left them with a rather demanding task:  “If we are united, we can carry ahead this revolution that God has sent into the world through Chiara. You need to bring a wave of love into the world. “

And the Gen4 accepted the task as can be seen from the echoes that have been arriving now that they have returned home. This is the great challenge that the little ones launch to all of us. One Gen4 invited his friends to a party and told them about what he had lived at the congress. Others updated the communities from which they came. One thing thing is the courage they gained from the Congress. One Gen4 declared that he wants to become a saint. This amazed his listeners and he was asked how he intended to do this. He explained that it is very simple: Holiness is loving each other, always, without measure.

The wave of love has been launched!

Tra religioni NEW EN

Jun 29, 2010 | Non categorizzato

Another side of the world games

Jun 28, 2010 | Non categorizzato

Food, health, primary and secondary school fees coverage, after-school programs. One hundred and thirty children and their families are now able to share in these services. These are some of the “fruits” of development programs begun in South Africa by the Action for New Families Foundation, financed by sponsorship from abroad. South Africa, an immense country with nearly 50 million inhabitants, the home of Nelson Mandela, is in the limelight these days for the World Cup, which instead of covering over, has actually highlighted the wounds of this society that was released not long ago from the terrible scourge of apartheid. However, alcoholism, drug abuse, child prostitution, and high unemployment (50%) remain among the main ills that afflict this country today. Even though they knew it would only be a drop in the ocean, the AFN Federation chose to work in South Africa since 1992 through its Distance Support Project. A solid team of volunteers who work on location, helps to ensure efficient coordination and service. It is involved in trying to improve the human and social condition not only of children, but also of their families, so that assistance will continue to bear fruit in their ongoing growth and development. Assistance does not end when children finish school. The plan foresees that beneficiaries continue to receive professional training and assistance through the activation of microcredit and college scholarships. There have been several projects to date. The first goes back to 1992 with a kindergarten in Zonda, a suburb of Soweto (Johannesburg), in the slums of Silver Town. A canteen has also been set up 10 km from the town of Mafikeng (North West Africa), operated in collaboration with Mary’s Mission. In Soweto (Johannesburg), children who have been orphaned by AIDS find welcome in foster care as they await adoption into a permanent home. Also through support from abroad Angolan military families who are living in economically disadvantaged villages receive support: in this case the project covers food, school fees, and transportation for school children. Finally there is support for some Congolese refugee families (and other African countries) through economic aid, and group and/or personal therapy. Worldwide, the AFN Foundation offers real opportunities for development to 16,400 children in 102 projects in 52 countries on 4 continents (Europe, Middle East, Africa, the Americas, Asia). In Africa, about 3,500 children are supported through 18 projects in Algeria, Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Congo, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Kenya, Madagascar, Nigeria, Republic of South Africa, Central African Republic, Tanzania, Tunisia, and Uganda.

Parrocchie: quale direzione? EN

Jun 23, 2010 | Non categorizzato

Conclusione Anno Sacerdotale

Jun 23, 2010 | Non categorizzato

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Sportmeet in the Universities of Argentine

Jun 21, 2010 | Non categorizzato

More than 500 educators joined in the dialogue with the international director of Sportmeet, Dr Paolo Crepaz, during his visit to Argentina at the beginning of June. The conferences dealt with a vision of sport from the prospective of brotherhood. Some of the themes of their discussion included: educating through sport; a culture of defeat for a new culture of winning; creating a constructive relationship between sports and media; inclusion; human and social development. The cooperation has already begun between universities and other institutions where Sportmeet educators teach. A visit to the Casa del Niño in an impoverished district of Florencio Varela, a suburb of Buenos Aires, allowed everyone to see firsthand the setting in which the last Deporchicos was held – a sport event promoted by Sportmeet workers each year where you can see children of different social strata playing together on the field. This event, together with other social assistance projects, helps to build fraternal relations and solidarity. The last two days of the South American visit were spent in the picturesque little town of the Focolare Movement, Mariapolis Lia, which is nestled in the Argentine pampas. Every year dozens of young people from around the world go to visit this place to have an experience of true brotherhood. Reflections on some important issues, the sharing of many experiences from real life, the intense dialogue, and some relax time, allowed the participants in the weekend training not only to feel part of the family of Sportmeet, but also to renew their commitment to respond, through sport, to the many social questions that live in each one of them.

Net-One: “Prove di dialogo” EN

Jun 21, 2010 | Non categorizzato

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Oriente e occidente verso una nuova civiltà EN

Jun 20, 2010 | Non categorizzato

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Pagine di luce EN

Jun 20, 2010 | Non categorizzato

L’associazione culturale Net-One promuove, dal 10 al 13 Giugno prossimi, un convegno internazionale dal titolo “prove di dialogo”.

The Conclusion to the Year for Priests

Jun 6, 2010 | Non categorizzato

‘Priests today’ is the title of an afternoon of testimonies and artistic presentations, organised by the Focolare Movement and the Schoenstatt Movement in collaboration with the International Catholic Charismatic Movement and other ecclesial bodies, to contribute to a renewal of the life and ministry of priests, in the Church and in today’s society. The new charisms are at the root of this meeting, gifts of the Spirit with which God enriches the Church, in this time of particular difficulty, to lead it to a ‘new springtime’. Testimonies – Amongst the main speakers: a priest from Ireland speaking about faithfulness to a calling from God: from Burundi, the survivors from an attack on a Junior Seminary in Buta where 40 young seminarians were martyred; from Germany, a priest who overcame a drink problem with the help of his community. Others will speak about illness; emotional life and celibacy lived in a fraternal context; pastoral work in our multicultural and multi-religious world of today. From Brazil – a major evangelisation programme together with lay people in the South of the country. Television Transmissions – the programme can be seen on the Internet in many countries (http://www.sacerdotioggi.org/page.php?id=10); on satellite from Vatican Television Centre, on Telepace, EWTN, Canção Nova, Telelumière e Mariavision; and later in the day on TV2000 from 22:00 (Italian time) on 9 June (http://www.sacerdotioggi.org/page.php?id=9) The event precedes the Vigil on 10 June in St Peter’s Square with the Pope and the solemn celebration of the Eucharist on 11 June (see: www.annussacerdotalis.org).

Families of Hope

Jun 3, 2010 | Non categorizzato

290 leaders of the Family of Hope Association (‘Familia da Esperanca’) visited the International Centre of the Focolare Movement on 28 May to celebrate and to thank Chiara for the approval that they had just received from the Pontifical Council for the Laity. The members of the Association – of Brazilian origin but now spread all over the world – are involved in many social areas, the main one being their work with young drug addicts. At the Centre they met with Eli Folonari, who was Chiara’s personal secretary, and Maria Voce and Giancarlo Faletti, President and Co-President respectively of the Focolare Movement, for a moment of reflection and sharing on the theme of ‘God who is Love’.

‘What is it that links us together?’ Maria Voce asked. ‘The main link is the life of the Word, which is translated into concrete actions, day by day, and takes us along a path of sanctity, no matter where our starting point was, but is something to be lived in the present moment,’ she went on to explain. Giancarlo Faletti continued: ‘The Word of God is not like other words. Other words produce a plant that lives for a short while and then dies. Instead, the Word of God produces a big plant that lasts forever. I believe that you are witnesses to this vitality.’

The beginnings of the association go back to 1983, to a corner of a street in Guaratingueta, in the inland part of the State of San Paolo. Nelson Giovanelli got to know a group of young drug addicts in his neighbourhood in an attempt to live out the words of the Apostle Paul when he said: ‘ I’ve made myself weak with the weak …’ One of them called Eleuterio, was the first to become involved and to ask help in overcoming his drug dependency. Many others followed. Somebody who helped the work of Nelson Giovanelli right from the start was a German Franciscan friar called Frei Hans Stapel, who knew the spirituality of unity of Chiara Lubich and the spirituality of poverty of St Francis of Assisi.

A community was born and grew with these young people based on an evangelical lifestyle. The association has spread throughout the world today. There are 68 Fazendas (40 in Brazil alone) working with around 3,000 young people. It is present in nine ther countries in the world: Germany, Russia, the Philippines, Mozambique, Mexico, Guatemala, Paraguay, Uruguay, Columbia and Argentina.

The ‘Fazendas da Esperanca’ became better known after Pope Benedict XVI visited the community of Pedrinhas on the occasion of his apostolic visit to Brazil in 2007. The meeting of the Holy Father with the young people of the Fazenda was one of the most moving moments of that trip. The Pope launched a strong appeal against those that sow death through drugs: ‘They will have to answer God for what they have done.’ And to the young people who have returned to life because of the Fazenda da Esperanca he gave a mission for the future: ‘You must be ambassadors of hope!’

The ‘Family of Hope’ – the official name of the Association of the faithful which has just been approved – is not a congregation or a secular institute, and cannot be defined as a spiritual movement like the Charismatics or the Focolare – it is a new community of lay people. It is something new in the Church. Speaking of this Maria Voce said: ‘The Church doesn’t approve a Rule as such. It approves a reality, a life that already exists. This recognition is a sign of joy. With this joy in our hearts – yours, ours and the whole Church – I think we can truly thank God.’