A dream that renews itself
Photo © CSC Audiovisivi
Jesús Morán. Photo © CSC Audiovisivi
Photo © CSC Audiovisivi
Social-One: Social Sciences in dialogue
The Department of Political, Social and Communication Sciences of the University of Salerno and the Social-One research network, under the auspices of the Sociological Theories and Social Transformations Section of the Italian Association of Sociology (AIS) and in partnership with 11 universities and research institutes in Italy and worldwide, promote the conference “Sociological Imagination and Social Promotion: the category of “agapic action” to interpret the changes and to imagine new futures”. The aim of the conference is to investigate all the perspectives of analysis and action which have been raised by the members of the agapic action in the context of human and social disciplines with the hypothesis that the concept may offer new interpretations and perspectives of interventions for the promotion of a pluralistic society based on equality, inclusiveness and particularly dialogue. The conference focuses on four areas, which will be analyzed both from the scientific and academic point of view within the panels, and from the point of view of action-intervention, through the collection of best practices, which will be exhibited within of the Social Expo. The areas are: 1) Protagonist communities, sharing cultures and grassroots movements 2) Cooperation and dialogue in the field of macro-social actions 3) Relationships, inclusion and well-being in social policies 4) Plurality, dialogue and identity processes Official languages in plenary sessions: Italian, English, Spanish. The Scientific Committee of the international conference is coordinated by Gennaro Iorio (University of Salerno) and composed by:
- CALLEBAUT BERNHARD – Istituto Universitario Sophia (Italy)
- CAMPANINI ANNA MARIA – Università di Milano Bicocca (Italy)
- HOCHSCHILD MICHAEL – Time-lab (France)
- MAGATTI MAURO – Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore di Milano (Italy)
- MARTINS PAULO HENRIQUE – Universidade Federal de Pernambuco – UFPE (Brazil)
- MONGELLI ANGELA – Università di Bari (Italy)
- MORA EMANUELA – Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore di Milano (Italy)
- ORTEGA SANTO PEDRO JOSE – Universidade Autónoma de Santo Domingo – UASD (Dominican Republic)
- RAMA RUDINA – University of Tirana (Albania)
- REMBIERZ MAREK – University of Silesia in Katowice (Poland)
- SALAS MARCELO – Universidad del Salvador en Buenos Aires (Argentina)
- WAGNER IZABELA – University of Warsaw (Poland)
- WIELECKI KRZYSZTOF – Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University (Poland)
For information: Social-One online Download invitation
The voice of the youth
Nelson Vanegas and Stella Marilene Nishimwe
What is the situation of the youth in your country? “In Salvador.” answered Nelson, “the general situation of the youth differs from inside and outside the cities. Life outside is more difficult, services are lacking, and education is guaranteed only up to the compulsory education. Despite this the youth have huge aspirations and greater determination to make their dreams come true.” Marilene explained: “In Burundi we are undergoing a serious political crisis. Unemployment is sky high and also is uncertainty for the future. The youths often leave the country to seek other prospects elsewhere.” At the meeting, they say, they will carry out the role of facilitators of the linguistics groups in Spanish and French. “It will be our chance to do our part, a small contribution – Nelson added – but we shall do it with all our hearts.” And Marilene: “Through the synod’s official site (www.synod2018.va) and the social network connected, all the youths will be able to let their voice be heard and send proposals, as also those who cannot participate directly.” Speaking about communication, beyond the fears with which adults often regard the youths, as to the risk of detaching themselves from “reality” and immersing themselves in a virtual hub, what does communication mean for you? “Times have changed–Nelson answered – we are immersed in technology which effectively helps to bridge distances. But we have to try to make it possibly more humane. Cell phones and tablets draw people closer but communicating “face to face” with those who we really see before us is another thing altogether. In this sense we, the youth, can take the first step.” Marilene added: “For authentic communication we have to think of “what” we communicate.” In his message for the youth day, which will end the pre-synod Meeting, Pope Francis mentioned the “fears” of the youth. “Often the youths are scared of going forward, to make choices from which they cannot turn back. “Personally,” Marilene explained, “I try to live God’s will in the present moment. Each one has his own story, and I entrust myself to Him.” Nelsno continued: “In such a materialistic world, often the message the adults pass to the youths concerns studying, working, earning, or buying a nice house. The dialogue between the first and second generation is important, but it should not destroy one’s dreams. Together, our energy and their wisdom can do a lot.” Being listened to means taking up some responsibilities. “It is a big responsibility to speak out for the youth. It’s an opportunity offered by the Church which wants to dialogue with all, and not only with the Catholics. It’s here that we Gen can offer our experience, because we have already started to walk together, with Christians of other faiths and also with agnostics. This is why I would call all the youths, also from afar, to participate! Let’s make our voice be heard.” Chiara Favotti
Mary, the driving force behind social action
https://vimeo.com/258422297 The President of the Focolare Movement shared a few points from her talk, explaining that – as Chiara Lubich herself said – Mary, the Mother of God, is the form and model of social action in the Movement. Maria Voce: I see Chiara always at my side, not with my eyes of course, but I feel she is always with me. Often people ask, do you draw inspiration from what Chiara said? Actually, I say no. I don’t draw inspiration from what Chiara said, I draw inspiration from her and ask myself: what would Chiara say now? What would Chiara do now? What answer would she invent for this problem that has come up? I try to listen to the Holy Spirit, seeking to do so with the same attention and depth as she did, and then I act. Chiara told us that she understood Mary in a very special way when she discovered her greatness as the mother of God. She discovered a Mary whom she herself said she had never known before: not the little child or the pure young girl from Nazareth, nor the simple housewife, but a Mary so great that God had chosen her to be the mother of his son, of the Word of God made flesh, so of God himself. This Mary, who was pleasing to God because of her humility, can give him glory through what he works in her. In her he works the great things that God wants to do: equality among all the brothers and sisters in the human family; a just distribution of goods in the world; that all people should be able to use the goods that God created for everyone; that all should recognise one another as brothers and sisters. Mary knows how to do this because she is a mother. I believe the characteristics of the social works arising from Chiara’s charism have, precisely, the characteristic of having been done by a mother who loves her children and who wants their greatest good. Above all, she wants them to be united among themselves, bound together by mutual love and that this love should underpin their relationships in society. Therefore, a new society animated by Gospel love, with a mother who is Mary.
To embroider patterns of light on the crowd
“This is the great attraction of modern times: to penetrate to the highest contemplation while mingling with everyone, one person alongside others. I would say even more: to lose oneself in the crowd in order to fill it with the divine, like a piece of bread dipped in wine. I would say even more: made sharers in God’s plans for humanity, to embroider patterns of light on the crowd, and at the same time to share with our neighbor shame, hunger, troubles, brief joys. Because the attraction of our times, as of all times, is the highest conceivable expression of the human and the divine, Jesus and Mary: the Word of God, a carpenter’s son; the Seat of Wisdom, a mother at home.” Published in “Chiara Lubich: Essential Writings”, New City Press, Hyde Park, New York, 2002, p 169.
Living the Gospel: “Sharing in God’s Life”
Starting Again From Zero When I was still quite small my father left us. My mother fell into a deep depression and began to drink. I was raised by my maternal grandmother. When my mother died, I was in my adolescence and I was harbouring inside of me a desire for revenge. Then, I met a girl who introduced me into her parish community. Through those people, little by little, I discovered God, inner peace and balance. When we got married, I was able to say that that community was my family. One day, at work, a man came and introduced himself as my father. I was desolate and feared my reaction. Despite the surprise, I welcomed him warmly and told him about the daughter that had been born, and invited him home. A week later he came over with his partner. My wife and I gave them a warm and festive welcome. More than grandparents, they felt like adopted children. Since then, family life changed and so did theirs. It was as if the past no longer existed; only the desire to start from zero existed. P.P. – Serbia The Caricature A classmate had drawn a caricature of me, photocopied it and spread it around the school. I felt like beating him up! But then I decided to approach him and speak to him calmly. In fact, I invited him to my house, to do homework and go to see a film. When he asked me why I responded like that, I told him that I had learned to see Jesus in every neighbour, knowing that we all can make mistakes. Surprised, he wanted to know more. Now he’s also trying to put the words of the Gospel into practice. Daniel – Brazil The Humanity of Jesus The first signs of my multiple-sclerosis go back to when my wife, Susi, was expecting our daughter, Tecla. I, who was always used to working and playing sport, now found myself realizing that it was more and more difficult to move, until I was completely immobile. And yet, from the onset of the illness, I felt the reawakening of a desire for values that were true. Many years have gone by since then. Being sick, seeing my legs no longer able to respond anymore, depending on others for everything, feeling pain, knowing humiliation, feeling different: I experienced all that. But my suffering helped me to understand the “humanity” of Jesus much more than before. Renato – Italy The Florist It was a very cold night. An old flower-seller was trying to sell her flowers. She was wearing an old blanket and seemed resigned to watch the people go by with haste and indifference. I thought, if I were in her position, I’d enjoy something warm. But there was no coffee shop in sight. So I found a boy selling homemade sweets. I bought one for her. When she took it and thanked me, she didn’t say many words, but her eyes showed how moved she was. I went on my way with the feeling of her gaze still upon me. Szidi – Romania
Champions of unity
Sophia University’s New Website
The new website expresses Sophia University Institute’s calling to become more and more global, not only because of its multidisciplinary approach to study and its cosmopolitan community of students and faculty, but also because of its openness and the soon to be opened training centres that will be added to the university of Loppiano near Florence, Italy. For ten years, Sophia has made dialogue and interaction among the different fields of knowledge an innovative method for overcoming the fragmenation, abstraction and isolation among the disciplines, with the goal of providing an open vision of the disciplines and the opportunity of comparing and combining their content, methods and results. Up until now Sophia has welcomed 450 students and faculty members from 50 countries and 4 continents. Visit the site
ExpLo: Journey of Life
The great attraction of our times
March 14, 2018 marks the 10th anniversary of Chiara Lubich’s passing away. Focolare communities throughout the world will commemorate this anniversary through a varied number of events that mark the charism’s contribution to social change. On March 3, 800 people are expected to participate in a conference held at Maria Hall of the Catholic University Hospital in Seoul, Korea. “Mary: a ‘yes’ that changes society” is the theme chosen for a meeting to be held on March 11 at Goma, Democratic Republic. Of Congo. A conference on “Chiara Lubich: a life of dialogue for peace” is scheduled to take place also on March 11, at Chicago, USA. “Conoscenze plurali” is the title of the convention which will take place on March 17 at the Salone dei Cinquecento of Palazzo Vecchio, in Florence, Italy. On March 18, a multi-ethnic day of social action is being organized in a tribal village at Chiang Mai, Thailand. A day’s meeting on “Chiara Lubich and social actions” will be held on March 24 at Chisinau, Republic of Moldova. These are some of the many initiatives planned. A 360º overview of the social dimension of Chiara Lubich’s charism will be presented through an artistic event scheduled for March 3, at the Mariapolis Centre, Castel Gandolfo, Rome. 2000 participants from the five continents are expected to attend. The Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin and personalities from the fields of culture, communication and institutions are also expected to be present. This event can be followed in English, Spanish, Portugese, French and Italian via internet (http://live.focolare.org/chiaralubich/). 
For Chiara Lubich, the greatest attraction of modern times was “to penetrate to the highest contemplation while mingling with everyone, one person alongside others”. Sergio Zavoli, who was a very close friend of Chiara, defined her as a mystic of unity between heaven and earth. While speaking about the change she brought about in Trinitarian mysticism, he said: «Allowing God to dwell in the intimacy of one’s soul is making him live among men through communication between – I repeat her words – God in me and God in my brother. It is not by chance that Chiara Lubich’s thought appeals to us to put together the fragments of the inseparable, that is man, and to recompose the fractures of what is shareable, that is the community». Since the very beginning of Lubich’s experience in her native city of Trent, the social change that stemmed from her thought, gave rise to initiatives that have a very strong social hallmark. Today, these actions and works are found practically in all the world; they have the characteristics of each region and culture and they seek to give an answer to specific situations of individuals, groups and communities in need (see link). When confronted with the question about the Focolare’s focal aim today, ten years after the death of its founder, Maria Voce answered that the Movement “must definitely maintain unity with its source, that is Chiara, hence fidelity to the charism as originally passed on; it must return to its beginnings to discover the radicality and totality required from us, may be even more today. The Movement has to be developed so that it can be that instrument designed by God to spread the spirituality of communion and build the unity of the human family. It has to deepen its knowledge about the great charism God entrusted to Chiara and about ways of transmitting it to everyone, since besides its spiritual aspects, the charism has also doctrinal, social and political ones that can influence all areas”. Maria Voce expresses her conviction that today’s visibility of the Focolare Movement, where incidence on human and social realities is concerned, albeit good, “is still too localized”. Then she affirms: “I think that this visibility needs to be more effective and more extensive. May be the Movement needs to become more known even on a worldwide level. We are present almost in every country, but this, perhaps, is not evident enough. It will happen through our life: the more we live according to the charism, the more we will influence the world around, and hence become more visible”. SIF
Follow the live streaming event on 3 March at Castel Gandolfo, from 4.00pm – 7.00 pm: http://live.focolare.org/chiaralubich (in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German)
Genfest 2018: Transforming Society
https://vimeo.com/257451488 Choose subtitles: English, Spanish and Italian
Mary for all Christians
Welwyn Garden City
Povilus explained how, during that period, “a new and vast horizon opened up an unimaginable vision of Mary” for the founder of the Focolare Movement. She was discovered “almost as if for the first time” as a human being, “one of us”, but at the same time “imbued with the Word of God.” “Mary revealed herself as the Mother of God, Theotokos, Mary was not just, as we had thought, the young girl of Nazareth, the most beautiful creature in the world, whose love surpasses the love of all the mothers in the world. She was the Mother of God in a dimension that was completely new to us. To explain it, Chiara used an image, that of the sky enveloping the sun.” “It was a new intuition of the significance of the event that took place at the foot of the cross, of the sword that must have passed through Mary’s heart, being asked to renounce her maternity towards her divine son to take as a substitute child John. And yet Jesus in his death was giving his life to all humankind, making us all God’s children. As Mary’s role in the Annunciation was to say “yes” to something beyond herself that God was bringing about, here again, on Golgotha, what was asked of her was, as theologians have said, a “second yes.” There is a wealth of implications for our own lives that Chiara derived from this understanding of Mary Desolate. First and foremost is that of recognising Mary to be a model that can be imitated: “by loving one another we generate the presence of Jesus in our midst. Like Mary, we can offer Christ to the world spiritually.” 
Another point that comes to new light in Chiara’s mystical experience of 1949 has to do with Mary’s place in the Church. “We know from the Acts of the Apostles that she was present at Pentecost which is often marked out as the birth of the Church. Chiara, describing her intuition of Mary’s place in the Church, from that early moment of the descent of the Spirit, used the metaphor of her being a heart: If Christ is the head of his mystical body, the Church, Mary is at its heart. Mary plays an essential role in helping the Church to respond fully to God’s project for it, which is to be a presence of Christ.” Great interest was shown in this Spirituality of Communion of Chiara Lubich’s, which aims “to increase the typical contribution of vitality, beauty and holiness that the Church, following Mary’s example, is called to bring to the world.”
Generation Zero Hunger
Seventeen sustainable development goals have been identified to be achieved by 2030. They are contained in the UN Agenda approved by the 193 UN member states. “Zero Hunger,” which is at the centre of an agreement signed in 2012 during a United Nations Conference in Rio de Janeiro, aims to free the world from hunger. In response to a request for collaboration sent by the United Nation’s agency, the young people and teenagers of the Focolare Movement decided to step onto the field alongside the FAO, in raising awareness among the generation that we hope will see world hunger defeated. World hunger has been on the rise again for more than a decade. It was recently reported on by the Annual United Nations Report of food safety and nutrition in the world (2017). In 2016, around 815 million people (38 million more than the year before), that is, 11% of the world population, was not sufficiently nourished. Around 155 million children under the age of five are underdeveloped (too short for their age), while 52 million suffer from chronic hunger, which means that their weight is not adequate to their height. 
At the same time, because of a lack of healthy nourishment, 600 million people (including 41 million children) suffer from obesity, which is another face of malnutrition. The Report identified armed conflicts as the main cause of the migrations and of the shocks linked to climate change, as several of the key factors of the re-escalation of hunger and the many forms of malnutrition. Freeing the world of hunger will require urgent measures and decisions in favour of more sustainable lifestyles – from the consumer society to a change of course in international politics. But first it requires a stronger awareness and change in personal relationships. This is the message that the Focolare’s Teens for Unity and Youth for a United World have been spreading since last year along with several of their global-level projects: the need for study and becoming aware of the root causes of the problem; observing and monitoring the situation at the local level and involving as many young people, teenagers and associations as possible in: communicating and sharing experiences of working for the poor in their own local environments, for a more sober lifestyle, for dialogue, peace, the environment, welcoming immigrants, and, finally, their proposal to hold world-wide celebrations on the day chosen by the United Nations to be dedicated to the topic of nutrition (October 16). 
#ZeroHunger is now a regular feature of the Teens Magazine, published by Città Nuova in collaboration with the New Families Association, United World Association and the New Humanity Movement. The 2018 March-April edition will be dedicate to this topic. “What a thrill for our delegation,” write the teenagers on the editorial board, “to go into the headquarters of the FAO in Rome. Let’s get started right now so that our generation will truly be the first #GenerationZeroHunger. Teens Magazine will continue to follow this fascinating worldwide project.” The calendar shows April as the month for the publication of the Commitment Statement of the Teens for Unity, which was drawn up by teenagers from eleven countries. In May, the annual events for “United World Week” and “Run4Unity” will be entirely devoted to the topic. In June, a group of 600 children and teenagers (ages 9-12), attending an international congress of the Focolare Movement, will be the guests of the FAO for a morning of discussion and sharing on the topic. Finally, in the month of July, as part of the “United World Project” at Genfest 2018, a forum will be held on the theme #GenerationZeroHunger with the participation of the FAO. Chiara Favotti
Word of Life March 2018
for ages 4-8 | for ages 9-17 | Print | Audio https://www.focolare.org/gb/files/2018/03/201803WOL.mp3 King David, who was also a prophet, wrote this psalm at a time when he felt weighed down by anguish and poverty and in danger from his enemies. He wanted to find a way out of his painful situation, but realized he was completely unable to do so. Therefore he looked up, with hope, toward the God of Israel, who had always protected his people, and implored him to come to his aid. This month’s Word of Life draws our attention to the fact that he was asking to know the ways and paths of the Lord, to shed light on the choices he had to make, especially at difficult times. “Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths.” Sometimes in life we too have to make decisive choices. It can be totally absorbing to have to do so, and it can help us to think deeply about what our conscience suggests is the right way forward. It could be that we have many paths to choose from and are uncertain about which is the best. At other times, we may feel there is no path at all. Wanting to find a way ahead is a strong human need, and so sometimes we ask help from those we consider our friends. Christian faith makes us become friends with God. He is a Father who loves us; he knows us through and through and wants to accompany us on our journey. Every day, God invites us to set out freely on an adventure. Our compass is unselfish love for him and all his children. The ways and paths are opportunities to meet other travelers and find new goals that can be shared. Christians are never isolated individuals, but part of a people travelling towards the fulfilment of the plan of God the Father for humankind. Through all he said and did, Jesus revealed God’s plan to bring about universal fraternity, the civilization of love. “Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths.” The Lord’s ways can be daring and, at times, may seem too challenging for us, like rope bridges stretching between high cliffs. They challenge our selfish habits, our prejudices and false humility, and instead create opportunities for dialogue, encounter and commitment to the common good. Above all, they call for a love that is ever new and capable of forgiving, because it is founded on the rock of God’s love and faithfulness to us. This ever-new love is essential if we are to build just and peaceful relationships among peoples and nations. Even the witness given by a simple kind deed, done with love, can give others the light to see their way forward. At a gathering in Nigeria, when both children and adults were sharing their experiences of loving according to the Gospel, a little girl called Maya said, “Yesterday, when we were playing, a boy pushed me and I fell over. He said ‘sorry’ and I forgave him.” Those words touched the heart of a man whose father was killed by Boko Haram. “I looked at Maya. If a little girl like her can forgive, it means that I can do the same.” “Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths.” If we want a sure guide on our journey, let’s remember that Jesus said, “I am the Way…” (Jn 14:6). When Chiara Lubich spoke to young people gathered in Santiago de Compostela during the 1989 World Youth Day, she encouraged them: “By describing himself as ‘the Way’, Jesus was saying we must take the same way as he did. We could therefore say that the way Jesus followed has a name: it is love. The love that Jesus lived and brought on earth is special and unique. It is the same ardent love that burns in God … “But who should we love? Our first duty of course, is to love God. Then, to love our neighbor, every neighbor … From the moment we wake up in the morning until we go to sleep at night, every relationship with our neighbor should be lived with this love. Whether we are at home, at college, at work, on a sports field, on vacation, in church or on the street, we should take advantage of every opportunity to love, seeing Jesus in our neighbors, neglecting no one, being the first to love … “This means entering as far as possible into the minds and hearts of others, truly understanding their problems, needs and troubles — as well as their joys, so that we can share everything with them … “In a way, we have to become that other person, just as Jesus, who was God, became a man out of love. Then our neighbors will feel understood and supported because someone is helping them bear their burdens and pain and share in their joys. ‘Living the other person,’ ‘living the others’ – this is a great ideal; this is amazing.” Letizia Magri
600th Anniversary of the Virgin of Africa
Facing the Mediterranean, to the southeast of the Strait of Gibraltar – a bridge between the two continents and one time end of the world – the city of Ceuta rises, which, along with the nearby Melilla, represents Spanish colonial remnants on the continent of Africa. Because of its strategic location on a piece of privileged coastland, the two cities have for decades have been considered possible entry ways into Europe, in spite of the dividing wall. Every day, men, women and children from the most diverse collection of African countries, escaping wars, poverty and persecutions of every kind, cross entire countries in an attempt to find a shore near the city on which to disembark. Right on this strip of land which, since 1851 has been under the Diocese of Cadice, which is in the midst of getting ready for the 600th anniversary of the arrival of the one who has been called the “Virgin of Africa,” a single block of wood representing the Blessed Virgin seated with the body of the dead Christ between her arms. In 1949, Pope Pius XII wanted her to be named the patroness of the city.
Chiara Lubich: Imitating Mary
“Madonna della bella-accoglienza” © Centro Ave Ceramica
“Renata Borlone, Woman of Dialogue”
The “Renata Borlone Prize” will be awarded to Prof. Suleiman Baraka, a native of Gaza and an internationally renowned astrophysicist on Sunday 25 February, in the Auditorium of the International Centre of Loppiano (Florence), in the presence of the representatives of the scientific world and civil authorities. Now on its 4th edition, the Prize was instituted by the Cultural Association bearing the same name, to honour the memory of Renata Borlone (1930-1990), who for over 20 years was co-director of the town of Loppiano and is now a Servant of God. Full of human and spiritual values, Renata nurtured a special passion for science, intended as the privileged tool for the construction of unity of the human family. The Prize’s Scientific Committee conferred this recognition to Prof. Baraka for “his scientific research which focuses on human values and peace”. The awardee stated “This prize in honour of Renata Borlone who worked for the good of society – is a further incentive and encouragement to place science and its beauty at the service of humanity, promote peace among peoples, and enable the young generations to open their horizons to hope, despite the difficulties and obstacles they may have to face.”
I too was at Genfest 1990
Chiara Favotti
During adolescence, going with the Gen and the young people from the united world project, and the any experiences we shared, opened my heart far beyond the walls I knew. It made me hope and think big, of a truly united world. It wasn’t a fantasy, but a new way of thinking, of moving in a new direction, taking little steps, but made of real and authentic brotherhood. I took part in the 1990 Genfest with them. It was an unforgettable experience. For the first time, there was an explosion of happiness, young people from east and west looked in each other’s eyes and squeezed each other’s hands as television cameras broadcasted the scene in the Paleur Stadium to millions of television viewers around the world. We were given a mandate: to bring love back into the world. “Friendship and kindness aren’t enough,” said Chiara Lubich. “Philanthropy isn’t enough, neither are solidarity or non-violence. We have to change from being people focused on their own small interests, to being small daily heroes who are at the loving service of their brothers and sisters in every neighbor.” The next year I left for Moscow. The iron wall that separated East and West may have fallen, but at a great price, pulverizing ideals and an entire social system. There were no winners, nor losers, only the disillusioned, suffering and widespread poverty. It was clear to me: It’s not enough to bring down a wall to create a free and just society. Now, those words that I heard at the Genfest are the only way forward for me: “Only in harmony with each other and forgiveness toward each other can you build a real future.”
Chiara Favotti
Living the Gospel: “Life is a gift”
At the mechanic’s I had brought my car to the mechanic’s for a small repair. The young mechanic said he would call me when it was ready. After six hours, no phone call came. I went to the workshop and strangely he pretended not to remember the job to be done and went on to serve other clients. After waiting for an hour he returned with the bill. It was exorbitant for such a small job. Being black, I felt this was evidently an act of discrimination. I paid, but anger and sharp pain got hold of me. When I was about to explode, I stopped to think and wonder how I could live the Gospel in a moment like this. I calmed down and patiently explained the facts to the person in charge. He listened to me and got the message, and ordered a reimbursement. That reimbursement seemed to me like the fulfilment of the promises of the Gospel. Welile – South Africa
Hunger and thirst for justice I was a revolutionary, and hungered and thirsted for justice and I said it in a loud voice, everywhere I went. At a certain point I found an answer in God, and for him, I left everything. One day I was asked to speak in a factory, but now there was a difference: it was no longer I but Jesus who spoke through me, because I tried to find love in my brothers. Looking at all those restless faces on the revolt, thirsty for justice, I got the confirmation that only love can achieve the miracle of changing people, their ideas, and the structures. This love is God in us and among us. Maria Teresa – Brazil Change of plans With my husband’s consent, I thought of enrolling in a course that would have been useful for my work. I was enthusiastic, because I saw that slowly the difficulties smoothed out and all seemed to confirm that I was on the right road. I had started to gather the necessary documents when I discovered I was pregnant, and this confused me. I would have wanted to set aside my project for some time. Upon reading the Gospel with my husband, we understood that God had other plans for us and we prepared to welcome the baby with joy. D.T.B. – Croatia The trump card I am a sales agent. One day I entered the office of a big company to present my products to the head of the purchasing office. Since he showed very little interest, I prepared to leave his office. But during that brief meeting I noticed that I was dealing with a person in suffering. I was already at the door when I felt I had to go back and simply asked: “Are you sure you’re feeling ok?” Wide eyed he asked me: “Why are you asking this?” I answered that I just had that sensation, greeted him again and left. The next day, I received a phone call from him. “I want to thank you, because after you left, your question rang in my mind. So that evening I went to my doctor who confirmed that I could have collapsed at any minute and there was immediate need to intervene with a strong therapy.” That same day, the company made a big order. So I not only found a big client, but had also helped a person to feel better. Putting love before all else in our actions is always the trump card. From Focolare website www.flest.it – Italy
Gen Rosso Music and Arts Village
The GEN ROSSO (INTERNATIONAL PERFORMING ARTS GROUP) is presenting the 1st edition of the Gen Rosso Music and Arts Village, a residential in-depth artistic experience with the sharing of values in the light of the charism of unity. The project addresses young professionals and students preferably from 18 to 30 years of age, in disciplines such as music, dance, singing and theatre. The didactic method is designed and handled by Gen Rosso tutors having the qualified artistic capacities and experience. The program will include the study of specific themes. Exchange of experiences, dialogue sessions and practical labs will be exhibited in a final performance. The evening sessions will be enriched with interesting artistic contributions. The first edition of the Village will take place from 25 March (arrivals in the afternoon) to 1 April 2018. A participation certificate will be issued at the conclusion. Gen Rosso, through the Village secretariat, is at everyone’s disposal for further information and all the documentation needed for enrolment. (limited number). Contacts Secreteriat VILLAGE: +39 0558339821 (9.00-13.00, Italian time) Franco Gallelli cell +39 3806592166 Email secretariat VILLAGE: village@genrosso.com
Brazil: Serving my people
Guaramiranga, with 7,000 inhabitants, is a small city of the Northeastern state of Ceará in Brazil, which boasts a highly diversified natural environment at the Atlantic coast where there are also the most beautiful beaches in the world, and with an interior full of lagoons, and water courses populated by mangroves, jungles and forests. About 100 kilometers from the coast, it is the seat of two important cultural events: the international “Jazz and Blues” and the more local “Northeastern Theatre Festival.” Here lives Almir, a “volunteer of God” of the Focolare Movement. Some years ago, pushed by the desire to do something for his city, he decided to run for the post of Town Councilor. After his election he was asked to assume the councillorship for Culture and Tourism, an important role since most of the city’s economy rotates around tourism, cultural events and exhibitions. The role is very challenging and above all, Almir is full of ideas. However, it was not an easy choice: “I lengthily pondered on the mayor’s request to assume this position. In fact I was thinking of running again, since after a year and a half there would be a reshuffling of the town council, and I doubted that the proposal aimed at limiting me politically, due to my ideas in advocating clarity and transparency. On the other hand, the area of culture and tourism was undergoing a difficult moment: many small hotels and shops were about to close and the personnel would have been fired. I felt the suffering of those brothers who could have lost their jobs, and of the owners who would have had to close ship. So after talking with some friends, I accepted the challenge.” Almir started to work on the new assignment with passion, mobilising the entrepreneurs and inhabitants. He launched a participation course with some citizens, involving them in the promotion of touristic events to give a new impulse to the city and boost the economy’s upturn. Also the inhabitants of the rural districts were involved in a project for the upholding of local traditions with new cultural initiatives in the territory. In short, the city saw the growth of touristic flows, the birth of new businesses, hotels and hostels and the creation of new jobs. “Other two challenges” – Almir explained – “were the relaunching of the Town Theatre in the city’s historical centre, and the revival of the Food Court, the square dedicated to restaurants. In this case, the difficult rapports between the restaurant owners negatively influenced the events held in the city. I asked myself how we could go about creating relationships of fraternity and collaboration in that place. I started by going to visit them, creating friendly relations with each of them, and trying to understand the problems and smoothing out the tensions. At first I found a lot of resistance, but I didn’t give up. In the end, I was able to build a “team,” to such a point that today these people have become friends and cooperate with one another. It seemed like a miracle to see these businessmen, who were enemies at first, relate with each other in a friendly and supportive way.” «Today, due to family issues, I am no longer involved in the public administration, but I participate in the political life with the conviction that in trying to concretise the words of the Gospel, we can find the strength to meet the necessities of one’s people and one’s own community.” Chiara Favotti Source: Movimento dos Focolares Brasil (our translation)
World Meeting of Families in Dublin
In preparation for the 9th World Meeting of Families, the Pontifical Council for the Laity, Family and Life has published seven catecheses which are available on its site in five languages (English, Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese). The meeting will take place in Dublin from 20-26 August 2018. Card. Kevin Farrell, Prefect of the Council defined the catechesis as “A catechetical program in the light of what Pope Francis donated to the entire world with the post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation Amoris laetitia.” The themes to be presented are: “Families today,” “Families in the light of the Word of God,” “God’s great dream,” “The culture of life,” “The culture of hope” and “The culture of joy.” Card. Farrell explained: “Each catechesis is introduced by some prayers drawn from the pontifical magisterium or from patristic tradition, and concludes with the requests for a moment of sharing that starts from the family, the first domestic Church, to then extend to the Christian community.” The catecheses are accompanied by a musical itinerary sung by the renowned Italian singer, Andrea Bocelli, in a concert at the Sagrada Familia Basilica of Barcelona in May 2015, and is the first of a series of repeated concerts within the ambit of the project entitled “The Great Mystery. The Gospel of the Family, School of Humanity for Our Time,” and also in the shrine of St John Paul II in Cracow, and in the St. Stephen Basilica in Budapest. (www.laityfamilylife.va/)
The network of love created by Gis
Gis and Ginetta
When the war ended Gis and Ginetta asked their mother to let them live in the focolare. Ginetta got permission, but the little one no. She didn’t give up: she knew that her decision was final and it would only be a matter of time. The solution was found by Igino Giordani who, knowing Mamma Calliari to be one of his passionate readers, offered Gis a job in Rome. On December 6, 1949, the mother was happy to opt for Giordani. She let Gis leave for Rome, oblivious to the fact that besides being the judges secretary, she would open the first focolare at the capital of Italy with Chiara and others. From then on Gis lived at Chiara’s side with a few short interruptions to start up focolares in several places around Italy. Speaking of those 25 years with Chiara, in 2005 she confided: “It’s very simple, limpid, profound: all that is hers is mine, all that is mine is hers.” It was a remark that fully represented who Chiara was for everyone in her focolare: “Philadelphia is more than a reality,” says Chiara. “It’s here where I take strength to face the daily crosses (after the personal union with Jesus). Here you go from Divine Wisdom that’s shared spontaneously, to practical advice on health, a dress, the house, the food; to constant little helps, every day, with sacrifices that could never be counted. Here […] The blood that flows between us is of a home, but a heavenly home.” “In her office,” Gabri Fallacara recalls, “she telephoned everybody, building a network of love, incisive, open and understanding. With absolute trust she placed herself in the most favorable conditions for discerning what the charism of unity asked, day after day, of Chiara and of us.” Following Chiara’s death Gis continued living for everyone, in spite of her failing capacities, she was a gushing fountain of tenderness and affection. In July 2017 her worsening health transformed her room into a crossroads of heavenly encounters. On January 2018, Gis peacefully left this world. “Right to the end she continued to give of herself in order to make Chiara continue to live in the Movement today. She gave me a big lesson of simplicity, radicality, trust in God’s plan and unity with all.”
The Roman Colosseum will be lit red
In remembrance of persecuted Christians around the world, on Saturday 24th of February the Help to the Suffering Church (ACS) will colour the Roman Colosseum red. In the same context, two other symbols of the recent persecutions of Christians will be painted the same colour: St Paul Cathedral in Mosul, Iraq, and the Maronite Church of St Elia in Aleppo, Syria. After the Trevi Fountain lit up in red on April 29, 2016, ACS returns again to offer this “sober provocation” in the capital, as the director of ACS-Italia, Alessandro Monteduro explained during the press conference held for the event. The main event will be held in Rome, in Largo Gaetana Agnesi, starting at 6 pm. The general secretary of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, Mgr. Nunzio Galantino, and the president of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani confirmed that they will be present. Source: SIR
Reporter of change
“Breaking Rays” is a play on the words “Breaking News” which are used to describe the interruption of some latest sensational news story. The sensational news this time was a project for the promotion of fraternity and a group of young communication workers who, with passion and skill, are stepping up to produce some maximum results. Breaking Rays aims at building an international network where experiences inspired by the charism of the Focolare Movement can come out of isolation and “break” onto the global scene, creating a widespread domino effect in other communities. Co-financed by the European Comission through the Erasmus+ and promoted by the international New Humanity Association in collaboration with CSC Audiovisual Centre, Italy, and other NGOs, the project is for young filmmakers and collaborators of the bi-monthly telephone CH Link-Up with news of the Focolare Community around the world. They already got through the first and second stages in Castelgandolfo, Italy, last July; and at Mariapolis Ginetta in San Paolo, Brazil on February 3-10. The next and final stage will take place concurrently with the Genfest, July 2018 in Manila, Philippines. 
Twenty young people from different countries (Brazil, Italy Hungary, Indonesia, Philippines, India, Kenya and Burundi) have already arrived in Mariapolis Ginetta with a variety of skills, to be coordinated by professional tutors: Italian film director from RAI-TV, director of photography, Carlo Sgambato, project director, Kim Rowley from CSC audio-visuals, along with Isabela Reis, producer and curator of cultural audio-visual projects. With them there is also Paolo Cipollone from CSV Audiovisuals and coordinator of the project. Theoretical and practical training, along with experimenting with new techniques will alternate with work and a common life that will support a communion of talents and openness to constructive criticism. The group has made several visits to social projects of the region, making videos and interviewing. During other sessions, several experts in the field of communications (dreicting, television and radio journalism) have told their own experience and answered questions from the participants. 
A unique experience in which to learn and go deeper into the profession of a journalist from a new perspective,” said Lewis from Burundi. “More than a course on film-making, powerful stories shared about how to make a better world,” said Donald from India. The team and experts helped me to develop an eye for detail and how to shatter stereotypes and cultural cliches, using audiovisuals.” Full-time tutor Isabela Reis from Brazil explains: “I think it’s a project we can be proud of. It was a strong experience that engaged us for eight days. It was useful for improving the ability to communicate among the young people. It was also important to discuss the various ways of taking advantage of the possibilities offered by technology.” Rafael from Brazil has been in Manila for several months helping to prepare the Genfest: “An important step towards Manila. It was beautiful to spend a whole week in contact with such incredible professionals. Their videos spread hope.” Kyle Venturillo from the Philippines: “We come from different parts of the world. We have different languages, cultures and personalities. In spite of this, we were able to establish a relationship of openness among us, which turned us into a family. We’re a group of people “a bit folly,” with different thoughts and perspectives, but with one main objective: to make this world more united.” Other participants in the project included: Starkmacher, Germany, Opus Mariae, Kenya, Focolare Ireland,, UJ Varos, Hungary, Pag-asa, Philippines, Civitas, Brazil, Focolare Society Bombay, India and YayasanDuniaBersatu, Indonesia. Chiara Favotti
United World Ambassadors
Since the deadline is set for 1 March, there is still time to participate in the #FraterniTALES contest organised by the United World Project, and become “United World Ambassadors.” The Ambassadors selected will cooperate with UNESCO’s National Commissions in the presentation of the good practices promoted during the United World Week in their respective countries. “Besides promoting peace actions and projects, the youths will have to show their talents in tracking down facts and choices for brotherhood,” explained Marco Desalvo, president of the NGO New Humanity, promoter of the contest, and the more extensive United World Project together with the Youth for a United World of the Focolare. Young people aged 18 to 24 may participate in the selection, and must have the skills, passion and interest in issues like universal brotherhood, global citizenship, sustainable development, education in human rights, functions of international institutions and ethical leadership. All the #FraterniTALES will be published on the contest’s Facebook and Instagram pages. The 30 most outstanding candidates will become true and proper spokespersons of the United World Project in their countries of origin after a training course to be held in two phases, the second of which will be at the Genfest in Manila. For information and sending of documents (video or text) see United World Project
From a Manger to the Cross
Foto: Pixabay
Chinese New Year
The Spring festival (春節, 春节, chūnjié) or lunar new year (農曆新年, 农历新年, nónglì xīnnián), known in the West as Chinese New Year, is one of the most important and most heartfelt Chinese traditional feast, wherein the new year is celebrated according to the Chinese lunar calendar. The celebrations will start on 16 February and continue for about two weeks up to the Lantern Festival, with numerous activities, shows and markets. On the eve, the families convene for the “dinner gathering,” the most important meal of the year. On this occasion, various generations hang out at round tables to savour food and time together. Every street, house or building is decorated in red, the festival’s main colour. Praying together in a temple during the New Year is believed to be a wish for good fortune for the new year that is about to start. In Shanghai thousands of people crowd in the Longhua Temple, the city’s biggest temple. In Loppiano, the international town of the Focolare where many inhabitants come from the Far East, there will be celebrations for the start of the year of the Dog with a party on Saturday, 17 February, which will be an occasion to delve into the cultures of Asia through games, art, music and dance.
Falling in love again, day after day
Engaged couples: The strength of personal witness
The international conference for engaged couples held in Castel Gandolfo (Rome) has just ended. It was organised by the New Families Movement of the Focolare, and attracted the participation of 65 couples. Besides addressing the issue of personal choice and identifying and overcoming crises in relationships, with a special focus on communication, affection and spirituality, what impressed most were the real-life stories shared by couples. One example was the experience shared by Massimo and Francesca from Rome, married for 17 years, both managers in a Telecom company and the latter, also a teacher of Italian to foreign students. Francesca: According to the doctors, we would not be able to have children, and even if there would be a pregnancy, the certainty of success would not be assured. It was a sentence without appeal. After a prior moment of distress, a reassuring conviction made its way: fertility lies not only in a biological capacity, but in being able to generate love around you. So we continued to bring ahead, with unchanged enthusiasm, the initiatives that had accompanied the choices we had made in our youth to work for others. We would also be open to life, albeit the fear of serial and traumatic miscarriage. 
Two years had not passed when we discovered that we were expecting a baby. As foreseen, the pregnancy was difficult, and progressed despite the verdicts of the doctors who continued to remind us of the serious risks entailed and the care we had to take. In those difficult moments we prayed to God, the author of life, which made us even more conscious of the preciousness of that little bundle which wanted to grow inside me despite the severe opinion of the doctors. The doctors were astounded when at the end of term, Alessandro was born very healthy, and I too was well, though they even told us: now you have a child, do not dare venture beyond. Massimo: Instead we were still open to life and after a few years, a new pregnancy came up, followed by a new wave of amazement, skepticism and recommendations of the doctors. At the advanced stage, there was a suspicion of the Down syndrome, to be ascertained through an amniocentesis. Once again, despite the trauma of this news, we felt that the certainty of God’s love was stronger for us and our baby, to whom we wanted to give an unconditional welcome. Those were months of fear and distress which we again overcame by targeting not to remain entangled by the suffering but to live it as an occasion to love one another and all around us. At Matteo’s birth they told us that he did not have the Down syndrome, but a heart malformation which required hospitalization until when he could be operated, at four months of age. Francesca: In those four months, the fatigue, and above all the inability to face the pain of an innocent child, brought moments of misunderstanding between us. That propensity to love one another at times seemed to disappear, also because I wanted to stay in the hospital with Matteo and Massimo at home with Alessandro or at work. We saw each other only in the ward and often a wrong word sufficed to flare up. Massimo: One evening, after visiting them in the hospital, upon saying goodbye in the corridor both of us felt the need for a sincere, beneficial, heart-to-heart dialogue. We understood that among the many worries, the only one which should be heeded was that of loving each other. And even now, when the inevitable daily tensions seem to take the upper hand, we go back to remembering those moments of light in which also as a family, suffering has regenerated us to a truer love.
From Syria to Syria
Robert Chelhod (centre) with the focolarini in Aleppo
What can we do for Syria today? “For those who have faith, continue to pray. And you can bet with the Syrians that the country is alive. We need support in Syria. Not only from the economic point of view, which is certainly vital, but in believing that with us, this country, the cradle of civilisation, can be reborn. That peace is still possible. We need to know that the world feels our suffering, that of a country that is disappearing.” You coordinate onsite the social projects funded through AMU. How does this come about? “The projects range from aid for food to schooling. Then there is healthcare aid since public healthcare is unable to meet the minimum standards of assistance due to the lack of doctors, medicines and instruments. Besides help for families, there are more stable projects: two after-school organisations in Damascus and Homs with 100 children each, Christians and Muslims; two specific healthcare projects for the treatment of cancer and for dialysis; and a school for the deaf and dumb children, that was already operating before the war. These projects offer the possibility of work for many local youths. The employment issue is fundamental. We are dreaming in the near future of the possibility of working on microcredit to relaunch the activities. Aleppo was a city brimming with merchants who today would restart, but the initial capital is lacking.” Instead many continue to leave… “The exodus, especially of the Christians, is irreversible. The reason is the insecurity, and lack of jobs. The Church suffers in this land which was a land of Christians before the arrival of Islam. And it is trying to do what is possible to help and support all this. But there are few resources. Most of the youths are in the army. You may find some university students, or kids. But the 25-40 age bracket is inexistent. In the city of Aleppo, the estimated further drop of Christians is 140,000 from 130,000, while many Muslims have arrived, evacuated from their destroyed cities.” What impact does this have on interreligious dialogue? “In Aleppo the Christians considered themselves somewhat like the élite of the country. With the war, since the Muslim zones were hit, many took refuge in the Christian zones. So the Christians opened out to the Muslims, and had to accept them. The Latin Bishop Emeritus of Aleppo, Bishop Armando Bortolaso, during the war told me: “Now’s the time to be real Christians.” At the same time the Muslims have got to know the Christians personally. They were touched by the concrete help. There are negative and positive aspects. The positive one is that this war has made us Syrians closer with one another.” Source: Citta’ Nuova Magazine
The protagonists are the least
“I was only 12 when I met Chiara Lubich. If it hadn’t been for this friendship with her and for the charism of unity, I would not have persisted in such a strongly competitive environment full of quagmire. I have a deep gratitude for all those with whom I shared this challenge.” Fernando Muraca began his work as a theatre director and author after his university studies in Rome. After the success achieved in the direction of some episodes in two TV series, the debut in the world of cinema came along with a capital C. Among his most recent works we find “La Terra dei Santi” (The Land of Saints), an intense film on the role of women of the Mafia in Calabria, which received numberless awards and recognitions. Before a very attentive audience, Fernando recounted his story. 
“One evening, I received an email from my friend, Giampietro, a missionary in Brazil. A long time ago I had shot for free, a documentary to collect funds for his community which engaged in saving women, men and children living under the bridges of São Paolo. In his email he asked if I was willing to leave my job for some years to document what was happening there. His mission then also addressed people who had fallen into the drug trap. The approach without prejudices and based on evangelical love, had already saved 10,000people destined to certain death. It was a result that really had to be documented.” Fernando continued – “In this email, Giampietro explained a backstory. A very rich man, after having put someone on his trail and having discovered who he really was, had decided to offer him half of his wealth. Having made a vow of poverty, Giampietro could not accept. But he had one wish: that I should go to Brazil to document the work of his mission. And so that man offered to pay for all the expenses, including the house bills in my absence.” 
Fernando smiled: “It seems like a movie, I know, but it really happened.” And he continued: “I discussed it with my wife and our kids. It was a matter of leaving my work for two or three years, getting out of the business, putting my career at risk, with my wife having to attend to the family in my absence. She said she was ready to make this sacrifice if it would help to divulge the suffering of those people. And my eldest son said, ’Dad, we cannot look away.’ Also my friends encouraged me to accept. My film was just about to be shown in the cinemas, and I had to leave after 15 days. Pure folly. The feature film had a small distribution circuit. Without my presence to promote it, it may have died and I would have burnt my only chance for a career in the cinema world. But my son’s answer ‘We cannot look the other way’ was decisive for me.” “At the start, in São Paolo, it was almost impossible to shoot the film on the lives of people living under the bridges. They detested being photographed, much less filmed! To make them understand that I didn’t want to exploit their image I had to act like the missionaries. I also started to sleep under the bridges, to share their day, and in this way, they accepted. After a month, I returned to Italy for a break. The impact had been hard. I had to reflect about the material I was shooting and reorganize a new and longer trip. Meanwhile in Italy, all that I had foreseen really happened. Without funds for the promotion and without the presence of the director, my film was quickly disappearing from the cinema halls. 
Then came an unexpected event. In Rome, on the last day of the projection, an important film critic showed up. The day after, on a national newspaper, in both the online and paper editions, two very positive reviews were published. They began sending the film to the film festivals in Italy and abroad. It won many prizes, some of which were very prestigious. Three years have passed since then. Upon terminating the work in Brazil, I started once again to take hold of the reins of my life. I didn’t shoot other films, but have many coming up on topics I had never had the courage to deal with. I wrote two novels and an essay on the experience of the “incarnation” of my ideals in art. I also developed a project to dedicate myself to the youth. In this “trade” one needs comfort, encouragement, and also reference points.” Chiara Favotti
Lent, A Time Of Conversion
For the Catholic Church and other Christian Churches, the season of Lent is about to begin. Lent is a period of the liturgical year, which comes just before the celebration of Easter. It lasts from February 14th to March 29th in the Roman Rite. Lent is seen as an invitation to conversion toward God. It lasts for 40 days, a number that occurs rather often in the Bible – in the Old Testament, for example, Israel spent 40 years in the desert, the great flood lasted 40 days, Moses spent 40 days and 40 nights on Mount Sinai, and Jesus fasted for 40 days in the desert. In the Roman Rite Lent begins with the rite of ashes, in which the priest or minister places a pinch of blessed ashes on the heads or the foreheads of the faithful, symbolizing the fall of earthly existence and one’s commitment to a penitential life.
The Pope’s Visit to Loppiano
“We’re all enjoying this surprise together,” said Focolare president Maria Voce as she joyfully commented on the news of Pope Francis’s visit to Loppiano on May 10, 2018. The surprising news has raised great enthusiasm among the members and adherents of the Movement throughout the world, beginning with the town of Loppiano that will welcome the pope. Loppiano is located near Florence, Italy. It was the hope of Focolare foundress, Chiara Lubich, that it would be a real city, with schools, businesses, training centres, universities and business parks. It’s a “special” place a laboratory of community Gospel living. A thousand people from 65 countries of all ages, backgrounds and religions live in Loppiano. They strive to build universal brotherhood through daily practice of the Gospel and Loppiano’s “law” of mutual love. It’s a place for putting into practice the charism of unity – which is the spirituality of the Movement – and for responding to Jesus’s testament: “that all be one” (Jn 21). It was sensational news for the little city: “One second after the announcement by Maria Voce,” they tell us from Loppiano, “the news spread among the residents of the little city and was spread on the social networks around the world with a shower of joyful and surprised posts; it was like an atomic explosion that just blew us away.” At the announcement of the visit, Maria Voce remarked: “We’d like the pope to find the people of Chiara who live the Gospel and are bound to each other solely by mutual love, so that he sees a reflection of the Trinity on earth in the little city.” As for preparing the visit, she pointed out that only a hundred days remain to live and intensify our prayers “so that everything goes as well as possible and there won’t be any insurmountable obstacles; but mostly to intensify our life of Gospel love so that we can really be the living Word.” The Focolare president was also overjoyed about the pope’s visit to the Nomadelfia community, founded by Father Zeno Saltini in Grosseto, Italy. The pope will visit them before he visits Loppiano: “We know that the pope isn’t only visiting Loppiano. His visit to Nomadelfia is scheduled for the morning. Since we’re geographically close, our two communities have been linked by years of friendship and we have in common the same belief in the centrality of the Gospel and the commitment to universal brotherhood and working in favour of the least of these.In recent times many joyfully recall the participation of a group of young people from Nomadelfia at the annual youth fest held in Loppiano on the 1st of May, which has traditionally drawn teenagers to Loppiano from all over Italy.
Mary, Teacher of Life
Foto: Pixabay
Bolivia: They believed in me
My family is composed of me, my sister and my mother who raised us on her own. We went through some very critical moments. My mother tried hard to find work. Then there was some friction with the landlady, because we didn’t have money for the rent. It was quite a heavy cross for my mother to manage the little money she earned. Therefore, the support we received through the Focolare Movement’s New Families Association was very important. Then the Centro Rincón de Luz was opened on the south side of our city, Cochabamba, in which scholastic support was being offered ever day, along with a hot meal, to children and teenagers who attended the local school. That centre was a huge help to me. It made me smile again and gave me some important formation. We were like one big family where our teachers were often like second parents. Thanks to the people who had faith in me, I can proudly say that I completed my course of study with good results and am in my first semester of university.I’ll soon be a professional, and I’ll try to extend some of the help I received to the to the children who are now at the centre. I’d also like to open a place for the people who live on the streets, helping them to find a way forward. I now know that you can change the life of a child and point him or her in the direction of a better life. That’s why I’m asking everybody to help: Together we can do it! In my case, the most important thing wasn’t just the financial support, but the faith they had in me, which has been a seed of hope, a spark of light that’s lit not only in the children, but also in their parents. Source: Teens
What if we change perspective?
Sant’Egidio celebrates its 50th
The Community of Sant’Egidio is celebrating its 50th year. A story that began on 7 February 1968, in Rome, with Andrea Riccardi and a small group of high school students who wanted to change the world. “We have discovered in all these years, along with many people worldwide, the joy of the Gospel,” declared the president of the Community, Marco Impagliazzo. “At Sant’Egidio, in the heart of the Trastevere district (Rome) – the notice diffused on that occasion said: an adventure has begun, one that has led the Community to the human and existential outskirts in the different continents, a commitment amid the poor of every condition, up to the healthcare plans to treat AIDS and statistical records, from interreligious dialogue to working for peace.” Next Saturday, 10 February, the “people of Sant’Egidio” will gather in the Roman basilica of St John Lateran for a celebration presided by the Vatican Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin. On behalf of the Focolare, president Maria Voce will attend, together with some of her staff. In her warm message she gives “ heartfelt thanks to the Holy Spirit for the charism bestowed to the Church and all of humanity and for the fruits achieved in these fifty years of life, also thanks to your fidelity.” She added that “the Community, now spread to 70 countries, has contributed and continues to contribute to building peace in the world, through a courageous dialogue at all levels and with a particular attention to the most forgotten members of society,” and recalls the peace obtained in 1992 in Mozambique and the “humanitarian corridors” in favour of refugees. Maria Voce underlines, among the many moments lived together, a “special” one: “the joyful commitment assumed together and in an altogether particular way by Chiara Lubich and Andrea Riccardi, after the historical encounter of the Movements with the Pope on the Pentecost of 1998, which has produced many fruits for the glory of God.” And concludes with her wish and that of the Focolare “to totally fulfill God’s design on your Community.” See the new site: www.santegidio.org
“Onecity: The Beauty of Diversity”
That is the title of an event that the New Humanity Movement is planning at the Principe Hotel in Pomezia, Italy. It will be comprised of five days of work, sharing of experiences, study, budgeting planning and finding new directions for their work. It will be a “school” for “learning,” one more time, how to actualize brotherhood in a city beginning from the wealth of diversity that lies in the people. For information: International New Humanity Movement Tel 06 943156 35 newhumanity@focolare.org
Editorial Ciudad Nueva
Editorial Ciudad Nueva C/ José Picón, 28 28028 Madrid (España) Tel.: +34 91 725 95 30 www.ciudadnueva.es editorial@ciudadnueva.com (Libros) REDES: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ciudadnueva.es/ Twitter: @CiudadNuevaES You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBpWkZKDcBg
Day of Prayer and Fasting for Peace
On February 23rd the Focolare Movement will join the Church in a Day of Prayer and Fasting for peace and the end to all forms of violence. The day was instituted by Pope Francis in a surprise announcement before 20 of the faithful in Saint Peter’s Square for the Sunday Angelus. The Pope turned especially to the populations of the Democratic Republic of Congo and of South Sudan, which have been going through great escalation in violence and oppression, but he was also mindful of all the prolonged conflicts that are taking place in all parts of the world. This is not anything new: Pope Francis had invited “all believers, also non-Catholic brothers and sisters and non-Christians” to unite in a common moment of prayer, each in their own way, to implore together the gift of peace, while trying to understand what each of us can do to stop the violence. “The victories obtained by violence,” said the pope, “are false victories.”
India: The Rainbow Kids
Switzerland: What way should I follow?
What drives a group of young people aged 18 to 34 years, from the three linguistic regions of Switzerland, to spend some days in the mountains together with eight focolare men and women, a couple of married focolarini and a priest? “The scope of “Behind the Scenes of the Focolare”, a weekend held in the splendid background of the Valais Alps, was not only to enjoy nature, but also to ask oneself, immersed in an ideal environment, a series of essential questions on the life one has lived so far and the years lying ahead. And among such queries was: What path shall I take? This question is often not easy to answer, especially when there are extraordinary and often unrepeatable possibilities from which one can choose. To consciously undertake one – the organizers thought – that it would be helpful to turn down the volume of daily vicissitudes and find a place where it is easier to listen to a suggestion, often whispered to one’s heart. “This is how we got the idea of spending a weekend together, where one can express oneself freely and sincerely, and where Jesus can speak out in the intimacy of one’s heart. A mix of deep reflection and community life, consisting of walks, games, clearing, coking, prayer, to express at best the beauty and also the “normality” of following His call, also today.” 
“Behind the scenes” of focolare life lies a personal call of God to achieve a community of laity, virgins and married people (each according to their status), fully immersed in the world, but imbued with the spiritual presence of Jesus among them, fruit of mutual love. It is a “presence” that wishes to bring to the world, with the objective and perspective of unity among people and societies, a more fraternal and united world that respects diversity. Some of the youths present had never investigated this possibility. Others had already decided to form a family, while others still had not posed the issue. But all had the desire to deepen a personal rapport with God and know more about this particular way of coexistence based on the model of the family of Nazareth, born from the charism of Chiara Lubich. “You live in the midst of society, and you don’t have a convent that protects you, how do you manage?” “Great, but isn’t it too difficult?” “What does it mean to follow Jesus today?” Many questions came up spontaneously and many answers were given, starting from personal experiences and the group meditations on the articles on the evangelical spirituality of unity. Kati and Istvan, a married couple, shared their own joys, difficulties and fundamental choices of their family. “I was deeply struck by the depth of the themes discussed even if I did not know you,” said one of the boys. “I came with a lot of questions and found many answers,” a girl said upon returning home. Peter, a priest remarked; “This was an unexpected weekend. Some of the boys expressed the desire to continue such sessions. This, to my mind, was the most important message of the two days spent together; we live for you and with you, in the uncertainty of the choice to make in life, but in the certainty of no longer being alone in this quest.”
Sportmeet 2018 Congress, Rome, Italy
The role of sport in breaking down many of today’s barriers, whether they be psychological, relational, cultural, social or environmental. By its very nature, sport is a place for facing limits. Why does sport turn out to be such a good terraine for reconciling with our limits, and for experiencing inclusion, integratation and breaking down barriers? Where does the magic lie? In tune with Sportmeet’s mission, these are some of the important topics that will be examined, through cultural reflection, testimonies and practical workshops, and dialogue with people who are actively involved in significant ways in and around the city of Rome. Interested? Want to join us? For more information click here: Sportmeet
Gen Verde: Start Now …and then?
Photo: www.genverde.it
It took so much work to prepare a project with intense days experienced, but what remains in the end? We posed this question to the protagonists of some of the phases of the initiative in many countries worldwide. What they told us had many points in common. The first: the actual concert we are staging, “Start Now,” gives an impulse to relate with the others in a different lifestyle, based on trust, openness, and attention to the common good. This style continues also after, in daily life. The second: the courage to be the first to start in changing the world around us, since “Togetherness is our strength. We can think big if we work together.” Someone called it “spirit of brotherhood.” The third note could be called sharing: the drive, the desire to communicate to others their concrete experience, to contaminate and involve all in the endeavour of improving the world, wherever we are. 
“We managed to relate better with people, and at times also influence others to act like us,” a boy said. And a teacher, talking about some of his students who had participated in the project: “They were able to show that they have a deep humaneness which I may have underestimated in these years. I no longer consider them as kids, at times immature, but as people who are able to be protagonists.” The desire to divulge this constructive way of facing reality, gave rise to various initiatives. In Palermo, Southern Italy, for example, they are already working on a second edition of Start Now 2018. In La Spezia, in the north, the youths who had participated in the project invented a “car wash” afternoon, for the benefit of Nigeria and a “typical 1960s masquerade ball” to gather funds for a dispensary in Man, Ivory Coast. To let fraternity be “heard” before a party, they had a linkup via Skype with their friends in the African country. 
In Huétor Tájar (Spain), the Start Now spirit enlivened the traditional “solidarity run.” “We understood – a girl wrote – that life is nicer if accompanied by a smile and joy.” Still in Spain, in Azpeitia, the dean of a university requested that the project be presented in his university. These are small steps with great perspectives, and the feeling of belonging to a choir where the voice of each one is necessary, and many other effects, here and there around the world, triggered by the sharing of the Start Now project. It is not a firework which soon dies out leaving only memories and nostalgia, but a spark that lights up, contaminates and spreads. Chiara Favotti
In remembrance of Card. Pironio
5 February is the 20th death anniversary of Card. Eduardo Francisco Pironio (1920 – 1998), whose cause of canonization is underway. Born in Nueve de Julio, Argentina, and the 23rd son of a family of Italian origin, he was ordained priest in 1943. Pironio first became full bishop in Ceciri, and later in La Plata, he became secretary general and them president of the Latin American Episcopal Conference. He was called to Rome by Pope Paul VI, who appointed him as Cardinal in 1976. John Paul II appointed him President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, and in his capacity as such and with the Decree of 29 June 1990, Card. Pironio delivered to Chiara Lubich, the definitive approval of the general Statutes of the Work of Mary (Focolare Movement). The celebrations started with a mass in the national shrine of Nuestra Señora de Luján on 4 February, promoted in his honour by the Argentinean Catholic Action. The central events will take place next 31 May in Buenos Aires. The Focolare Movement joins all with gratitude, in commemorating one of the most outstanding figures of recent ecclesial history.
Dialogue as a Style of Life
“A 360 degree dialogue with every person, even people of different convictions had become normal for our family, shared by our children Pietro, Elena and Matteo.” Annamaria and Mario Raimondi are like a rushing river as they share the many experiences of dialogue they’ve had as a family. They now live in a quiet little town in northern Italy, on Lake Como, only forty-five minutes from Milan, Annamaria points out. He’s an ordinary professor of Physical Chemistry at the University of Milan, and she’s a teacher. Both are retired, at least “officially”. They’re quite lively and very active with their family and three grandchildren In their diocese, they’re very involved with ecumenism, and they’re also at the service of the local Focolare community.
Mario and Joe
“Even now,” Mario reports, “after many years the relationship with Zaga and her family still continues. She’s old now and not in very good health. We visited her often, for example, when her daughters married, and when her first grandson was born (who just happened to be named Mario!). We went through everything together in our lives: raising the children, vacations, the scientific research… It wasn’t just great human understanding among us, but something much deeper than that. Each of us felt free to be him or herself, and the love among was sincere. Zaga, who still claims to be a non-believer, participated in the priestly ordination of Pietro and the Religious Profession of Elena – even while wearing a cast on her leg – Matteo’s marriage… The relationship between our families is still there, and we continue to share the simple times together, the deep and the important moments.” “Last summer,” Annamaria went on to say, “we learned that an 80 year-old English gentleman had a heart attack while visiting Lake Como in Italy. The hospital was fairly close to our home. He and his wife, who didn’t speak any Italian, were having a hard time. The other members of their group had returned to England. During the hospital stay, which lasted for two weeks, we visited him every day him every day, helping him to communicate with doctors, finding a place for his wife to stay with some nuns near the hospital, doing ordinary things as if we had known each other forever. We gave them the Word of Life and shared simple but deep moments together. When he was released from hospital, we accompanied them to the airport. It was there that Antony – as he’s called – asked ‘May I give you a blessing?’ That’s when we discovered that he was an Anglican minister. The memory of that very special goodbye is always with us. Returned to London, Antony and his wife, who are already in close contact with the local Focolare community, still thank us, recalling that moment with gratitude.” Chiara Favotti
Chiara Lubich: to love in action
Photo: www.afnonlus.org
Pope Francis will go to Loppiano
The Focolare Movement has received the surprising news of Pope Francis’s visit to Loppiano, a little town of the Movement, scheduled for 10th May 2018. Focolare President, Maria Voce, will receive the Pope, together with the local Ordinary, Rt Rev. Mario Meini, Bishop of Fiesole. Maria Voce’s immediate response was, “This surprising news has given me deep joy. It is a great honour for the Focolare Movement to welcome a Pope into our midst, in one of our little towns. Above all, it prompts us to intensify our commitment to live love and unity, being rooted in the Gospel. All we want is that the Pope should find this breath of Gospel life on his arrival at Loppiano. Now that the news is spreading to the Movement’s communities, this joy and commitment will be shared all over the world”. Loppiano is the first of the Focolare’s little towns, established in 1964 on the Tuscan hills not far from Florence. Currently, there are 850 residents: men and women, families, young people and children, priests and religious from 65 countries and all 5 continents. More than half live there permanently while others are attending one of the 12 international schools during which they spend 6-18 months at Loppiano. This multi-national and multi-cultural population has made its own the law of mutual love. This makes Loppiano become a workshop of shared living among people of different ages, backgrounds, traditions, cultures and religious faiths.