Today, 75 years ago, it all began

Dec 7, 2018 | Non categorizzato

With her unconditional “yes” to God, Chiara Lubich carried out a simple, transformative act that continues to generate life, organizations and culture. On December 7, 1943 Chiara gave her life to God for always. In 2002 she told some Focolare kids about that cold morning 75 years ago, when she had no intention at all of founding anything. “I had married God! I expected everything of him.” Today more than 2 million people have embraced her spirituality, which has gone beyond geographic and cultural borders worldwide. What happens when someone’s life path comes across Chiara Lubich’s spirituality? We asked Maria Celeste Mancuso and Arthur Ngoy – she’s from Argentina, he’s from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Maria Celeste (teacher): “I got to know about Focolare during the military dictatorship in my country. My 24-year-old brother had been taken and executed, and my family was destroyed by the pain. That was when I met a group of young people from the Focolare who spoke to me about Jesus’ cry of anguish on the cross, and how I could unite my own pain to his. I found the strength to forgive my brother’s killers, and I chose to respond to the call to love everyone, just as Jesus had. Professionally I dedicated myself to teaching young people with disabilities, not just to offer them cultural foundations, but to restore their dignity and respect. Today I no longer feel Argentinian or even South American; I belong to a new culture that views someone else, someone different, as a sibling and that reads history as a journey towards fulfilling universal fraternity.” Arthur (doctor): “I had recently lost some friends in an accident that I had been in. I was at rock bottom, and it was during that time that I heard about Chiara, how she had discovered God’s love during the absurdity of World War II. I understood that my life could also be guided by the Gospel. So I decided to not give in to extortion and corruption, which is so common in my country, and to carry out my profession as a doctor, putting the good of patients above all else. One of the most difficult times of my life was in 2007: my oldest son was killed after an accident. It was an episode that, in African culture, was open to a number of interpretations. There were those who advised that I get a divorce, quit work or even leave my country. Only certainty in what Chiara had taught me – keep loving – helped me to overcome this ordeal and once again find peace at home. I want to thank Chiara for having brought the spirituality of unity to the African continent.”

 Stefania Tanesini

Receptive Ecumenism

Dec 6, 2018 | Non categorizzato

An approach to dialogue amongst Churches that values reciprocity . 2017 marked the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. It was not just a time to recall what happened in the past but an opportunity to reflect upon the progress that has been made in the field of ecumenism. But what is going to happen now? This question was the starting point for the ninety participants at a seminar that took place in the Mariapolis Centre in Zwochau, Germany. It was entitled “Brennpunkt Okumene” (Focus on Ecumenism) and its starting point was “receptive ecumenism.” Paul D. Murray, a Catholic theologian from the University of Durham, England, outlined the ideas that lie at the heart of this approach. He said that it’s not a matter of “what the others can learn from us” but rather a question of “what we can learn from other people.” It is ecumenism based upon listening and reciprocity. Dr. Callan Slipper, an Anglican theologian in London, explained that this approach enables people to learn from one another without hiding the wounds and hurt from the past. In fact, it creates awareness that other people help healing to take place. He and Peter Dettwiler, a theologian from the Reformed Church of Switzerland, gave a presentation that allowed listeners to penetrate the “inner life” of their respective Churches without avoiding the blows and suffering experienced. They then participated in a round table with the woman Pastor Seehafer from the community of the Free and Evangelical Church and Fr. Marcellus Klaus, a Catholic priest, offering those present the opportunity to practice “receptive ecumenism”. The day concluded with reflection upon an extract of a talk given by Chiara Lubich in the Memorial Church in Berlin which outlines the roots of the reciprocity proposed by “receptive ecumenism”. “Before being nailed to the cross, before suffering the abandonment of the Father, in a long prayer for unity, Jesus said, ‘May they all be one.’ (Jn.17:21) We could say that when we live in unity it makes an impact: it is a powerful element of living ecumenism. It is the presence of Jesus among the members of the community. Jesus said, ‘Where two or more are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them’ (Mt.18:20). In this magnificent church, why do we Christians not unite in this idea and so contribute to the fulfilment of Jesus’ words? Maybe we entered the church as individuals, distinct from one another but we can leave as one Christian body, ready to die for one another.”

Focolare joins the Global Catholic Climate Movement

Dec 5, 2018 | Non categorizzato

There are many ways that each of us can make this choice our own, from changing our lifestyle to choosing ethical finance that avoids fossil fuels or weapons. The Global Catholic Climate Movement contributes to the Catholic Church in order to take better care of our planet. Begun after the encyclical Laudato si: on the care of our common home was published, today the network includes close to 1,000 Catholic organizations, including parishes, schools, NGOs. Among these is the Focolare Movement. We spoke with Luca Fiorani, a physicist and coordinator for EcoOne. So Luca, what’s EcoOne? It’s the international network that started in the Focolare Movement that brings together people who are expressing their ecological awareness in a new way. What does the partnership with the Global Catholic Climate Movement mean for the Focolare Movement? It means that the Focolare becomes a part of this global initiative that is committed to fighting against climate change. In Italy, for example, it has checked its accounts and can say that it does not invest a single cent in funds that support the fossil fuel economy. Can you explain more about the link between climate change and fossil fuels? When we use coal, oil or natural gas, we produce carbon dioxide, a gas that contributes to the greenhouse effect and heats up the atmosphere. This brings a number of negative effects that we can observe, from desertification, which is one of the causes of migration, to extreme weather events, which cause flooding. What can people in the Focolare Movement do to participate in this partnership? We look at nature and humanity with new eyes: those of the heart. And then we use our heads and hands to act in favor of humanity today and future generations. We change our lifestyles: we don’t waste water, we use energy efficiently, we improve recycling, and we “vote” through the things we consume. For example, if we discover that our bank invests money in fossil fuels or weapons – all you need to do is go online and quickly search to see – we choose a more sustainable bank. The pope, and many with him, are concerned because the cry of the Earth is the cry of the poor – and we can’t just sit back and do nothing!

Lorenzo Russo

Belgium: it’s the time of the “we”

Nov 30, 2018 | Non categorizzato

The Focolare contributes in the complex path of integration and dialogue between Christians and Muslims in Belgium, a land that was also wounded in the 2016 terrorist attacks. “The time of the ‘we’ has arrived”, “we are a community, a ‘prophetic minority’”. This was what Maria Voce, President of the Focolare Movement, and Jesús Moràn, its Co-President, have expressed during their meeting in Brussels. An appointment that convened Christians and Muslims in the said country, who for years have been trying to live fraternity in diversity, as well as the respect for each one’s cultural and religious identity. Present were about 50 persons, half of whom were Muslims and the other half Christians, but all actors of dialogue. It has begun with festive greetings over a cup of Moroccan tea, creating a family atmosphere. “We experienced profound unity—said Jesús Moràn—because God is so great and is present everywhere in our life.” The story of Islam in Belgian land started fifty five years ago with the arrival of immigrants from Morocco and Turkey, followed later by those from other countries. Today, it is enriched by the new generations born in Belgium. After the Brussels attack on March 2016, dialogue with Muslims has become a political priority. There is a new awareness about the problems related to integration, or rather, of the non-integration of a minority of Muslims. Oftentimes, the accent is placed on diversity, on the “we” and the “you” that is fostered by the fundamentalist current. In the said country are living a minority of believing and practicing Muslims, who manifest their identity even in public spaces, and a majority of citizens who refuse their Christian heritage, most of whom are agnostics or are indifferent to the faith. This materialistic and strongly secular society often confuse fundamentalism with the essence and beauty of Islam. The friendship between the Focolare and the Muslims in Belgium started years ago when a focolarina came to teach in a predominantly Islamic district. A profound rapport was born with many of the inhabitants. Bit by bit, some of them wanted to know the inspiration behind this generous teacher’s life. Thus, a nucleus of persons desiring to walk along with the Focolare was born, and they also participated in the international meetings of interreligious character. The dialogue that begun is, and remains to be, a “dialogue of life”, weaving a network of fraternity that is lived, renewed, and appreciated, especially in this difficult time of widespread fear. 

Chris Hoffmann

Eli Folonari in the words of Maria Voce

Nov 28, 2018 | Non categorizzato

We asked the President of the Focolare to tell us something about Eli Folonari and her specific contribution to the Movement, over the many years she spent alongside Chiara Lubich. “I got to know Eli better when I was asked to join Chiara’s Secretariat, which she was responsible for. I was struck by her serious and balanced approach and, I would say, by the tenderness that I discovered beneath what sometimes seemed a rather severe exterior. Eli did  all  that  Chiara asked her to do with heroic faithfulness. Chiara had entrusted her with the aspect of fellowship and communion, which translates directly into communications. This meant ensuring that everyone could be informed of everything at any time. She did this to the utmost. I saw always near Chiara, supporting her, being her friend, her sister and an adviser too in the many things that needed to be done. At the same time, I never saw her taking over from Chiara. All she did was done so that Chiara and the charism she was conveying could reach everyone without any hindrance. This, I feel, was the full achievement of her ‘design’: she enabled all those who came to Chiara to become one heart and one soul”.

A lifetime with Chiara

Nov 28, 2018 | Non categorizzato

Eli Folonari was Chiara Lubich’s personal secretary for over fifty years. In a series of interviews in 2012, she described many episodes of daily life with Chiara. These interviews were published in a book entitled “The Score Written in Heaven” edited by Oreste Paliotti and Michele Zanzucchi. From your perspective, what was it like to see the birth and development of a movement that is now in 180 countries? It felt like living in a divine adventure. At the beginning, Chiara always used to say that she never intended to found a movement: the last thing on her mind was to draw up a schedule or an action plan. So what was it like to live beside her? It was like one long race to catch up with her. With Chiara, there was one surprise after another – all the work of the Spirit whose actions are always unpredictable. I am not going to say that there was a surprise every day every day but they often happened. God led her to discover a new “reality” through circumstances, an act of love or a meeting (…) Every meeting had a meaning. She felt that the people she met were waiting for something and she used to tell us this. “Let’s begin to dialogue with these people, let’s do something for them.” Her ideal was ut omnes unum sint (Jn.17:21), the fulfilment of Jesus’ testament. The whole world, beginning with the people closest to us, was contained in that “may they all be one.” What is your life like now after Chiara’s death? When she was alive, if we were dealing with rather complicated situations, just one word from her would help us understand what to do. Now we have to find the answer to these challenges ourselves, with the President, Co-president and the General Council. This encourages us to live so that we are aware of the presence of Jesus among us who enlightens us: we try to listen to one another carefully because what each person says is important and may be inspired. Now that Chiara is no longer here, there has to be an even deeper unity of thought at the heart of the Movement. If you could speak personally to Chiara now, what would you say? I would say, “Thank you Chiara for this divine life into which you drew me – this life of peaks and abysses! Thank you because not only have you satisfied my longing to give myself totally to God and to rebuild society but also because, through you, I have been surprised in ways I could never have imagined. I hope this experience will continue with others in paradise.” (da Giulia Eli Folonari, The Score Written in Heaven, Città Nuova, Roma, 2012, pp. 7-8; 167; 171-172)

Thank you Eli

Nov 26, 2018 | Non categorizzato

At the age of 92 years, Giulia (Eli) Folonari passed away peacefully on november 26th 2018. She was one of the privileged witnesses of the public life, but above all of the ordinary, everyday life, of the founder of the Focolare Movement.

 

She was born in Milan, in Northern Italy, on 8 February 1926. She was the eldest of Luigi and Speranza Folonari’s eight children, a rich industrial family in Brescia. After graduating in Business & Economics at the Sacred Heart Catholic University of Milan, at the age of 25, Eli, for the first time, heard about the newly-born Focolare Movement from Valeria (Vale) Ronchetti. That same year, while spending her holidays not far from Tonadico (Trent), where one of the first Mariapolis gatherings was taking place, she decided to attend together with her siblings Vincenzo and Camilla. It was on that occasion that she met Chiara Lubich.

She moved to Rome in 1951, and she accompanied Chiara on all her trips around Italy, as well as South America, Asia, Australia, North America, Europe. “It was a divine adventure,” she said, “Keeping up with Chiara was no mean feat! We went from one surprise to another.” She was Chiara’s confidant and counsellor in the difficult years when the Focolare Movement (Work of Mary) was being studied by the Church. She also followed, in a particular way, all the media developments within the Movement: the birth of the St Claire Audiovisual Centre named after St Claire of Assisi, as well as the beginning, in Switzerland in 1980, of the “conference call” which soon extended to all the nations where the Focolare was present. Whilst it started off simply as a way of sharing the spiritual life, joys and sufferings among everyone, the conference call subsequently evolved, through technological advances, into that which today is a live streaming event via satellite! Still now it is referred to as CH (from the Latin Confoederatio Helvetica) in order to be true to its Swiss origins. Eli always accompanied the founder of the Focolare Movement on important encounters with the great dignitaries of our time: from Pope Paul VI to John Paul II, from Mother Teresa of Calcutta to Vaclav Havel and the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Athenagoras I. Her testimony as a direct witness to these events is contained in the book Lo spartito scritto in Cielo. Cinquant’anni con Chiara Lubich (“The Score Written in Heaven. Fifty years with Chiara Lubich” (Città Nuova, 2012). Giulia Eli Folonari was the Director of the Chiara Lubich Centre since its foundation in July 2008, right up until 2014. This institute aims to be a custodian of the thought of Chiara Lubich, to assure its authenticity and to help spread her charism, as well as to preserve the history of the Focolare Movement through meetings, conferences and a dedicated website. The Centre ensures that the rich patrimony of paper-based archives and multimedia documents that the founder of the Opera di Maria left behind is made available to scholars and the public in general.

Note from the Fontem focolarini

Nov 26, 2018 | Non categorizzato

The wave of violence in Southwest Cameroon shows no sign of stopping. The focolarini have had to flee the little city, although they remain in the country. “How long can we hold out? What will happen next? Will we be able to still live in Fontem? We’ve kept on, even in the most adverse conditions.” With these words the focolarini of Cameroon’s little city shared their difficult decision on November 16 to not go back to Fontem – although they still remain in the country. There are just not the “fundamental conditions to be able to continue living there.” “Many things have happened,” their message continues, “especially some serious incidents that made us reflect on the choices to make… It was with a heavy heart that we decided not to go back to Fontem for the moment, in order to rebuild our strength and try to understand what God wants.” The wave of violence in Southwest Cameroon, which is where Fontem is located, unfortunately shows no sign of stopping. In the last few months, the bishops of Cameroon have several times tried to get their voices heard, raising “a cry of anguish” at the deteriorating security conditions in the English-speaking regions and calling for political mediation to avoid “useless civil wars.” The Focolare’s little city is located in a zone of continuous armed conflict. It has had to close down its education complex for some time now, although the hospital continues to work and give aid to those in need.

Sweden: “undermining” the divisions

Nov 26, 2018 | Non categorizzato

From 6th-10th November 2018, 40 bishops who are friends of the Focolare Movement, from 12 different Churches and five continents, met in Sigtuna, Sweden. They brought with them the challenges and joys of their life and work. What meaning do these meetings have? What outcomes are there? Susan Gately, a journalist from Ireland, found out. https://vimeo.com/301372728