Word of Life for December
Christmas is nearly here – let’s take the love of Jesus to everyone
“May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all.” (I Thes 3:12) Visit the new Gen 4 website to see other formats available
8th UNESCO Youth Forum: Ideas in Action
For the first time the Focolare’s Youth for a United World and their United World Project take part in the 8th UNESCO Youth Forum held in Paris, France on October 29-31, 2013. Five hundred young people from 150 countries took part in a workshop by and for young people, which has been meeting biyearly since 1999. The forum, which is an integral part of the UNESCO General Conference, aims at creating synergies among United Nations organizations and other organizations and public institutions that work in the youth sector.
Main topics of the 8th forum: “Young people and social inclusion: civil involvement; dialogue and skills development,” which were chosen through an online survey of the 2500 young people. In line with the UNESCO operating strategy for young people 2014-2021, recommendations were presented to the 195 member states at the 37th UNESCO General Conference which met on November 5-20, 2013. Moreover, this year the young people chose 15 action projects – IED from the five UNESCO “regions” – that were given the label Youth Forum UNESCO.
Contatti attraverso lo United World Project con l’UNESCO c’erano già stati presso 11 commissioni nazionali negli scorsi mesi. Tutti passi di un cammino di conoscenza reciproca che continua.Stella from Hong Kong, Anne Cecile from France and Joaquin from Argentina were members of the Youth for a United World delegation (youth section of the New Humanity NGO), whose attendance had been propelled by the work that is being carried out with the United World Project, launched last year at the Genfest in Hungary, promoting universal brotherhood in various environments.
At the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, the Youth for a United World reported a “revolution” in putting up the organisation of the forum with an invasion of young volunteers. The work carried out in the work groups and in the plenary session was characterized by an exchange of experiences and good practices. Among the recommendations that were accepted was one from the Youth for a United World: “the promotion of intergenerational opportunities, as a fruit of living for fraternity,” reported Joaquin.
The conference concluded with the speech by the president of the Katalin Bogyay General Conference who spoke at the Genfest in Budapest about a traditional African teaching called Ubuntu (I am because we are). The next phase of the United World Project will be held on May 1st in Nairobi and be called: Sharing With Africa. Stella went on to say: “These words had particular resonance for us,” because “such occasions allow us to see that there is a path toward a united world here as well. Different, yes, but so involved in solving problems together, like one big family.”
Jesus Forsaken: A Light for Theology
At the opening of the Academic Year of the “San Roberto Bellarmino” Religious Science College on November 25 in Capua City, near Naples, Maria Voce held a Lecture on one of the main points of the spirituality of unity, “Jesus Forsaken, A Light for Theology”. There were Bishops of the different dioceses of the Campania region present. The president of the Focolare Movement outlined “the salient aspects”, since – as she affirmed herself – “we cannot present briefly all the wealth of the doctrine of Jesus Forsaken in the spirituality of Chiara Lubich.” Here is an excerpt of her Lecture:
«I would like to begin with a quotation of a letter that Chiara wrote to a friend way back in 1946. An emblematic quote, which says:
“Look …, I am a soul passing through this world.
I have seen many beautiful and good things and I have always been attracted only by them. One day (one indescribable day) I saw a light. It appeared to me as more beautiful than the other beautiful things, and I followed it. I realized it was the Truth.”
Jesus on the cross. He came on earth to bring back people (who had distanced themselves from God because of sin) to a full communion with Him. He took upon himself every negative aspect of their life: sufferings, distress, desperation, pains, sins…, making Himself, the Innocent One, similar to human sinners. “In order to bring the human person back to the Father’s face, Jesus not only had to take on the face of a human being, but he had to burden himself with the ‘face’ of sin”[i], said Pope John Paul II.
Let’s go back to the beginning of the Movement, in 1944, in the midst of the World War. On one particular circumstance a priest told Chiara that, for him, Jesus’ greatest suffering was when he cried out on the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mt 27:46). Right away Chiara concluded: if that was the peak of his suffering, it was certainly also the apex of his love for us. Since then, together with her first companions, and later with all those who would have followed her Ideal, she felt called to become the “answer of love” to that cry.
Jesus Forsaken was therefore revealed to her as “the living proof of God’s love here on earth.”
This is well stressed in a famous “song” of praise and thanksgiving dedicated precisely to Jesus Forsaken and that spontaneously sprung forth from her heart:
“So that we might possess the light, you lost your sight.
To acquire union for us, you experienced separation from the Father.
So that we might have wisdom, you made yourself ‘ignorance’.
To clothe us in innocence, you became sin.
So that we might hope, you almost despaired…
So that God might be present in us, you felt him far away from you.
So that heaven might be ours, you felt hell.
To make our time on earth happy, among hundreds of brothers and sisters and more, you were expelled from heaven and earth, from human beings and nature.
You are God, you are my God, our God of infinite love.”
This infinite love that Jesus crucified and forsaken had for every human being on earth transformed all sufferings, filled up every emptiness and redeemed every sin. Our separation from God was annulled in the re-established communion with Him and among us.
Thus, Jesus Forsaken contains the key to penetrate and give an answer to the deepest mystery that envelops the life of the human being and the whole of humanity: the mystery of pain, of suffering.
This is a great mystery that deeply touches Chiara’s heart:
“Jesus on earth… – she wrote with feelings – Jesus our brother… Jesus who dies between thieves for us: he, the Son of God, sharing a common life with others. ‘… if you came among us, it was because our weakness attracted you, our wretchedness moved you to compassion.’ Certainly, no earthly mother or father waiting for their lost children or doing everything to bring them back could equal our Father in heaven.”
From the mystery that Jesus lived on the cross, Chiara saw a light emanate, able to illuminate and to give meaning to every experience of pain and abandonment that a human person may live. She speaks of this with simplicity, confiding that, since Jesus Forsaken manifested himself to her, she seemed to discover him everywhere:
“He himself, his face and his mysterious cry seemed to colour every painful moment of our life.”
“Darkness, the sense of failure and aridity disappeared – wrote Chiara. – And we started to understand how dynamically divine is Christian life that knows no boredom, cross, suffering, only those that pass, and makes one enjoy the fullness of life, which means resurrection, light and hope even in the midst of tribulations.”»
Dialogue and the Rule of Law: Maria Voce in South Italy
“It is suggestive that a city which recognizes a woman of such deep faith as Chiara Lubich, as a symbol of peace, finds itself ten years later with an administration of such diverse political leanings taking up her legacy.” With these words Archbishop Salvatore Visco welcomed the people who had gathered at the Garibaldi Theatre in Santa Maria Capua Vetere for a conference entitled Chiara Lubich, Woman of Dialogue.
“You can change the world beginning from your own city, because the facts that you have recounted here demonstrate the change that has taken place in many of you,” said Focolare president Maria Voce as she addressed the young people regarding their concrete commitment against illegality and other social ills; for their efforts in favour of the environment; for becoming directly involved in improving their cities. “This is not an abstract dialogue among people or religions,” Maria Voce pointed out, “but a lifestyle of dialogue; not an activity, but a way of being that needs to be nourished by love, mercy and an ability to forgive: because we are all brothers and sisters and children of the same God.”
A very keen reflection was given by philosopher Aldo Masullo who defined dialogue as: “the way for overcoming the desperation of solitude, for war is born of desperation; whereas peace is founded on faith that is rooted in authenticity.”
Nasser Hidouri, Imam of the Mosque in the municipality of San Marcellino, testified to the life that comes from “not fearing our differences” and from “not being conditioned by the problems that are created by a violent minority,” mindful that “the questions that remain unanswered for us today, will be inherited by our children tomorrow.”
Alberta Levi Temin of Jewish-Christian Friendship and survivor of the Nazi round-up in the ghetto of Rome when she was a child shared her vision of humanity: “a pyramid with three sides at its base comprised of religions, peoples and cultures all leading to the top where God is equally distant from each one of them.”
Then there was the testimonial of Antonio Casale, Director of the Centro Fernandes [Fernandes Centre] for welcoming immigrants, especially from the African Sub-Sahara: “More important than the beds, meals or medicine we provide is the human dignity that we try to restore to each individual.”
In the problematic economic and social situation of the region, the voice of anti-racket entrepreneur Antonio Diana, whose father had been murdered by the Camorra, had a positive message: “You can do business without adapting to the customs of corruption and without falling into compromise,” being willing to pay the price.
An evening event that showed the fruits of 360° dialogue helped to convey hope to the participants for a better future that is based on what each one accomplishes in the present.
On November 24, 2013, two thousand people from Focolare communities gathered in Naples. They came from Campania, Puglia and Basilicata, with some people from Albania. First there were some opening words from the Mayor of Naples, Luigi de Magistris. Then there was an open dialogue with Maria Voce and co-president Giancarlo Falleti. Some of the topics of discussion included: involvement in politics and civil life; making decisions in crucial moments when you are young; launching and prospective for the Movement as it reaches out in service to humanity and in contributing to the fulfillment of Jesus’ prayer: that all may be one.
On November 25, 2013, Maria Voce presented the keynote address on Jesus Forsaken, A Light for Theology for the opening of the academic year at the St. Robert Bellarmine Institute of Religious Sciences. Bishops from several diocese of Campania also attended.
The Adventure of Unity: The Beginnings /1
Sylvia, the baptismal name given to Chiara,Lubich, was born in Trent on 22 January 1920. She was the second of four children, Gino, Liliana and Carla. Her father, Luigi Lubich, a wine-seller, ex-typesetter, anti-fascist and socialist, had once been a close colleague of the once socialist Benito, and later the unyielding political opponent of the fascist Mussolini. Her mother, Luigia, was animated by a strong traditional faith. Following his medical studies, her older brother, Gino, joined the Resistance in the famous Garibaldi Brigade. Then he dedicated himself to journalism, working for the Communist newspaper, L’Unita (Unity).
When she was 18, Sylvia received her teaching certificate with full marks. She would have liked to continue her studies, and she applied to study at the Catholic University. It didn’t turn out: she came in 34th place for the only 33 full scholarships available. Since there was not enough money in the Lubich home to pay for her studies in another city, Sylvia was forced to find work. During the 1940-41 academic year she taught elementary school at the Opera Serafica in Trent.
The decisive beginning of her human-divine experience was revealed to her in 1939 during a trip to the shrine of Loreto: “I was invited to a meeting for Catholic students in Loreto”, Chiara writes, “where, according to tradition, the little house of the Holy Family is kept within the walls of a great fortress-like cathedral. . . . I attended the course at a nearby college with everyone else. But, whenever possible, I would run to the little house. I knelt beside the wall, all blackened by the vigil light of the vigil lamps. Something new and divine was enveloping me, nearly crushing me. I contemplated in my mind the virginal life of the three (…). Every thought weighed upon me, squeezing my heart, my tears were falling uncontrollably. During every break, I ran there. Then the last day arrived. The church was filled with young people. A thought clearly entered my mind, a thought which was never erased: “You will be followed by a host of virgins.”
When Chiara’s students and her parish priest met her after her trip to Loreto, and saw her so radiant and happy, they asked if she had discovered her way. Chiara’s answer was disappointing for the priest, because she would only say which vocations she didn’t feel were hers, the traditional ones: not the convent, not matrimony, not consecration to God in the world. This was all she was able to say.
In the years following her visit to Loreto – from 1939 till 1943 – Sylvia continued to work and study and to be involved in the service of the Church. When she became a Franciscan Tertiary, she took the name Chiara.
In 1943, when Chiara was already twenty-three, as she was on her way to fetch some milk a few kilometers from home, in a neighborhood called White Madonna, standing beneath a railroad overpass, Chiara heard the call from God: “Give yourself totally to me.” She wasted no time and, in a letter, she requested permission from the Cappuchin priest, Father Casimiro Bonetti, to consecrate herself totally to God. Following a deep conversation with the priest, she finally obtained this permission. On 7 December 1943 at six o’clock in the morning, she consecrated her life to God forever. On that day Chiara didn’t have the slightest intention of founding anything: she was simply “marrying God.” And this was everything for her. Only later did this day come to be identified as the symbolic beginning of the Focolare Movement.
Continued on: The Adventure of Unity: The beginnings/2
Like the Sunshine
Lieta (Blanca) Betoño (1951 -2002) is considered a pioneer of the Focolare Movement in Ireland. As a twenty year old, she wrote “I only want to give joy to others” – a quality confirmed by the name by which she then became known – Lieta – meaning happy or joyful. “I live so as to be a cause of joy for the people I meet,” she wrote years later, just weeks before her death.Lieta said a radical, definitive ‘yes’ to God as a teenager which never wavered even in the face of great suffering. A divine adventure brought her from Argentina to Ireland, where she lived for thirty years, sowing love, peace and joy among the people she met. This is her story.
Author: Susan Gately
Acer Movement: a rich encounter
Gabri Fallacara and Severin Schmid are welcomed at the headquarters of ACER-MJO Movment by the president
Cyrille Sollogoub.
“Friends of together for Europe!” in Paris
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One hundred and twenty five leaders of 46 movements and communities of different Churches and 13 European countries – from Russia to Portugal , Denmark to Slovenia, were present at the meeting which took place in the historic setting of Montmartre.
The theme that had been chosen was: “Yes” to the poor and marginalized, as was expressed in the message of Stuttgart 2007. The many contributions revealed how much the Communities and Movements are linked to the commitment to and with the most needy. It is not just acts of solidarity, but of friendship and brotherhood.
An intense moment was spent with Jean Vanier, founder of L‘Arche Community. He opened the gift of his experience with these words: “Jesus says: “The kingdom of God is like a wedding feast” – but everyone is too busy – and the king who had issued the invitations sends his servants to seek the crippled and the lame in the hedgerows and at the crossroads – this is what I have tried to live in my life.” Jean Vanier is dedicated in particular to the mentally handicapped “the people most oppressed.” “They have changed me, I have seen that the Kingdom of God is theirs.” There are now 140 communities, ecumenical and interreligious, in which “fragile and strong” live together.
The prayers of Catholics and Evangelicals, which introduced the work of the first two days, were followed by that of the Russian Orthodox with its choir .
In the days of lively exchange on the path taken so far by Together for Europe, with the big events in Stuttgart 2004 and 2007 and in Brussels in 2012, thought was given to what could be the next step to take. Recalling the expression of Chiara Lubich, “the score is written in heaven” you could sense in the reciprocal listening to one another that the most valuable experience of this journey together is the deep communion that has developed between Movements of different churches. And it is precisely this “common witness of Christians” which has led to initiatives that Europe needs today, in the political and social fields, “so that the world may believe.”
At the same time, a further contribution is foreseen for 2016, in the form of a congress, which will probably take place in a city in Germany, in order to make visible the path of communion so far.
There was an solemn atmosphere when the new stage was entrusted to God in prayer and the commitment of mutual love renewed.
In May 2014, the Steering Committee will meet again in Dillingen in Germany to receive the prestigious “St. Ulrich European Award” which is 2014 has been awarded to “Together for Europe”.
In Paris there was also a chance to live the “culture of visiting each other”: we went to the Chapel of the metro station in Montparnasse, which is entrusted to the Community of Sant’Egidio , to pray together and learn about their work in the heart of Paris.
And even before the beginning of the meeting, there were those who went to meet the Emmanuel Community, and those who visited the headquarters of Acer-Mjo (Russian Students’ Christian Action – Orthodox Youth Movement).
Gabri Fallacara
Natalia Dallapiccola: A Biography
“I set out to write this biography treading softly and with a healthy dose of holy fear.”With these words Matilde Cocchiaro begins her biography on Natalia Dallapiccola who was the first to follow Chiara Lubich. Natalia has had a special role in the history of the Focolare, so much so that Chiara had said that if she had not met a person like her, so prepared by God, perhaps she would never have been able to give a start to the life that was so revolutionary and based on the Gospel.
Because of her relentless and unchanging love towards all, Chiara had nicknamed her Anzalon which in the Italian dialect of Trent means Big Angel.
She played a determining role in the spreading of the ideal of unity among the countries of the communist bloc, beyond the Iron Curtain, as well as in the field of interreligious dialogue for which she spent energy and talent for 30 years until the last days of her life on earth.
Following her death on April 1, 2008 – eighteen days after the death of Chiara – many people had words of gratitude and appreciation for Natalia: “Between me and Natalia,” says Rabbi David Rosen of Jerusalem, “there was a very strong bond. I will forever guard as a treasure her loving and noble spirit.” In the book’s preface Nichiko Niwano, president of the Japanese Buddhist Rissho Kosei-kai Movement states: “For many long years Natalia played the role of an open window which linked us with the Focolare Movement . . . lavishly pouring out the finest qualities of her heart and mind . . . An ancient saying says: “Know the past and you will find what is new.” It means: Study history, study the tradition with care and you will obtain new wisdom. That is all I wish, therefore, and I hope that Natalia’s biography becomes a precious guide for the journey into the future.”
From India, Shantilal Somaiya, Kala Acharya and Lalita Namjoshi of the Somaiya Bharatya (Hindu): “With great reverence we remember her visit to our institute and her silent but always edifying way of drawing dialogue forward.”
From Skopje. Azir Semani, speaks directly to Natalia in the name of the Muslim Friends of the Focolare from Macedonia: “Thank you for your hand that was always reaching out! . . . We have totally embraced your invitation: ‘that all may be one’. God’s voice through you was a call of love and trust for which we Muslims are honoured to have been able to walk together with you towards a united world. Blessed be your love!”
Cardinal Miloslav Vlk, Archbishop Emeritus of Prague, who for many years was responsible for the Bishop Friends of the Focolare Movement, offered the following testimony: “I can truthfully say that Natalia was the mother of the ideal of unity in our lands. From her life, she transpired the light she had received from the charism of Chiara, without a lot of speeches; and she transmitted this charism to us in all of its depth. In 1968 Natalia was in the mountains of Tatre,” the Cardinal continues, “about 6 hours from the Czech Republic where she helped organize the first Mariapolis. Officially it was a holiday vacation, and to avoid a police investigation they would take long hikes. Then they would stop and Natalia would tell us things . . . The life she was presenting to us was very authentic, everyone was always struck by her simplicity that was completely Marian. Her love conquered because it was so natural and supernatural at the same time.”
“Natalia never left a written narrative about herself, because she was always so accustomed to going beyond herself in giving to others” the author concludes. I have tried to reconstruct her life . . . that irreplaceable contribution of the first focolarine who together with her had lived with Chiara Lubich at the dawning of the Movement. I was also able to draw on several spiritual thoughts of Natalia, which are very precious, written by her on loose pages or sent by voice to the people who worked with her, who then wrote them down.”
(Matilde Cocchiaro, “Natalia: la prima compagna di Chiara Lubich”, Città Nuova Editrice, Rome, 2013. Collana Città Nuova Per).
Austria: Religions For Peace
Ninth General Assembly of Religions for Peace (RFP) in Vienna Austria (November 20-22, 2013). Approximately 600 delegates from around the world, representing religious cultures who express the desire for the Absolute in different ways: Baha’is, Buddhists, Christians, Jews, Jains, Hindus, Aboriginal and traditional religions, Muslims, Sikhs, Shintoists and Zoroastrians. The Assembly was preceded by a conference promoted by King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID ). This is an international Centre for interreligious and cultural dialogue founded through the initiative of Saudi Arabia, Spain and Austria, which also recognizes the important role of the Holy See as a a founder, although participating only as an observer. “Welcoming the other” was the motto of the Ninth Assembly, and this is the challenge of today in a world where the encounter between diverse peoples and cultures, belief systems and social customs is so common. The assembly proposes to contrast the growing tendency to consider those who are different with hostility, by promoting tolerance and acceptance of the other for the progress of human dignity. Maria Voce, currently the president of the Focolare Movement is as of this year, Co-President of the World Council of (RfP), along with 49 representatives from several religions and cultures including Rev. Nichiko Niwano (Buddhist President of the Rissho Kosei-kai in Japan), Rabbi David Rosen (Jewish President of the International Jewish Committee of Interreligious Consultation), Madam Cisse Hadja Mariama Sow (Muslim President of the Muslim Women of Guinea), Dr. Agnes R. Abuom (Anglican Executive Committee of the World Council of Churches in Kenya). 
“Welcoming the other – a multi-religious vision of peace . . . is such a timely idea in today’s world,” Maria Voce stated in her presentation. But she also emphasized that “there is need for a conversion of the heart . . . and this is where the crucial role of religion comes in. Religions need to offer from their innermost depths the spiritual strength to lead humankind toward solidarity and peace. They need to bring about projects that are capable of renewing relations not only at the individual level but also among people of different races, nationalities and cultures.” Chiara Lubich, whom I am representing today, and who strongly supported Religions for Peace, had spent her entire life for the building up of unity in the human family. She was inspired to this by the prayer of Jesus: “That all may be one” (Jn 17:21). Based on Chiara’s example, ever since the beginning of the Movement, we have looked upon every person, that other one who is different from us, as a companion on the journey, a brother or sister without whom we cannot go and present ourselves before God. Today Chiara invites us to: ‘Keep our gaze fixed on the one Father of many children. Then see all creatures as children of this one Father (. . .) To constantly strive (. . .) for universal brotherhood in one only Father: God.” She concluded before offering two helpful witnesses which confirm what Chiara Lubich believed: “Therefore, love of neighbor spreads its roots not just because of some philanthropy but because of the fact that we are all children of one Father. And if we are children of the same Father, we are brothers and sisters to each other.” Chiara Lubich and the Religions will be the theme of a meeting scheduled for March 2014 at the Urbaniana University of Rome on the 6th anniversary of her death. Religions for Peace, begun as a World Conference of the Religions For Peace, has been in operation since 1970 promoting peace processes and finding answers to the issues that challenge the human family today. _____________________________________________________________________________ Press Area: Focus: “Welcoming the other” to build peace _____________________________________________________________________________
The Pearl of the Gospel
The excerpts from Chiara Lubich’s writings that are collected here reflect the deep union with God that she experienced individually and as part of the Body of Christ as she put this “pearl” of the Gospel into practice.
Available from New City Press (NY): www.newcitypress.com/pearl-of-the-gospel
Developing the Relationship in Italian Prisons
“I would share one particular incident. The guys were walking around the corridors. One of us noticed a new arrival. His eyes were weary and still. One of us went up to him and asked: ‘What is it?’ and the guy was speechless. He understood him perfectly: he had had the same experience. He said: ‘Go on, come to my cell and I’ll offer you a good cup of coffee!’ As he prepared the coffee, he continued: ‘Look! You’re doing okay here. Today the sun is shining, and you’ve made a friend. What more do you want from life?’ On visiting day they both happened to be in the same room. The wife and son of the new arrival stood up and went over to thank him for the goodness he had shown their relative.” This was recounted by P.B. a volunteer worker in Padua Prison, Italy. It testifies to the dignity expressed in several stories that are born from small everyday gestures. It was collected during a workshop, the first such workshop for prison workers in Italy, organized by the Focolare’s New Humanity Movement along with the international Comunione e Diritto (CeD)[Communion and Law] network. The workshop was held in Castel Gandolfo, Italy on November 9-10, 2013. Fifty people including prison volunteers, teachers, social workers, ex-inmates, court supervisors and retired ex-court-presidents attended the workshop. There was also an Anglican priest and his wife who along with several others were interested in the topic. These were the main protagonists of this first seminar, a very timely workshop given the current state of prisons in Italy, which was recently denounced by President of the Republic Giorgio Napolitano. There are currently 65, 831 inmates in prisons with places for 45,647 inmates. An excess of more than 20,000 people living in inhuman conditions due to the lack of space and basic hygiene: not to mention the violence and abuse. “We have tried to enter into their suffering and oftentimes the human helplessness in these situations,” says social worker Francesco Giubilato. “We focused on the essentials: the human person and relationship. We considered the individual and his suffering, his needs and also the expectations of the inmates, the prison guards, the prison workers, their families and the community. We sought to create authentic relationships that alleviate loneliness and suffering, as well as bring healing. This meant being attentive to needs and creative in finding solutions that were in line with rules and regulations.” The workshop highlighted different experiences that are underway in Italy in response to this situation. One such experience was that of G.D. who has spent a year in civil service with the La fraternita Association [the Brotherhood Association] inside the Montorso Prison in Verona, Italy. Now he serves the Association at the Listening Centre for families of inmates and ex-inmates. Alfonso Di Nicola works in Roman prisons. Their experiences have highlighted the critical issues related to the difficulty in relating among the people involved. It has likewise shown how internment, when there is the dimension of brotherhood can radically change people and their environment for the better. Gianni Caso, Honorary Adjunct Chairman Emeritus of the Supreme Court has opened another front which is that of the information sector. Here honest information is made available to citizens, which moves them to work for the promotion and changes of laws and their application within a framework of justice, equity and respect for human dignity.
Rod Gorton: Loving one another is the culmination of charity
Rod Gorton, married focolarino, left this world on November 14, 2013 following an accident while carrying out an act of love. He was born in Boston, USA in 1933 and became acquainted with the ideal of unity in the 1960’s. His childhood was marked by the separation of his parents: “At six I found myself without a Dad and, because of the family environment, without God.” During this period he was helped by his passion for music. At twenty years of age he joined the Naval Academy and became an officer of the United States Navy. Navy regulations required him to attend a church on Sundays and this is where Rod first heard about God. He began to have questions: “Are these people all crazy? Or am I the crazy one?” Following a long search and still plagued by doubts, he realized something had changed within him: “I believed!” But he soon discovered many contradictions in the new life, because he didn’t find anyone who took the Gospel seriously. He became a Navy officer and began to travel around the world. He was attracted by the missionaries that he met in several countries and after four years joined a seminary to become a missionary priest. But he was still searching . . .
Rod with Chiara Lubich in Loppiano at 1971
The Gorton family
Perù: a school in the Andes
“Upon my departure from Lima, I had in hand only a piece of paper where a friend had written down the principal stages of the journey: Trujillo, Cajamarca, Celendin and finally Bolívar. A total of 31 hours of travel, the last 12 along an excavated road. The bus, filled with people crowded together amidst sacks of rice and other things, reached its destination at 10:30 in the evening. While we disembarked, a group of people started to sing; it seemed like a welcoming committee and with great surprise I realized that it was for me! The final hours of the trip was made in total darkness, I couldn’t make out where I was. The next day, when I woke up, I found myself in front of a marvelous panorama. I told myself: I am in Paradise!”
It is Walter Cerchiaro, an Italian, who has been in Perù for 6 years who related this. After this first trip, he went to Bolivar several times to meet the community of the Focolare Movement. Now that some of the roads have been fixed the trip only takes 25 hours!
In this little city at 3,200 meters above sea level, a new project of the AMU (Action for a United World Onlus) is being launched. The inhabitants of Bolívar are around 2,500 , who are spread out in 30 communities throughout a very vast territory. The parish priest of Bolívar, Fr. Emeterio, a priest “of the frontier” and the originator of the project, goes to visit them 1-2 times a year. Sometimes it takes him 2 days of travel by donkey, which is their equivalent of a car (in Bolívar you can count the cars with the fingers of one hand).
“Some people live by agriculture, Walter relates. They grow potatoes, hay for the animals; there are also some dairy cows. Some of them also find jobs in public places (school, town hall) but the majority of the adults look for work along the coast: the men as farmers and the women as domestic helpers in some families. The consequences of this situation is immediately apparent: in Bolivar there are only children and the elderly”.
«Fr. Emeterio knows everyone and he realized that many of the children did not attend the public school. The reason is evident: their parents live in chacras (small pieces of land) and they need strong hands to work the land, even the arms of the children are needed. Two years ago the parish priest began a school in the area of the parish. He started the detailed task of going from family to family, assuring them that he would also provide one meal for each child. Then he rented a house because the space that he had was not big enough; and in a short time there were 80 children who came! Some of them have to walk for hours and hours everyday just to reach the school.
In Perù the government assures the payment of the salaries of the teachers even in the private schools, if they can give sufficient guaranties; the school already receives this subsidy. But there is the need to stabilize and secure the carrying-out of the scholastic activities, and the fact that the premises being used is rented does not help matters. After the first 3 months of activities, for example, they had to move out because the owner needed the premises. The AMU project aims at guaranteeing the continuity of the scholastic activities; for this reason a new school will be built, made up of 11 classrooms and a room for the secretary. It will be able to accomodate around 250 children and teens and will include the elementary and highschool levels. There is already the land that belongs to the parish, for the building. It is quite vast and is very suitable”.
“There is no competition with the public school because they are aware of not being able to reach everyone. They do not have the staff available to go from family to family to raise public awareness the way Fr. Emeterio did”.
«Then – Walter concluded – we can already foresee another objective. There is a strip of territory that is bigger and further away, wherein the children are not able to reach the school even after walking for long hours. What is needed for them is a protected environment, a home-family that can house them, with qualified personnel to take care of them. A dream? Maybe, or, simply the second phase of the project, We’ll see!”.
Source: AMU News n. 4/2013
Info: www.amu-it.eu
799
Philippine Emergency/2
The victim count of the displaced and injured, left behind by Typhoon Haiyan in many areas of the Philippines, continues to rise. “We had strong winds in Manila that carried away the roofs from our houses. Many people’s homes were completely destroyed, but this is nothing compared to what happened in Tacloban City and Cebu City. We’re trying to offer some concrete help to them.”
These words were written by Tita, regarding the Bukas Palad Project (New Families) that is carried out in the Tramo and Tambo quarters of the capital. Begun in 1987 with a group of doctors, dentists and nurses from the Focolare, with the help of local people, it currently runs 12 childhood development projects (kindergarten and elementary schooling, nutrition, health care and recreational activities). It also provides support for families, psychological care, micro-credit for home improvement and it runs a social centre with a clinic and several types of labs. “We’ll go to distribute food, clothing and first aid supplies in the cities of Sigma and Aklan,” writes Ding, a focolarina from Cebu. “We felt it was important to begin by rebuilding the homes that have completely destroyed in these two cities.” This project will be taken ahead with the help of the Focolare’s New Families Movement and Action for a United World (AMU).
“We would like to inform those who support the children in the Distance Support project of Tambo, Tramo, Sulyap and La Union that fortunately Metro Manila and Luzon were spared from the typhoon. Our local communities are helping the victims through several projects: a concrete expression of love and solidarity among all.”
“We were just recovering from the earthquake when this terrible typhoon hit!” Gina writes. She works for the solidarity project of Mabolo in Cebu. The islands of Leyte and Samar were especially hit by the typhoon, with real devastation. There are countless dead . . . and everything is lackcing, everything!! In Tacloban there are many Focolare members in the headquarters of the island of Leyte. With gratitude to God, we are finding them all still alive!”
“We haven’t had news from some people yet,” Alessandra informs us. She is also a focoalrina from Cebu. “But we continue to search. It’s not easy because there’s no communication, transport, and it’s just not safe. People are desperate and many have raided stores in search of food and necessities. The strongest experience for me has been to share such suffering with so many people, the painful suspense of not having any news of loved ones, the loss of everything. Against this sorrowful background the love between us emerges so strongly, the concrete help that we can give to others.”
In Tagaytay, Salib is the contact person for a project providing food and preventive care. it is also active in nursery schooling and a Social Centre: “Thanks for all the prayers, beginning with that of the Holy Father, we are safe and sound. Many people have lost everything, and are in need of food and water.
“In Davao, Southern Philippines, we are all well,” Mercy assures. She coordinates a project in the San Isidor quarter. “We heard this morning that some of our friends are save, but we haven’t heard from everyone yet . . .”
For anyone who would like to contribute financially:
Associazione Azione per un Mondo Unito – Onlus
presso Banca Popolare Etica, filiale di Roma
Codice IBAN: IT16G0501803200000000120434
Codice SWIFT/BIC CCRTIT2184D
Causale: emergenza tifone Haiyan Filippine
AZIONE per FAMIGLIE NUOVE Onlus
c/c bancario n° 1000/1060
BANCA PROSSIMA
Cod. IBAN: IT 55 K 03359 01600 100000001060
Cod. Bic – Swift: BCITITMX
MOVIMENTO DEI FOCOLARI A CEBU
Payable to : Emergency Typhoon Haiyan Philippines
METROPOLITAN BANK & TRUST COMPANY
Cebu – Guadalupe Branch
6000 Cebu City – Cebu, Philippines
Tel: 0063-32-2533728
Bank Account name: WORK OF MARY/FOCOLARE MOVEMENT FOR WOMEN
Euro Bank Account no.: 398-2-39860031-7
SWIFT Code: MBTCPHMM
Payable to: Help Philippines– Typhoon Haiyan
Email: focolaremovementcebf@gmail.com
Tel. 0063 (032) 345 1563 – 2537883 – 2536407
Pope Francis visits the Quirinale Presidential Palace
News of the Pope’s visit to the Italian Government on November 14, 2013, where he was welcomed by Giorgio Napolitano, has filled the headlines of news agencies around the world. The meeting which took place in the Quirinale Palace was cordial and simple and marked by the shared values that were expressed in their speeches. There was a noticeable presence of leaders from the civil sector, as well as hundreds of Italian citizens who were in front of the presidential palace to welcome the papal automobile. Inside, to welcome Pope Francis, there was a government delegation and representatives from the business and academic world, as well as several representatives from the world of solidarity who are actively involved in projects for the poor, suffering and least. Maria Voce and Giancarlo Faletti also attended, representing the Focolare Movement. Maria Voce recounts: “Everything took place within an official and at the same time cordial atmosphere. I especially liked the President’s opening remarks, both for how he cited the Pope for his particular ability to reach people’s hearts and for t
hat personal dimension that he brings to the relationships he establishes. The president felt that he had to underscore also the Christian heritage that can be seen in the values that have formed Europe, and the situation that Italy is undergoing in overcoming the tragic situation that is overwhelming politics. He expressed his expectation that a message of the Pope would help to move beyond particularisms in view of the common good. Both men spoke of the fact that we find ourselves in front of questions that call on us to work together and for which there are also common answers, even if in different frameworks and through different methods.” Co-President Faletti mentioned his impression of finding himself inside “a page of human history,” which is certainly linked to the history of Italy. It was evident from the words and testimonies of Napolitano and Pope Francis that having an impact on history will fundamentally depend on the ability to enter into dialogue with others.” 
As he cited the “distinctive characteristic” of the Pope’s pastoral approach, the Head of State stated: “See each person one at a time.” Pope Francis invites us to “a strong consideration of the human person,” knowing how to “communicate with simple people,” transmitting to “each individual and to all the values of Christ’s message, “above all, love for others” to prevent the “spreading of egoism.” The Pope concluded with wish for Italy: That the country “drawing on its rich patrimony of civil and spiritual values,” would find “the creativity and the unity necessary for its harmonious development, to promote the common good and the dignity of each person, and to offer on the international stage its own contribution to justice and peace.”
A trip to Cuba
“Cuba is a beautiful land. It has the atmosphere of a country, which in the 1950’s was in its bloom. Aside from a few buildings and quarters that have been restored in the centre of Havana and other cities, generally there is a state of abandonment.” Agostino and Maris share something about their trip to Cuba. They are a family of the Focolare of Vicenza, Italy. After eleven years in the Dominican Republic, they now live in Italy near Rome. “We could say that we lived those days in Cuba being constantly deeply moved by the genuineness we found in people. We would even go as far as to say that the way they are forced to live in that situation is downright heroic. One family told us how with great effort they had put aside $20.00 for a pair of shoes for one of their children. One Saturday afternoon they went out to buy the shoes, but weren’t able to find anything worth buying at that price and decided to give up the idea for the time being. On their way home they met a very poor family – mother, father and child – whose shoes were destroyed. They looked at one another and decided to give a part of their money for the shoes of that family’s boy. They wouldn’t be the best shoes, but surely better than the ones he was wearing. A few days later grandmother came to visit them. She carried an envelope with some money inside that had been sent by relatives, and she thought she would share some of it with them. It was the exact amount that was lacking to buy the shoes for their own boy. We travelled some 3000 km with several means of transport; in the city we went about on foot, on bicycle, on horse and buggy and with taxi-bikes. 
We met with families in Cienfuegos, Santiago de Cuba, Camaguey, Florida, Holguin and Banes, also with engaged couples, to delve into the spirituality of unity and how it is lived in the family. The groups often included people who didn’t have any religious faith, but it was precisely these people who said that this spirituality was for everyone. We had lunches and dinners with many families. What a beautiful experience it was to be welcomed into their homes and share their lives! The shared many stories of concrete love. One family had gone to visit a couple who had given birth to a baby boy: they realized that the sugar was running out, which they received each month from the State, and it would be quite costly to buy more. When they returned home, they took the sugar they had for themselves and gave it to the family who had none. The couple were surprised and exclaimed: “Now what will you do?” That same evening grandma knocked at the door. She brought her portion of sugar that she was no longer able to use because of health reasons. As we shared in the joys and hardships of our new friends we seemed to understand why this spirituality had begun during war time. Chiara Lubich didn’t wait for better days to begin loving with actions and deeds, but precisely in a time of great difficulty. This confirmed for us that it was possible to live the Gospel in any situation.”
When the Gospel Is Lived/2
Together It’s Possible
Some friends for high school were coming from the villages, from a situation of marginalization; they had been through the worst. My first year was difficult, being isolated. After becoming friends with a boy who, like me, wanted to live in a Christian way, we agreed to reach out most especially to our classmates and peers who were most poor or had serious problems. In front of our school there was a handicap community. We also felt urged to go to them as well, to help them and help them not so unfortunate and alone, and we managed to draw some of our friends into this experience. The last two years of high school were truly filled with enriching and beautiful experiences for all. (G.Z. – Italy)
The Most Beautiful Photo
I’m a photographer by profession and I’ve always looked at people through my professional lens. I’ve always looked at people and the things around me as if they belonged to me somehow. What do God and love have to do with photography? However, I no longer felt satisfied by my work. One day at a conference I was about to take the most beautiful photograph of my life (we photographers always think like this!), when someone tapped me on the shoulder and said my name. It was a toss-up: should I snap the photo or respond to the person who needed me in that moment? There was a moment of suspension and then I turned away from the object I was photographing, and I was filled with a deep joy at who I saw. (M. T.- Argentina)
Two Cases
On the road we met a distraught woman. She was young and her mother had left her with enough money for only three days. Now a week had gone by and the mother still hadn’t retursned. We decided to help her, giving her all that we had in that moment. She was shocked and gladdened by such a gesture, because she would now be able to feed her two brothers. When I arrived home there were two religious sisters who had come to visit us with two cases filled with groceries for us; much more than we had given away. We saw the words of the Gospel coming true: “Give and there will be gifts for you.” (O. M. F.-Bolivia)
Source: Il Vangelo del giorno, (Rome: Città Nuova Editrice, November 2013).
In love with the mystery of Africa
“I loved the torrential rain and the hurricane winds that fall on the Equator without warning in mid-March, wrapping everything in their path with their fury. This is a fury that does justice by restoring a certain balance to this small portion of creation. The overgrown branches of a tree that snap; palms that have grown so tall topple over leaving behind nothing but a small stump, a memorial stone … The nests that are not sufficiently fastened to the arms of the tree are flown into the river, as do the rooftops of many a human dwelling. The thunder and lightning grow louder and stronger, as if in angry search of someone. The waters pour through doorway, window and roof .
Nature has arrived restoring the works of creatures to their proper states reminding us all that all of us stand naked and nothing is our own. This force in nature has always seemed to me a beneficial return to the origins. It never frightened me. No, it only gave me peace. It’s like a renewed encounter with the Creator who strips us of our excess, only to remind us that all is vanity.
“I loved the mud that in the rainy season is the ever-present reality that must be faced whether walking or driving a car. And whatever thing you touch leaves that reddish mark from the mud that is forever there to accompany you, or obsess you if you don’t love it: It’s on your shoes, books, clothing and even in the hair on your head. But if you love it, it makes you smile and becomes your friend.
from left: Lucio dal Soglio, Georges Mani, Dominic Nyukilim, Teresina Tumuhairwe, Benedict Murac Manjo, Marilen Holzhauser, Fr Adolfo Raggio,
Nicolette Manka Ndingsa
“I loved the dust. You don’t know what dust is unless you’ve experienced it in Africa. During the dry season, the dust is part of the atmosphere. It’s the desert arriving with a predictive threat: the Harmattan, that violent wind that sweeps the Sub-Sahara between October and March. It darkens the sun, envelopes both people and things in a radiant dust heat of blinding glare. It’s the dust from the streets and dried out fields that has been lifted and become one with the Harmattan which makes all of creation one big fireball. The temptation is to rebel, to run away, to hide somewhere, to protest. But to whom will you protest? Where will you hide? As usual, the only protest possible is the one against one’s self: you need to see with different eyes, and love the sandy dust. I called it sterile dust and allowed it to fill the nostrils and enter the lungs. It couldn’t hurt because by then it was . . . sterile. I let it dry my lips until they split and the blood poured from my nose. It was already my African dust!
“I loved the humidity and the mould; the mould would soften everything and even detach the soles from their shoes; the suffocating aroma of mould fat that hit you whenever you opened a wardrobe, that stuck to you together with your shirt, that you breathed in the classroom or in the church. Mould is a compound that encompasses all the odours, and a permanent reminder of the decay of all things.
“Over time I learnt to understand and to love all these things. By loving them, I found myself to be part of them, and I never tried to detach myself from them again”.
(Lucio Dal Soglio: “Presi dal mistero, agli albori dei Focolari in Africa”, Città Nuova editrice, Rome, 2013).
Language: publication currently in Italian only (English and French translations pending)
Enquiries: +3096 947989 (Focolare Movement), +3906 96522200 (Città Nuova Publishing House). Email enquiries: info@focolare.org,
Women and Church: A Challenging Issue
Woman of charism or woman of action. There should also be place for the woman of thought, yet her contribution to the teaching authority of the Church is not perceived as essential. Few women are involved in the pastoral care of the family, few hold chairs of Theology and their presence in the formation of priests is very rare.
“The picture of the current situation is quite precise. There is not much consideration of the woman in her contribution to human thought, also because she had very few possibilities to develop it. Only recently has she been accepted in the Pontifical colleges, where Theology is studied. It’s certainly true that there have been wise women and women who have given a contribution to human thought. But their contribution is sometimes more from the direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit – like the great women who became doctors of the Church – than from having developed their thought through comparative studies with other thinkers. The woman always had to fulfil other roles in the Church and in humanity.”
On the topic of the woman, Francis only offered some hints. He counts on the fruitfulness of encounters more than on speculative moments. What would you think of a possible initiative of his that would give rise to a permanent committee, an F8, formed by women with great responsibilities in the Church?
“I think that there is still a long wait for us to see an all female corpus before the teaching authority of the Church. However, I prefer that the woman be together with the men, not someone separate to manifest her own difference. Thus it’s necessary for her to enter the systems of consultation, thought or decision, which are developing little by little in the Church, and to make her female voice be heard. Hence, I’m not thinking of an F8 but an 8 of some kind where men and women are represented, because each one has their own peculiarity, and it’s that distinctive feature that the Church needs. This type of body would appeal to me.”
What do you think of the conclave with the presence of superiors and general superiors of religious orders and presidents of international ecclesial organizations? Would it be an acknowledgement of women?
“I would like to distinguish the conclave as an assembly of preparation for the election of the Pope and the conclave as the moment of election of the Pope. I think it would be very useful if in the first phase there were also the presence of persons who carry out a role in the Church and can contribute their experiences. Their contribution would certainly be different but not less important than the one of the cardinals.
“From what Pope Bergoglio says, the meetings before the election revealed to be crucial for his current stance and for his way of leading the Church towards specific goals. Thus, if those consultative dialogues developed in a vaster ecclesial context than the one limited to only cardinals, I’m sure that more precious contributions would have been offered to our present-day Pope. Then, that these people be allowed to vote in the Pope’s election is something secondary for the moment. We’ll see the future developments, the history of the Church is guided by the Holy Spirit.”
Tomorrow your cell phone might ring and it’s Pope Francis inviting you to meet up with him for a dialogue on the woman and the Church. Which topics would you prioritize to discuss with him?
“Precisely this Pope who tells us about his grandmother and mother, I would ask whether this experience with the women of his family helps him to inspire also an openness to women in the teaching authority of the Church. Well, I would really like it if he would draw from those family experiences in order to highlight that women can have even greater influence than that of a spiritual director or a professor.
Moreover, in his long pastoral ministry in Argentina he must have met many women, also leaders of religious orders. In fact, his characteristics, his way of interacting and behaving make me believe that he had profound and authentic relationships with women. May he count on those rapports today so as to draw out the best from the women in the Church.”
by Paolo Lòriga
First ‘Combined’ Doctorate in Theology
The Great Hall of Sophia University Institute, on the morning of October 8, was filled and festive, as on great occasions. In fact, the conferring of the first joint doctorate granted by two academic universities: the Pontifical Lateran University and the SUI, was taking place.
It was about the first combined doctorate in Theology, in virtue of which, Fr. Stefano Mazzer, a Salesian, has contemporaneously obtained doctorates in Theology conferred by the Lateran, and in the Culture of Unity conferred by the SUI. He passionately defended the dissertation of his thesis: “He loved them until the end”. For a theological phenomenology of the non-being of love: historical pathways and systematic perspectives.
Through a rigorous and engaging historical overview re-proposing the outline of the Western philosophical thought from Parmenides to Schelling and that of Christian mysticism from Frances of Assisi to Chiara Lubich, Mazzer, in fact, was able to illustrate the novelty of the love lived by Jesus Forsaken on the Cross as the opening of a new relational space between the I and his other, in God and in the world. He argues that – it is – about that “trinitization” (as defined by Chiara Lubich) of ties, which is at one and the same time. «gift, coming from the trinity in virtue of the incarnation of the Son and of his death and resurrection» and «real experience of the participation in the life of God himself» in the living out of interpersonal relationships.
Underlining the singular academic value of this event was the presence of the Co-president of the Focolare Movement, Giancarlo Faletti, Mons. Brendan Leahy, professor of Ecclesiology at the IUS and Bishop of Limerick, in Ireland, as a few months ago, and Andrea Bozzolo, rector of the Turin section of the Faculty of Theology of the UPS, along with many others.
As the Dean of the SUI, Mons. Piero Coda, underlined, the weight of the research and its existential and interdisciplinary, as well as the theological quality, make Mazzer’s thesis, which will soon be published, the happiest and most appropriate debut for doctorates in theology, in synergy between the IUS and the Pontifical Faculty of Theology such as the Lateran’s.
Similar agreements of combined doctorates are already in effect, with the Theologic Faculty of Central Italy (Florence), the Pugliese Theologic Faculty (Bari), and the Faculty of Theology of San Miguel (Buenos Aires, Argentina).
Typhoon Haiyan devastates Philippines
“We’re in need of everything, because the city of Tacloban practically no longer exists.” This news arrived directly from the Focolare community in the Philippines during the dramatic hours following the passage of typhoon Haiyan and the destruction it caused on November 9, 2013 especially on the islands of Leyte and Samar. It was one of the worse typhoons in history: communication and electrical power were down in many regions and with the passage of time the death toll continues to rise.
Tacloban is the was the worst-hit city. It is the capital of Leyte Province, an island in the central southeast. 10,000 of its 200,000 inhabitants are thought to be dead, and the number continues to grow. As in many of the islands, there is a Focolare community also in this city. Many of the inhabited regions are unreachable: “We’re trying to make contact from the other islands and take supplies, but communication is still quite difficult.,” write Carlo Gentile and Ding Dalisay from Cebu. “One focolarino doctor, Himmel, along with Rey and Ladyliz attempted to rech Tacloban through the port of Ormoc, on the island of Leyte, but that city was completely destroyed and the roads were unusable.”
On the evening of November 10, 2013, some young people (Gen) from Tacloban, who were in Cebu at the moment of the typhoon, went with a coast guard boat to see how their families were, and check out the local situation.” “Also other relatives of persons with whom we are in contact on the island of Panay, in the path of typhoon, had their homes destroyed or greatly damaged.”
The central region of the Philippines, with the large group of Visayas islands was most at risk both because of the frequency of tropical storms and the construction of dwellings. The devastating typhoon hit the poorest islands of this region, the ones that are most difficult to reach. Aware of the risk, the government evacuated over 600,000 people and collaborated in the construction of refuges. Archbishop of Cebu, Jose Palma, invited everyone to pray, to ask for God’s help. Thanks to all this it seems that human damage was minimal compared to other times, even though the number of deaths is going to rise.”
Assistance arrived from around the world, thanks also to the prayer offered by Pope Francis at the Sunday Angelus. “In Cebu we are already receiving help from all over the Philippines and also from overseas (Hong Kong, Jordan).”
WHERE TO SEND YOUR DONATIONS
FOCOLARE MOVEMENT IN CEBU – see also Emergency Aid poster
Payable to : Emergency Typhoon Haiyan Philippines
METROPOLITAN BANK & TRUST COMPANY
Cebu – Guadalupe Branch
6000 Cebu City – Cebu, Philippines
Tel: 0063-32-2533728
Bank Account name: WORK OF MARY/FOCOLARE MOVEMENT FOR WOMEN
Euro Bank Account no.: 398-2-39860031-7
SWIFT Code: MBTCPHMM
Payable to: “Help Philippines– Typhoon Haiyan“
Email: focolaremovementcebf@gmail.com
Tel. 0063 (032) 345 1563 – 2537883 – 2536407
Association for a United World (Associazione Azione per un Mondo Unito – Onlus)
BANK: Banca Popolare Etica, Rome branch
IBAN: IT16G0501803200000000120434
SWIFT/BIC CCRTIT2184D
Payable to: “Emergenza tifone Haiyan Filippine”
New Families Movement (AZIONE per FAMIGLIE NUOVE Onlus)
c/c bancario n° 1000/1060
BANCA PROSSIMA
IBAN: IT 55 K 03359 01600 100000001060
Swift: BCITITMX
Philippines: When Everything Crumbled
“Seeing the devastating effects of the earthquake that struck the Philippines on October 15, 2013 – with a magnitude of 7.2 on some islands – we immediately began doing something for the victims. We especially wanted to make them feel God’s love, even in such moments when it seems all hope is lost.
At first we were frightened by the aftershocks, which continued on, but we soon realised that this was just a small thing compared to the suffering of the families who had lost everything: houses and dear ones.
With the support of the local Focolare community, we went to Bohol (the region that had been hit by the earthquake). There were 15 of us Youth for a United World (YUW) and several adults from Manila and Cebu. We prepared 200 sacks containing what they seemed most in need of (sleeping mats, blankets and material for making tents) and we set out on the long journey to our destination: Sandigan Island where it was difficult for help to arrive. We brought 200 litres of water with us, the 200 sacks which had been prepared the night before, biscuits and other general necessities.
One difficult moment was when we had to pass through a narrow steep path in the mountain, removing from the camions all the bundles and carrying them to the boats that were to bring us to the island. It took several hours, all the way until midnight; and then we had to push the boats because of the low tide.
But our decision to help these people – thinking of doing it for Jesus who identifies himself with those who are suffering and in most need – made us overcome the obstacles.
We went 6 km inland of Brgy Canigaan. There was no water supply because the water pipes had been destroyed by the earthquake along with the houses. The majority of the population was sleeping in the open, under tents, for fear of aftershocks. It was a painful sight. We reminded each other that we were there to support and help them, and so we began distributing water and the packages we had prepared. And the atmosphere became festive. We created a space in which the children could talk about their traumatic experiences during the earthquake, and we played with them, along with their mothers. And they were able to forget, at least for a bit of time, the painful tragedy they were undergoing.
One elderly man shared how he was living through the tragedy. He had been out fishing when the earthquake hit. He was terrified as he watched his city trembling because of the violent shocks. He was alone; the sea became rough with whirlpools and large waves. He also saw a tiny island popping up and down in the midst of the sea . . . He thanked God for the miracle of surviving, although his house was completely destroyed. We offered him a soft pillow: such a small gesture, but it moved him to tears.
We had given up our vacation holiday and had to overcome the language barrier and other difficulties, but we feel that it was more than worth it! The road back to normality will be long, but seeing these people smile showed us that God remains even when everything else is taken away.”
Compiled by the Manila Secreteriat of Youth For A United World
Natalia Dallapiccola: A Biography
“I set out to write this biography treading softly and with a healthy dose of holy fear.”With these words Matilde Cocchiaro begins her biography on Natalia Dallapiccola who was the first to follow Chiara Lubich. Natalia has had a special role in the history of the Focolare, so much so that Chiara had said that if she had not met a person like her, so prepared by God, perhaps she would never have been able to give a start to the life that was so revolutionary and based on the Gospel. Because of her relentless and unchanging love towards all, Chiara had nicknamed her Anzalon which in the Italian dialect of Trent means Big Angel. She played a determining role in the spreading of the ideal of unity among the countries of the communist bloc, beyond the Iron Curtain, as well as in the field of interreligious dialogue for which she spent energy and talent for 30 years until the last days of her life on earth. Following her death on April 1, 2008 – eighteen days after the death of Chiara – many people had words of gratitude and appreciation for Natalia: “Between me and Natalia,” says Rabbi David Rosen of Jerusalem, “there was a very strong bond. I will forever guard as a treasure her loving and noble spirit.” In the book’s preface Nichiko Niwano, president of the Japanese Buddhist Rissho Kosei-kai Movement states: “For many long years Natalia played the role of an open window which linked us with the Focolare Movement . . . lavishly pouring out the finest qualities of her heart and mind . . . An ancient saying says: “Know the past and you will find what is new.” It means: Study history, study the tradition with care and you will obtain new wisdom. That is all I wish, therefore, and I hope that Natalia’s biography becomes a precious guide for the journey into the future.” From India, Shantilal Somaiya, Kala Acharya and Lalita Namjoshi of the Somaiya Bharatya (Hindu): “With great reverence we remember her visit to our institute and her silent but always edifying way of drawing dialogue forward.” From Skopje. Azir Semani, speaks directly to Natalia in the name of the Muslim Friends of the Focolare from Macedonia: “Thank you for your hand that was always reaching out! . . . We have totally embraced your invitation: ‘that all may be one’. God’s voice through you was a call of love and trust for which we Muslims are honoured to have been able to walk together with you towards a united world. Blessed be your love!” Cardinal Miloslav Vlk, Archbishop Emeritus of Prague, who for many years was responsible for the Bishop Friends of the Focolare Movement, offered the following testimony: “I can truthfully say that Natalia was the mother of the ideal of unity in our lands. From her life, she transpired the light she had received from the charism of Chiara, without a lot of speeches; and she transmitted this charism to us in all of its depth. In 1968 Natalia was in the mountains of Tatre,” the Cardinal continues, “about 6 hours from the Czech Republic where she helped organize the first Mariapolis. Officially it was a holiday vacation, and to avoid a police investigation they would take long hikes. Then they would stop and Natalia would tell us things . . . The life she was presenting to us was very authentic, everyone was always struck by her simplicity that was completely Marian. Her love conquered because it was so natural and supernatural at the same time.” “Natalia never left a written narrative about herself, because she was always so accustomed to going beyond herself in giving to others” the author concludes. I have tried to reconstruct her life . . . that irreplaceable contribution of the first focolarine who together with her had lived with Chiara Lubich at the dawning of the Movement. I was also able to draw on several spiritual thoughts of Natalia, which are very precious, written by her on loose pages or sent by voice to the people who worked with her, who then wrote them down.” (Matilde Cocchiaro, “Natalia: la prima compagna di Chiara Lubich”, Città Nuova Editrice, Rome, 2013. Collana Città Nuova Per).
Great Britain: 50 years on the ecumenical journey
On Saturday, 26 October, Liverpool Hope University welcomed a 400-strong gathering to mark the 50th anniversary of the Focolare Movement’s arrival in Great Britain in 1963. The participants came from Liverpool, Leeds, Newcastle and Wales representing various christian denominations and faith beliefs.
The story goes back to Canon Bernard Pawley who had just returned from the Second Vatican Council, which he attended as an observer. He suggested to the Dean of the Anglican Cathedral in Liverpool that he invite the founder of the Focolare Movement, Chiara Lubich, to speak at the Cathedral to a group of Anglican clergy. He had already mentioned the idea to Paul VI during a private audience and gained papal approval for this event which took place in November 1965.
Reverend Kirsty Thorpe, Moderator of the United Reformed Church, pointed out to those present: “It’s easy for us, 50 years later and living in such a different climate for inter church relations, to underestimate just how radically unusual this event was. For a woman to address a gathering of men was relatively rare in those days, wherever it happened … and in early 1960s, clergy were not known to sit and listen to a lay person as a main speaker …”.
In her diary, on that November 17th, Chiara Lubich remarked on the poignancy of the name, Hope Street, which connects the Anglican Cathedral to the Catholic Cathedral (still under construction at that time) and expressed a heartfelt prayer that, with faith, the ‘mountains’ of lack of understanding between the churches might be moved (cf Mt 17:20).
Professor Gerard Pillay
Today too, the word ‘hope’ continues to link Focolare very much to Liverpool. In his keynote address to Saturday’s gathering, Professor Gerard Pillay, Vice-Chancellor of Liverpool Hope University, reminded those present that the last honorary doctorate Chiara Lubich received, just two months before she died in March 2008, was from Liverpool Hope in recognition for her work of dialogue in ecumenism, in interfaith and with contemporary culture.
He paid tribute to her work describing the Focolare as “not institutionally focused, not empire building but part of the spreading out goodness all over the world … Chiara Lubich, from the very beginning was outward looking.” He recalled the words of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople who said: “There are some people whose life touches lives so universally that upon their passing away they remain an indelible inspiration of grace. One such life, a life worth living and well worth remembering is that of Chiara Lubich”.
Professor Pillay went on to outline the strong bonds between the University and Focolare’s charism saying: ‘We at this university are drawn to a charism of seeking unity because of our ecumenical commitment (…). It is a peculiar Liverpool achievement for which we are all grateful (…). Chiara Lubich believed that dialogue (which for the university is rational discourse and living in peace) is the privileged way to promote the unity of the Church among religions and non religious people, without syncretism. It is not just a muddling together of everything for something palatable. It is the openness to all people while being faithful to one’s own identity. That is the deep wisdom of Chiara Lubich’s vision.”
Youth Festival in Burkina Faso
“At the moment when the Youth Festival was to begin in the beautiful and modern grand open theatre of Bobo-Dioulasso, the electricity failed . . . and there were 420 of us!” The Youth for a United World then shared what happened during those first uncertain moments of the joy-filled event that took place on October 19, 2013, which they had organized in Burkina Faso. Electrical energy is distributed by region in the city, and precisely at the hour of the Youth Festival a blackout had been scheduled for that area. “When we realized this,” the young people recount, “we ran to the Electrical Energy Society of the country and, fortunately, when we told them about our gathering they immediately restored the power for the event.”
Omar, one of the Muslim Youth for a United World recalls, “The period leading up to the event was also quite beautiful, as we were preparing it. It took four months of working together and overcoming our diversity.”
Finally the day arrived. “The surprises began early in the morning at the press conference,” Liberta explains. “We found ourselves with nearly 150 people including the Vicar General and the Assistant Mayor of one of the cantons of Bobo-Dioulasso, and there was television and radio coverage.”
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Omar continues: “Also the 420 people who attended the event were a surprise, because even important concerts hardly ever reach that number.”
The young people included Muslims, members of the Saint Egidio Community, Christians from several Churches and representatives from traditional religions. Also present were the Episcopal Vicar, the Assistant Mayor, the Governor’s representative, President of the Association of Protestant Churches and that of the Assembly of God Churches.
“A beautiful dialogue was created among actors and the public; a family atmosphere, also through the experiences that were recounted by the Youth for a United World. We read what Maria Voce had written in her greeting, with her invitation to spread a culture of peace and unity around us so that love will triumph over hatred and war disappear. Her words were listened to with much attention by the young people.”
The programme contained song, dance and choreography not only by the Youth for a Untied World, but also by the Titiama artistic group and by Protestant youths. Mrs. Toussy, a famous singer in Burkina Faso, intoned the song Let us love one another, then a singer from Togo presented one of his songs.
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The speech by one young Muslim man was very moving, the son of an Iman and ex-president of the Burkina Muslim Community, who encouraged everyone not to r give up in the face of difficulties that can arise in the relationship between Christians and Muslims. He concluded saying: “The Focolare Movement is a river of love where there is no proselytism, but only desires to create a world of brotherhood.”
“I find myself in front of something here that goes beyond my thinking; I never imagined it would be this beautiful, or I would have invited all the young people of my Church,” said one Pastor. Everyone left filled with joy, and desirous to bring forward the ideal of fraternity that leads to peace and unity. “Working together, we have realized that this fraternity is too beautiful to keep among ourselves,” commented one young woman from the Saint Egidio Community.
National television broadcasted portions of the event several times on news broadcasts, and the radio continued for several days to broadcast portions of the concert.
“Now,” the Young for Unity enthusiastically explained, “we want to get to work, to continue to collaborate and build dialogue among us, in this atmosphere of openness to each other. At our next event we want to fill the stadium.”
Gen Verde’s New Concert: “Start Now!”
“The show communicated so much, it was direct and filled with joy and energy. The performers are happy people who share a genuine relationship of mutual love.” “This performance was fresh and spontaneous and the instrumental and voice quality was quite good. The dynamic and rhythm of the show kept you on the edge of your chair.” “The show transformed me without my realizing it. At the end I was different.” These are a few of the impressions that were shared by some of the spectators of the show when the concert ended. It is one of the most recent shows to come from the Gen Verde Musical Group.
Start Now! took off on October 11th when it was first performed in little town Loppiano before an international audience of 300 people at Gen Verde’s permanent theatre. The band took stage together with 67 young people from both the local area and abroad.
During the three-days of rehearsing for the show – with song, dance, theater and music – the young people were encouraged to practice their talents and discover new ones. Throughout this creative exercise that was guided by respect and transparency, the artists from Gen Verde and the participants in the workshop worked side by side as members of the same team and concluded with a pop-up performance on the Loppiano stage.
“The educational objectives of the project,” Gen Verde explains “are to promote the arts as a means of educating toward peace, intercultural dialogue, human dignity and the creation of interpersonal relationships that promote human development.”
These goals are achieved through multidisciplinary artistic workshops. “This educational method is based on an experiential approach in which workshop participants share in the group’s growth by working not only as students, but also as protagonists on stage with us,” the artists affirmed.
“First I thought it would be helpful to be a bit egocentric in order to perform,” says one of the young people, “but now I realize that being on stage doesn’t mean thinking about me, but about the other.” “While we were on stage,” another girl adds, “I felt like there was no difference between us and Gen Verde.”
This project seeks to help young people discover art as a universal language that transcends every type of barrier, instilling skills that can be applied in every area of daily life.
Start Now! is intended for schools, universities and youth groups, and can be adapted to the target age and artistic experience of the participants.
Brazil: Solidarity in Action
“Existential peripheries”: these two words had particular significance during the two-day seminar held during 21-24 October in Brazil. The seminar was attended by participants from 12 Latin American countries representing 40 social welfare organisations inspired by the Focolare’s charism of unity. From the exchange of experiences it appeared that the encounter with those on the peripheries, for whom Pope Francis has appealed, seems to have been underway for many years: where drug dealers were sewing death, very often among young people; where children of tender age were spending their lives on the streets; where farmers were being forced to migrate to cities for lack of work, increasing the number of favelas. The stories were deeply moving of those working in many different social organizations under great hardship because of a scarcity of human and material resources. This led to the need for a permanent network, for an ongoing exchange of experiences, problems and resources. The social organisations from Spanish-speaking lands launched the website www.sumafraternidad.org so this network could spread more widely; also in other expressions of the Focolare that have begun in the fields of economy, politics, education, law, family and youth. Sumafraternidad.org is far more than a simple crowd funding platform, say the creators of the digital support; what we are really aiming at is generating connections that are transformational. The fraterntiy in action: basis for social cohesion in the 21st century seminar addressed the socio-political landscape of the continent that even until now is plagued with a lack of social cohesion, resulting in exclusion and profound inequality, claims Argentine political scientist Juan Esteban Belderrain. With Uruguayan Susana Nuin from the Communications Commission of the Bishops Conference of Latin America (CELAM), elements of the Church’s social doctrine were examined inasmuch as they relate to the problematic situation of Latin America. 
The transformational potential of the charism of unity rooted in the thinking of Chiara Lubich, refocused on making yourself one, and was described by Brazilian sociologist Vera Araujo. She defined this as the indispensable evangelical method for building relationships; the horizons of fraternity that imposes a removal of inequality; Jesus crucified and forsaken, “who became identified with all the crucifixes of the world and opened new areas of resurrection.” “It is this cry,” said Father Vilson Groh, who has been involved for many years in helping children on the peripheries of society, “that makes us enter into the abandonment of those who are excluded, makes us capable of entering into communion with them, and prevents us from becoming accustomed to social injustices.” Some disturbing questions emerged from the chorus of voices: “Do we take it to be normal that strong social imbalances continue to exist? Have we silenced our own consciences, because others are already directly involved in finding solutions to these dramatic situations? There was a strong call for collectively assuming social responsibility.
Humanity as one family
After thanking for having been awarded the prestigious prize to the Focolare Movement “an instrument for bringing about unity and peace on our planet, as well as many other excellent and valuable organizations, initiatives and projects,” Chiara Lubich outlined the Spirituality of unity:
This lies in the new way of life it proposes, a new lifestyle adopted by millions of people. It is inspired by profound Christian principles, while also emphasizing parallel values present in other faiths and cultures. In actuality, it has brought to this world of ours—which needs to find or secure peace—precisely peace and unity.
I’m speaking of a new spirituality that is both timely and up-to-date: the spirituality of unity.
It is deeply rooted in certain phrases from the Gospel, phrases that are interlinked.
I will cite only a few here.
Those who share the spirituality of unity also share a profound understanding of the essence of God: God is Love, he is a Father.
In fact, how would it be possible to imagine peace and unity in the world without a vision of humanity as one family? And how can it be seen as such without the presence of one father?
There is the call to open one’s heart to God the Father who certainly does not abandon his children to their own destiny, but who wants to accompany, protect and help them. He knows the depths of every person; he follows each one in particular, counting even the hairs on one’s head. He does not place burdens on their shoulders without being the first to carry them.
He does not leave the renewal of society solely to the initiatives of men and women, but he takes care of it.
To believe in his love, this is what this new spirituality requires, to believe that we are personally and immensely loved by God.
To believe.
Believing and choosing him as the Ideal of one’s life from among the countless possibilities offered by our existence is equivalent to intelligently taking on the attitude which everyone will assume at the point of reaching the final destiny: eternity.
Clearly, it is not enough to believe in God’s love; it is not enough to have made this great choice ofhim as our Ideal. The presence and loving care of the Father of all calls each one to be a daughter or ason, loving the Father in return and living out day by day the Father’s loving plan for one’s life, that is, to carry out his will.
And we know that a father’s first desire is for the children to treat each other as brothers and sisters, to care for and to love one another. They should know and practice what can be described as the art of loving.
He wants us to take the initiative in loving without waiting for the other person to love us first.
This art of loving means that we love each one as ourselves, because “You and I,” Gandhi said, “are one. I cannot hurt you without wounding myself.”
He wants us to be the first to love, without expecting the other to love us back.
It means knowing how to “make ourselves one” with others, that is to identify with their burdens, their thoughts, their sufferings and their joys.
If this love for the others is lived together, it becomes mutual.
And Christ, the Father’s Son par excellence, Brother of all, has left a norm for humanity: reciprocal love. He knew how necessary it was so that there might be peace and unity in the world, so that there might be one family.
Certainly today, whoever attempts to shift the mountains of hate and violence faces a huge and heavy task. But what is beyond the strength of a million isolated and separate people appears possible to those who have made reciprocal love, mutual understanding and unity the motivating force of their lives.”
More: Centro Chiara Lubich
Jerusalem: the Mount Zion Award 2013
Margaret Karram (centre) and Yisca Harani (right).
MariTè: Unity in Music
Singing of the hope and desire in the new generations to roll up their sleeves and become involved in building the future while not falling short of their ideals has been the main work of MariTè, a young “Soul and Afro-pop” singer and self-taught guitarist. She is Italian, born of Congolese parents and the music section winner of the Saint Vincente 2013 Beauty and Voice Prize. She responds to some interview questions by Africa News: Tell us something about your music. The musical trio that I sing with offers a blend of Soul and African music, Afro-Soul. Now I’m moving toward Gospel music. I direct a thirty-voice choir, and I’ve returned to my old love Rhythm and Blues, but the African influence is always there. Is there something in particular that inspires you? I draw inspiration from everything around me. I’m a song writer and my lyrics express the things I live. But I also gather inspiration from everyday life: a news headline that has struck me, meeting someone, etc. What are the most common obstacles that you encounter in your musical career? It’s not always easy being a woman. You can find worthwhile opportunities for more visibility, but often for something in return. Refusing on the grounds of my personal values is always a challenge. At times it’s painful, but I also see these moments as moments of strength: showing that it is possible to sing, play and dance while not making compromises. 
What is your message to other young people born in Italy of immigrant families? I deeply believe that the second generation is the bridge between their country of origin and that of their birth. It’s important to study and grow in order to give a valid contribution to the land of our origins as well as the land of our birth, and to open ourselves to the second generation, who are an integral and vibrant part of the country. When I think about this and the fact that I am part of the second generation, I feel so proud. I love both my countries, and I feel honoured to wave the flag of both cultures. On behalf of the Focolare Website, we asked MariTe another question: How does living the spirituality of unity influence your understanding of art and how it is expressed? I’ve known Chiara Lubich and the Focolare Movement since I was a child. When I was 20 years old I attended a convention for artists at the Mariapolis Centre in Castel Gandolfo, which was very illuminating for me. I wrote to Chiara to thank her, because I felt that I had understood my mission. My music and my life are a gift given to me by God, and I would like to place this gift at His service in spreading the message of unity. I sing loudly about the hope that seems to be hidden by superficiality today. We young people cannot allow ourselves to crumple; we are the ones who will create our own future. We have to roll up our sleeves and get it done.Watch video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooCiwDvV2ss
Those who hear God’s voice, serve others
Life seems to mirror theatre. The theatre is filled with pathologies: divorces, adultery, obsessions. Life is war, disasters, havoc and its protagonists, demagogues, thieves, fools… It’s like living in a theatre where inspiration has been substituted by folly. Sensitivity is needed and spiritual visibility in order to notice beyond the problems, the virtues that blossom in the darkness, the heroism that is consummated within four walls, the peaceful resistance of workers and others, scholars and teachers. Inner silence needs to be rediscovered in order to feel the flow of goodness, that current in which the grace of God flows through the goodness of men. And many have lost the notion of this and are ignorant of the experience.
When we draw from this fountain we notice how the image of the people of importance becomes blurred as they make the newscasters talk about them and fill our days with noise. The alternative would be to risk becoming impoverished and alone, helplessly facing the tragedy of this world on our own. This loneliness is lurking within each one of us, while our soul longs for solidarity with other souls; it needs its social life. The souls who love and offer support are the saints, not only the conspicuous ones on the altars and in the annals of the martyrs, but the humble, the countless humble people who suffer like us through these troubling times because of the harmful actions of others in every corner of the world. An illusion? No more than the illusion for which our thinking with a single leap passes beyond the terms this world has to offer.
We know the forces of the cosmos by their effects; we know the communion of saints by the fruits.
First of all by the energy it brings to our interior life, then by the assistance put forward in our exterior life. If so many individuals give what they do not need, to help the populations in need; if thousands of missionaries, nurses, volunteer servants of humankind run to assist peoples who have never been seen and do their utmost for them, even to the point of sacrificing their own lives; if many individuals suffer because of the sufferings of their neighbours, and spend their lives in producing advantage for the children of others, they do it because they are listening to the voice of love, which is the voice of God.
Through the spiritual gifts that flow from these gestures, a life among souls is created which is higher than political, territorial, linguistic and cast division: a communion that is at work within this fabric formed by the very substance of our souls, which came forth from the hands of God, a divine substance. We think of these lowly men and women, visiting hovels, medicating wounds, bringing bread to the hungry and hope to the troubled.
And at their backs are all those great and shining brothers and sisters who have preceded them in that giving and fatigue: the saints of the altars and those not written in the martyrologies, but who have been written in the Book of Life. And untiringly they continue to share in our experience, to support us in our patience and nourish us with strength.
Igino Giordani in: Le Feste, International Press Society, 1954.
When the Gospel is lived
I believe in love Distressed and disillusioned after discovering that our son Bob, with two of his friends, had stolen some alcohol, we tried to make him feel our love in spite of everything. At the courthouse, while we were waiting for his sentencing, seeing that one of the boys responsible for the robbery was abandoned by his parents, we went up to him to try to cheer him up. Seeing our actions, the judge accepted the fact that our son regretted his actions and recognizing the support that he had at home, he decided not to sentence him and the other two boys. Days later I asked Bob what he believed in if he didn’t believe in God, and I heard him say: “I believe in love, because I saw it in you and in Mum” . (A.K. – Australia). That gesture of solidarity A telephone call informs me that a relative of the lady who works with us as our maid is very ill. They ask me to go and visit her. I am tired and the weather is cold. I look at my wife and I understand that this too is an occasion to be faithful to this way of life for the others whom we are trying to bring ahead together. I go out to visit that sick person, we bring him to the hospital where the doctors immediately take charge. I went back home and it was quite late, I find my wife waiting for me to have dinner together. We don’t say much to each other but something has changed between us, our relationship has been enriched because of this gesture of solidarity. (D. R. – Colombia). 
At the refugee camp I was entrusted with the social services of a refugee camp, but there were no means available, there was nothing to give them, In a group of orphans there was a seven-year old boy who became separated from his family. His mother, after days of walking, arrived in the camp and found him, but she was very weak because she had not eaten for many days. I had only 300 francs left, equivalent to about one dollar: a fortune. I needed it, but she needed it more than I did. I gave it to her and so she was able to buy some food, water and a small hut where she could be sheltered. I went back home with the certainty that God would take care of me. A few days later my elder sister arrived, who had been searching the camp for me for days. She brought me 1000 francs. (C. E . – Rwanda). Source: The Gospel of the Day, November 2013, Città Nuova Publishing House.
October 31st: Reformation Day
On October 31, 1517 in the university city of Wittenberg, Germany, theology professor Martin Luther presents 95 theses on indulgences “out of love and concern for the truth, and with the object of eliciting it.” This date marks the beginning of the Protestant Reform and the division within the Christian Church of the West.
500 years have passed and that moment in history is no longer considered simply a dark moment. On the contrary, we now celebrate this anniversary with 50 years’ experience of theological dialogue among Lutherans and Catholics. On October 21, 2013 a delegation from the Lutheran World Federation was received by the Pope, to whom they handed over the latest results of that theological dialogue with the meaningful title: From Conflict to Communion. The Lutheran-Catholic Interpretation of the Reform in 2017. The Holy Father underscored the commitment to progress in spiritual ecumenism that constitutes “the soul of our journey towards full communion,” and “it permits us to have a foretaste of some of that fruit already now, even though imperfectly.”
How can we transmit this necessary something for a life with God, for which it is worthwhile to struggle and fight? How can we transmit to our contemporaries the traditions that they might be the supports of an intense Christian life, without digging ourselves into new trenches? These are some of the questions posed by the document From Conflict to Communion. We begin with Heike Vesper, Lutheran focolarina from Germany, now residing in Italy where she works with Centro Uno, the Focolare Movement’s secretariat for ecumenism.
“For 35 years I have been living the spirituality of unitytogether with Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican and Lutheran friends. This has brought me into contact with other Churches and their life with God. It’s been extraordinarily enriching. I am surprised by the greatness of God and the action of the Holy Spirit that my Church alone could never fully express. I was around twenty years old and had known the Focolare Movement for several years when I felt that God was calling me to give witness to the unity that was possible, precisely in the diversity that went along with community. Despite the fears and differences I saw with respect to Catholics, I felt the courage to respond to God’s call and entered the focolare community in Leipzig. The experience of these twenty years was exactly what the Pope underscored on October 21st when he met with Lutherans: “In the measure to which we humbly draw near in spirit to the Our Lord Jesus Christ, we are sure to draw nearer to one another also; and to the measure in which we invoke from the Lord the gift of unity, he will surely take us by the hand and be our Guide.”
There were also difficulties, perplexity concerning some forms of Catholic traditions that were unfamiliar to me. As I began again, I always felt that I had to look at what we had in common and I often discovered this in the most unexpected places. This would encourage me and allow me to be guided by Jesus, by Jesus in the midst [see Mt 18:20].
The first of Luther’s 95 thesis on indulgences states: “When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, “Repent” (Mt 4:17 ), he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.” This means being able to forgive. God continually gives me a new chance, because on the Cross, Jesus also takes on all of my failures and those of every person. That’s my penance: being able to forget, to be reconciled!
The document From Conflict to Communion concludes with 5 ecumenical imperitives that invite Catholics and Lutherans to reflect on prospectives of unity, to give visibility to the Body of Christ. This confirms my experience in the Focolare Movement:
- The first imperative: “Catholics and Lutherans should always begin from the perspective of unity and not from the point of view of division in order to strengthen what is held in common even though the differences are more easily seen and experienced.”
- “The second imperative: “Lutherans and Catholics must let themselves continuously be transformed by the encounter with the other and by the mutual witness of faith.”
- The third imperative: “Catholics and Lutherans should again commit themselves to seek visible unity, to elaborate together what this means in concrete steps, and to strive repeatedly toward this goal.”
- “The fourth imperative: “Catholics and Lutherans jointly should rediscover the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for our time.”
- “The fifth imperative: Lutherans and Catholics should witness together to the mercy of God in proclamation and service to the world.”
Drawing closer to the Word of God I’d like to be able to experience and affirm with Martin Luther: “Then I felt literally reborn and brought through the thrown-open gate of Heaven itself. The entire Scripture suddenly acquired a new face for me. Later I read The Spirit and the letter by St. Augustine, where, against every hope, I discovered he also interpreted God’s justice in a similar way, as the justice with which God clothes us when he justifies.”
Schönstatt’s 100th Anniversary
Fr Joseph Kentenich
One session entitled Schoenstatt in dialogue focused on paths for the future while keeping in mind the primary objectives: reviving missionary joy for the evangelisation and bringing the light of the Covenant of Love to the world. Ample space was given for several Movements of various Churches to share the testimonies of their involvement in the Together for Europe network to which Schoenstatt has belonged since the start. The 1999 visit of Chiara Lubich, Andrea Riccardi and several leaders of the Focolare and Saint Egidio Community was remembered. On that occasion the two founders, along with Schoenstatt Father Michael Marmann and Sister Doria made a pact in the name of their respective Movements, to love and esteem one another. 
Longstanding friendship between Focolare and Schoenstatt. One of the most memorable moments of this friendship was in 2001, in Swizterland when a group of Schoenstatt priests, along with Father Kentenich’s successor, Father Marmann, posed a series of questions to Chiara about one of the main points of the spirituality of communion, Jesus forsaken, and about the “crisis in the ministerial priesthood.” How do we get out of this crisis? “Priests must become better Christians,” Chiara suggested, “because being a Christian means living the Gospel, and because this is how the Holy Spirit works. . . With the Gospel, the Church is revived. It is revived in the laity, in the priests, in the bishops and in the popes. Therefore, the Holy Spirit’s way to emerge from this crisis is to begin living the Gospel authentically and completely.”
Families with Pope Francis
The families came from around the world for their appointment with Pope Francis on October 26- 27, 2013, for an event that was part of the Year of Faith. The title of the meeting had been promoted by the Pontifical Council for the Family: Family, experience the joy of faith. It was a festive St. Peter’s Square that welcomed 100,000 people from 75 countries. Mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandchildren, countless children . . . all listening to pope Francis, amidst the applause, song and hundreds of colourful flying balloons. Families from several parts of the globe shared their stories. Among them: a family belonging to the Focolare Movement’s New Families, a movement that collaborated with many others in bringing about the event. Three European couples expressed their intention to marry “despite everything;” a married couple with their son in their arms, announced the arrival of a second child; a family shared its courageous choice to join the missions; another well-known family on the island of Lampedusa in southern Italy assisted in saving several Eritrean refugees; then, one Nigerian shipwreck survivor on the same island; another family was forced to flee because of the war. . . “Life is often tiring, many times it is tragic. . . ,” commented the Pope after hearing them speak. But what is really burdensome is the lack of love.” The pope invited families not to believe in the ‘throw-away’ culture,’ that chops life into pieces. “Christian spouses are not naïve,” he pointed out, “they know the problems and the dangers of life. But they are not afraid to assume their responsibility.” There are three key words that should never be missing in a family, said Pope Francis: please, so as not to be intrusive; thank you so as to communicate love; and sorry so as to be able to forgive and begin again each day (see full text). Nineteen songs composed by young people who took part in the Family Talent Contest and 4,200 drawings by children in the Present Your Family to the Pope project. A gesture of support for the families of Syria also went out from St. Peter’s Square with the collaboration of Caritas Italy and Caritas Syria. Holy Mass was celebrated on Sunday, October 27, 2013 amidst an atmosphere of deep recollection and prayer. The Pope invited all to rediscover the dimension of simplicity of joy in prayer. “Pray in the family, for one another,” he said. Regarding faith: “Let’s not keep it of ourselves as if it were our bank account,” but share it through our witness and openness to others, urging us to go out to the peripheries (complete text of Pope Francis’ homily) The event had been preceeded by the 21st Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Council for the Family (October 23-25, 2013). “The family is founded on the indissoluble matrimonial unity between a man and a woman, and it is open to life, it is the engine of the history and of the world,” the Pope affirmed, but “but we should want to be near to couples in crisis and near to those who are separated.” This is the reason and goal for the 2014-2015 Synod on the Family, “not to redefine the theology of matrimony and the family,” specified Bishop Paglia, “but to welcome and listen to families, living in various and complex situations.” For more: www.familia.va
Video on CTV Romereports http://youtu.be/AIo6T_uCNg0
Disability: the value of life
“Our journey in life has shaped us and led us to love everyone, especially those considered the least in society. Who would be viewed less fortunate than a severely brain-damaged child?” These are the words of Mark and his wife, Ada, in sharing their personal experience which led to a social and political commitment following the birth of their daughter Chiara. Marco is an official at the Finance Department; his duties and competence include financing plans aimed at establishing new cooperatives and enterprises as well as over-viewing the management of activities within the Public Service. Presently, he is local Counselor for the Region of Sardinia. “Ada and I come from an experience of being committed as young people in the Focolare Movement, living a life marked by the values of fraternity, mutual love and unity. Together we made the choice of living the Gospel every day. We decided to form a family that is open to others, making ourselves available to those in need and choosing the path of mutual love.” In 1987, two years into our marriage, Chiara was born. We really wanted this child and considered her as a new and important step in our married life. Shortly after her birth, the first symptoms of a neurological disorder manifested themselves. Since then Ada and Marco had to make and enact important and decisive choices: “One doctor suggested that we place her in a specialised institution so as to allow us to lead a normal life. But even though we were aware of the difficulties we would have to face, we decided to adapt to her way of life and not the other way around.” 
“Thanks to our daughter.” Marco says, “We got into action by creating a network among many families who lived in similar situations, up to the point of putting together an organization which is now widespread in many Italian regions. It’s called ABC: Association for Brain-Injured Children which enables thousands of struggling families to have their rights recognized. We are thus able to exert an influence towards the creation of new structures and the promotion of laws that are appropriate and innovative in terms of dealing with disability.” One example we can give is with regards to a health care legislation dating back from 1998 which supports people dealing with severe disabilities who are facing critical situations, together with their families. Marco has promoted this law and has been one of the protagonists in the struggle for its implementation. Up to now, there are almost 20,000 funded projects. Sardinia has become the first region in Italy for which such resources to be allocated. It is a model for the other Italian regions, and even abroad. “Together with other families and groups,” continues Marco, “we have become active participants in a social action promoting the implementation of human rights. We have taken upon ourselves the responsibility of people who are in critical situations, while going beyond the pietistic model and welfare approach which typically create social segregation. We are experiencing that by improving the quality of life of the so-called weaker persons, we are bringing about an improvement of society.” Ada comments: “The 26 years of Chiara’s life have given me a profound sense of the dignity of human life, because even though she cannot speak and does not have the ability to move, she continuously gives me a message of vitality. I have learned to understand her body, hands and face language. My daughter makes me understand every day the immense value of her life and physical being. In my life, there is, of course, no shortage of pain and difficulties. But as I understand its profound significance, the outcome in an experience of light, of great fullness and, why not, of satisfaction and gratification, when I think of all that came out of it.”
November 2013
It means entering into the hearts of the people we meet in order to understand their mindset, their culture, their traditions, so as to make them, in a certain sense, our own, and really understand what they need and be able to discern those values God has planted in the heart of every person. In a word: kindness means to live for whoever is near us.
Tender-heartedness: welcoming others as they are, not as we would like them to be, with a different character, with our political views or our religious convictions, and without those faults and habits that annoy us so much. No, we need to expand our hearts and make them able to welcome everyone, with their differences, their shortcomings and troubles.
Forgiveness: always seeing the other person as new. Even where we find our most beautiful and most peaceful relationships, in the family, at school, at work, there are inevitably moments of friction, differences of opinion, clashes. People reach the point of not speaking to each other, of avoiding one another, to say nothing of when real and true hatred towards someone who thinks differently roots itself in the heart. We have to make a strong, rigorous and thorough commitment to try and see each brother or sister as though they were new, completely new, not remembering at all how they have hurt us, but covering everything with love, with a complete amnesty in our hearts, imitating God who forgives and forgets.
True peace and unity are attained when kindness, tender-heartedness and forgiveness are lived not only by people individually, but together, with one another mutually.
And just as the embers of a fire have to be stirred every now and then, so that they are not smothered by the ashes, so too from time to time it is necessary deliberately to revive the decision to love one another, to revive our relationships with everyone, so that they are not covered up by the ashes of indifference, apathy, selfishness.
Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.
These attitudes demand to be translated into deeds, into practical action.
Jesus himself showed us what love is when he healed the sick, when he fed the crowds, when he brought the dead back to life, when he washed the feet of his disciples. Actions, deeds: this is what it means to love.
I remember the mother an African family whose daughter, Rosangela, lost an eye after an aggressive young boy poked her with a stick. He even continued making fun of her afterwards. Neither of the boy’s parents said that they were sorry. The silence, the lack of relationship with that family, made Rosangela’s mother feel bitter. ‘Don’t be upset,’ said Rosangela who had forgiven the boy, ‘I am lucky because I can see with my other eye!’
‘One morning,’ Rosangela’s mother said, ‘the boy’s mother sent someone to get me to go round to her house because she felt ill. My first reaction was: “Look, now she comes to me for help. With so many other neighbours she could have asked, she asks me, after all her boy has done to us!”
‘But suddenly I remembered that love has no limits. I hurried over to her house. She opened the door and fainted into my arms. I took her to the hospital and stayed with her until the doctors saw her. A week later she was discharged from the hospital and came to my house to thank me. I welcomed her with all my heart. I had managed to forgive her. Now we are in touch again. In fact, our relationship is totally new.’
Every one of our days, too, can be filled with real acts of service, humble and intelligent expressions of our love. We will then see fraternity and peace grow around us.
Chiara Lubich
(First Published August 2006)
Youth: A Radical Choice
“Rather than sharing my personal story – Stefano Isolan, a young Italian shares – I would like to talk about the community that raised me.
In 1986 my parents, farmers for generations, moved to Loppiano putting themselves at the service of the little city of the Focolare Movement. I was only three years old. We found ourselves immersed in a very welcoming reality, both on the part of the focolarini as well as the neighbours who introduced us to the Tuscany farming culture. Thanks to them my love for this earth grew throughout the years up to the point of pushing me towards embarking on the study of agriculture.
Working in the Loppiano Farm was a big gift: an enterprise that puts love and respect for the earth at its center, the cooperation among the workers and shareholders, with the aim of generating good and healthy products.
In Loppiano I saw people from all over the world come and go. It became natural for me to have friends of different cultures and religions. I experienced firsthand that, by giving space to the love that God has placed in the heart of every person, a united world is possible.
In the meantime, I had developed many friendships at Incisa (the nearby town) and in Florence, I started dating a young girl and I participated in the life of the parish. Together with the parish priest we experienced the authentic and fruitful love of the Gospel. A love that shows us the road that God has thought of, for our full realization. From this group in fact, beautiful families were formed, three vocations to the religious life, and one to the priesthood: tangible fruits of the Love of God among us. I felt myself to be a part of a community that has given me so much and for which I felt the need of giving something in return. I committed myself to associationism, in particular in the Workshop for Peace.
In the Spring of 2004, I was invited to run as a candidate for the Town Council of Incisa. After days of reflection and consultation with the young people of the Focolare with whom I shared everything and also with my friends in Incisa, I answered positively to that which seemed to me a way of giving back the good things that I have received. They were five years lived in close contact with the people. In the midst of sacrifices, successes and some failures, we worked – each one according to his or her own beliefs – to make our Town more livable for each and every person. A concrete example was that of the segregated rubbish collection. With the committment of the council and the all the citizens we became one of the most virtuous towns in Tuscany. I cannot also forget the big aim of uniting the town councils of Incisa and Figline, the result of years of collaboration and consultation with the citizens.
Bolivia 2012: Stefano with his sisters
And thus, my natural family, the Focolare Movement, the parish, the community of Incisa, the nature itself which surrounded me, started to become always more, one reality. I wanted to put myself at the full-time service of this big family. But I didn’t know how. Gradually an idea started to form within me: answer to the love I have received with Love. I felt the call of God to the priesthood which, for me, meant directing my life to His service, and as a consequence to the service of my brothers and of the whole humanity. Certainly it was not easy to leave all my activities. And it was even more difficult to leave my people and my land to enter the Seminary. But God himself made me experience the words of Jesus: “Whoever leaves father. mother, fields, for my name with receive a hundred times more …” (Mt 19,20). And it was really like this. Even if I entered the Seminary in 2007, I was able to conclude my term as Town Councilor up to the end of the legislature in 2009, and in 2014 I will be ordained a priest.
I would like to bear witness that it is worth it to live of one another, to work to make our world more beautiful, it is worth it to love, there where each one of us is called to do so. And I cannot but thank God for this cannot every morning and every evening!”.
(Experience shared by Stefano Isolan on September 15, 2013)
(777)
Today’s priest: a man of dialogue and communion
In Focolare president Maria Voce’s message for the re-opening of the centre she urged the priests at Vinea Mea to have a new pastoral approach, in which priests are Christ for the world, going out out to the existential outskirts. Among those present were Bishop Mario Meini and Bishop Luciano Giovannetti, along with various mayors from neighbouring regions and some 200 guests from several regions of Italy.
Maria Voce highlighted the importance of Vinea Mea Centre in connection with the permanent Mariapolis of Loppiano from which its formative proposal draws its life. “Loppiano is a small living portion of hte Church and like a cross-section of a new society, showing what the world could be like if Christian love were placed at the basis of every relationship; a place in which new people are formed, people open to dialogue and communion, people capable of offering their own life as a gift to others.
“She recalled the wishes expressed by Chiara Lubich to priests in 1966, who were the first to attend the nascent school for priests: “Learn how to put everything aside, to strip yourselves of every pretext of power, in order to ensure the presence of Jesus among you. Then it will be inevitable for Jesus to bring forth a new form of pastoral ministry and a new kind of priest, priests capable of giving their lives for everyone.” She also wished them that such experiences would multiply and spread to many other countries.
Vita Zanolini and Elena Di Taranto from the architect’s studio at the Ave Art Centre described the challenges posed by the restoration project of the antiquated Franciscan convent from the 16th century, trying to render the environments suitable for the communitarian lifestyle that is the characteristic of this school for priests, while continuing to respect the continuity and memory of the historic building.
Bishop Mario Meini, bishop of Fiesole, Italy highlighted the human dimension of the priest, the fact that he must be a person with everyone else, a brother of all: “The Second Vatican Council has reminded us that the priest is ‘taken from among men’ and that his is a ‘ministry in the community’. There is need for a priestly spirituality that is not linked to a culture or to an environment, but one which gives voice to the whole world, one which is part of the flow of history today; we need priests who are the bearers of communion.”
Hungarian Father Dom Imre Kiss, who is responsible for the Vinea Mea Centre, described the formation method and program of courses of formation for priests. “We are a single community, but we live in small focolares suitable in size for a family in which mutual love becomes practical and deep, and where you can learn what it means to say that “the spirituality of communion renders enivironments suitable for the lifestyle that constitutes what is specific to this school for priests: the new communitarian dimension of the Church.”
Stefania Tanesini
Egypt. Bringing relief to Eritreans, Ethiopians and Sudaneses
Hearing of a jail for “special cases,” young people from the Focolare Movement decided to investigate. At the jail they found men, women and children, mostly Christians from Eritrea. Their story was one of incredible pain. In an attempt to escape the difficult situation in their own land and believing they were being brought to a better place, they discovered instead that they had fallen into the trap of human organ trafficking and would soon be among the anonymous dead. When they realized this, they fled over the border and took refuge in Egypt. Without documents they were arrested and jailed. This is where the Focolare’s young people met them waiting for a way back to Eritrea. Abdo who is a firsthand witness, recounts: “With the help of a missionary and the young people from the Focolare Movement we were able to go into the jail. We were enthusiastic about offering help, but we never imagined the suffering we would touch with our own hands. There was a scarcity of food and hygiene; and medical care was nonexistent inside the jail that had once been an army barracks. The young people were shocked to see children there, even small children. One child had been hit by a stray bullet as he was making his way across the border. “It’s impossible to express the deep pain we felt in the face of such great suffering,” Abdo continues. “With our eyes filled with tears, we asked what evil thing these people had done that merited them to be in such a situation.” But the young people didn’t lose heart. They split into groups, listened to people’s stories, tried to bring help and hope in God’s love. They provided material assistance for the most urgent needs. “Some needed medicine, others clothing or a telephone in order to contact their families and inform them where they had ended. But their first need was for someone to visit them, and show an interest in them.
Photo © 100viaggi.it
The Focolare today: a new shift towards the peripheries
Going out to the peripheries and making contact with today’s humanity. This was the commitment of 211 delegates who attended an annual gathering at the headquarters of the Focolare Movement in Rocca di Papa, Italy, during the period 26 September – 19 October 2013.
During a live Internet broadcast which linked more than 10,000 connection points all over the world, Focolare president Maria Voce greeted everyone with in a personal message, inviting members of the Movement to focus their energies on the “peripheries of the world”, not only those linked to material poverty, but also those places that are poor of God. This is a process that the Focolare had begun for some time now and which marked the origins of the charism in Trent, Italy, and the life of founder Chiara Lubich.
Today again the Focolare Movement feels the imperative to focus less on itself and more on the least, aiming towards communion. “We feel urged on by Jesus,” Maria Voce reiterated as she spoke to the Focolare members all over the world, “ who continues to suffer in today’s world, that world which at times assails us with its doubts and desperation, but which longs to encounter the One who alone can give meaning to its existence”.
But in order to reach out to the world we need “to go outside our comfort zone and immerse humankind in the flame of evangelical love.” This love is what transforms us all into the one family of God’s children in relationships that are real and true, and where each one is ready to give one’s life for the other, a love that becomes reciprocal. This is the point of the spirituality of unity that all the members of the Movement will deepen during the year.
Representatives of Focolare communities in war-torn countries were also present at the meeting. In these environments so greatly tested by armed conflict and division, the evangelical proposal of mutual love as the way to peace becomes a prophecy for a future of reconciliation. “We would meet not to defend ourselves, but to forgive those who hurt us, to encourage one another to love more,” affirmed the representatives of the Focolare in Syria. Strong words were accompanied by personal experiences of daily life, in spite of the darkness of the “Syrian night,” always striving to carry on in the hope that “only good can win over evil.”
The delegates concluded their gathering with the wish to return home “with an open heart to spread the experience of communion”. In the hope that “the Gospel lived by many will bring a new advancement of the Kingdom of God in the world”.
6th year of Sophia University Institute is inaugurated
To identify and follow the ways of the culture of unity in present day history, beside the men and women of our times. This is the vocation of the Sophia University Institute (IUS), which has inaugurated, at the auditorium of Loppiano (FI), the sixth academic year in the presence of Card. Giuseppe Betori, Grand Chancelor, Maria Voce, vice-Grand Chancelor of the SUI and President of the Focolare Movement, the Bishop of Fiesole Mons. Mario Meini, the Head Rabbi of the Jewish community of Florence and Siena Rav Yosef Levi, civil authorities and more than 600 people. Its aim echoes what Pope Francis affirmed recently in his speech to the Faculty of Theology of Sardinia in which he launched an invitation to make the universities a venue of discernment and of formation of wisdom, of a culture of proximity and of nearness, of formation to solidarity.
Maria Voce opened the proceedings in the morning recalling the goals that have been reached this year: the official approval of the Statutes on the part of the Congregation for Catholic Education, the attainment of numerous masteral degrees and of the first doctorate on research in “Principles and perspectives of a culture of unity”, the many registrations for the first year of the course (45 new students from more than 25 Countries). “Sophia is always more characterized, explained Maria Voce, as a priviledged venue wherein the questions and the challenges that our times call out to us on a planetary scale are gathered, and to which we cannot but give a unanimous answer: an answer, authentic and convincing, that can come only from the real and daily sharing of thoughts and of life.
Then Annamaria Fejes, Hungarian, followed, who on behalf of about one hundred students that are attending the different courses, expressed the common motivations that many of them shared in choosing this academic center: “To find, through reflection and dialogue, alternative ways to the wars and conflicts that stain our planet with blood. We have the wish and the desire to meet young people, adults, associations, organizations, so as to build with them a more fraternal world”.
Archbishop Betori also reaffirmed the role that the Sophia University Institute has as an existential space of encounter, of the incarnation of divine wisdom and human knowledge: “The personal committment to live proximity and reciprocity in the various moments throughout the day, in many cultural activities, makes Sophia the place in which divine ‘sophia’ and human search for knowledge become only one thing”.
The Dean, Mons. Piero Coda, outlined the challenges, opportunities for collaboration and the prospects of this cultural journey: after the first years of intense experimentation, he explained, “now is the time to focus on the formative project that animates the mission of Sophia, in the integrality of a proposal that seeks to harmoniously match life and study”. There are 23 protocols of understanding with University Institutions in Italy, Europe and in the world aside from the numerous courses held and animated by Sophia in different Countries. He further underlined the contribution of the students, “co-builders” of the academic life: “With you we too feel that we are protagonists of the new world that is being born. With you, he reaffirmed, citing Chiara Lubich, it is possible to find new mental structures on a world-class level”.
The first lesson was entrusted this year to Prof. Benedetto Gui, professor of Political Economics, entitled “Relational complexity and economics. Can the first be useful to the second?”. A thorough and lively exposition of the role of relationships in economics, that are more than ever important today.
Stefania Tanesini
Youth in Argentina: “Let’s break with all stereotypes!”
The big hall of the Argentinian Little City of O’Higgins was transformed into a circus setting: the characters, through their performances, the choreography and the visual projections accompanied by musical themes, demonstrated the complex reality that society faces today. A program without intermissions, that sought to transmit a deep and incisive message through art.
Which one? To aim high, this is what was proposed by the theme song of the Festival, to have faith in the power of working together, with each one giving his own contribution, to believe that the barriers of individualism can be broken so as to be able to transform society in the different environments wherein the young people live their lives day by day, to struggle for a “culture of giving” based on a disinterested service, for a culture of fraternity and of forgiveness that breaks all the schemes of a humanity fossilized and frivolous that suffers, to believe that great ideals are not a utopia, but a reality that can come true by bringing about a true revolution of Love, through one’s daily actions.
At the heart of the preparation of the event were the 80 young people present this year in the Mariapolis Lia. The starting point was the question they asked themselves regarding what message to give to the numerous young people who come every year for this festival. The proposal was that of “showing everyone how society could be, if reciprocal love was the fundamental law of all our actions”. At the end of a critical reflection on contemporary society, they unmasked one of its most frequent illnesses: individualism.
From there came the choice of the slogan that helped them to bring ahead the propsed initiative, with the idea of risking one’s life for great ideals: “You are capable of doing great things… Let’s break with all stereotypes! A slogan that echoes the invitation of Pope Francis at Rio de Janeiro precisely to the Argentinian youth: “Hagan lío” (to make noise).
And so with a hundred young people coming not only from Argentina and from its farthest provinces, but also from Uruguay and Paraguay, the rich two-day program opened the way to participation through various workshops, the tour of the little city, a recital for peace with different invited musical groups and the band of the Mariapolis Lia. The work done together led to the search for solutions to the problems that were raised during the initial challenge.
Then they leave once again, but with the desire to put into practice in their daily life the departure from individualism, an answer to the words of Francis: “I want you to make yourselves heard (…), I want you to go outside, I want the Church to go out to the streets, I want us to defend ourselves against all that is worldly, the opposition to progress, to all that is comfortable, from all that is clericalism, from all that makes us closed up within ourselves. The parishes, the schools, the institutions are made to go out…”.
Padua: Childcare Centre dedicated to Chiara Lubich
Saturday, October 12, the “Chiara Lubich” childcare centre was inaugurated in Padua (Italy). It was a big celebration that involved the whole community of the district of Altichiero a few minutes away from the historic centre of Padua. More than three hundred people were present at the ribbon-cutting ceremony to get to know this new educative reality. “We would like to continue to form and to raise the younger generations,” Ivo Rossi, vice-mayor of Padua underlined, “Today there is a strong need to be present in every district of the city with the principals of communication and relations. We live in a moment of economic difficulty which we as administrators feel first hand, but in these difficulties lie our duty to continue to create the conditions that will make our children free.” A city that is united in remembering Chiara Lubich, founder of the Focolare Movement and recipient of the UNESCO Prize for Education to Peace and Human Rights. “Honest, credible and authentic young people will be able to change the world,” explained Claudio Piron, councillor in charge of scholastic and youth policies at Padua’s local council, and supporter of the initiative.
Among the guests there was also Omar Ettahiri, secretary of the Moroccan association of the city of Padua who placed at the centre of his speech the charism of Chiara Lubich as a teacher of interreligious dialogue and a woman of peace who “is surely smiling in heaven”, he affirmed. It was an occasion also to remember the educative and scholastic background of the founder of the Focolare who in the beginning of the forties, just as she turned twenty, taught in the elementary schools of the province of Trent with a teaching method that was “capable of understanding, embracing and motivating her students”. “Chiara’s life,” 
underlined Professor Milan, professor of pedagogy at the University of Padua,” (…) has truly set the example”. At the conclusion of the ceremony the same Councillor Piron, quoting the words of the French writer Marguerite Yourcenar, reaffirmed the importance and the value of the project for the whole community because “to found libraries and nurseries is like building once again public granaries in order to accumulate reserves against the winter of the spirit”.
Focolare Movement in Brazil: meeting for social organizations
35 organizations coming from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, El Salvador, Ecuador, Guatemala, Messico, Paraguay and Uruguay will be represented in this meeting, which will be held from 21 to 24 October 2013 in the small town “Ginetta” in São Paulo, Brazil.
It is the first Latin American meeting for leaders of social organizations inspired by the charism of unity of Chiara Lubich. The theme will be “Fraternity in action: the foundation of social cohesion in the XXI century”.
Gilvan David de Sousa, one of the promoters of this initiative, said: “Our aim is to identify the main elements of the charism of unity that contribute towards a social change so as to be able to offer answers to the important questions posed by our continent” .
At a time when the current global crisis demands the research for new ways leading to an integral human development, for Sousa “this meeting should be a new stage in the process started to create a network among the different organizations, whose aim is to promote mutual enrichment through the exchange of ideas, experiences, difficulties and to produce a greater social impact”.
An opportunity to go deeper into the theme of fraternity will be offered through the sharing of experiences and reports, group work and the topics of the four plenary sessions, namely “The social question in the light of the Social Doctrine of the Church”; “The Charism of Unity and social issues in Latin America and the Caribbean”; “ The charism of unity and its implementation in organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean” and “How social projects inspired by the charism of unity can proceed together in the Latin American continent”.
Fr. Vilson Groh, Vera Araújo and Susana Nuin will be among the main speakers. Fr. Vilson Groh ( known in Brazil because he has received the Parliamentary Award Darcy Ribeiro 2013), has been working for 30 years in the outskirts of Florianópolis , Brazil for persons deprived of their rights; the sociologist Vera Araújo is a member of the Focolare Movement entrusted with the responsibility at international level of Dialogue with Culture; Susana Nuin is the executive secretary of the Department of Communication of CELAM and Consultant to the Pontifical Council for social communication.
Re-opening of the Centre of Spirituality “Vinea Mea”
Situated near Loppiano (in the vicinity of Florence), Vinea Mea is a school of communion and of dialogue at which, during its more than 30 years of existence, has been a centre of formation to more than 4,000 priests, deacons and seminarians (Catholics and members of other churches) from more than 60 countries. “Vinea Mea,” as Fr Imre Kiss, responsible for the Centre, explains, “offers a permanent formation in the light of the spirituality of communion of the Focolare Movement. The school, which lasts for a year, foresees courses on spirituality, theology, anthropology, ecclesiology, aside from workshops on current issues (youth, family, communications, dialogue with cultures and religions). Through the sharing of life in small communities, it aims to answer to the needs expressed by many priests to concretely experience a spirituality based on communion so as to transmit it to the men and women of our times.” 
The Centre works in synergy with similar structures in as many little cities of the Focolare: in Poland, Kenya, Brazil, in the Philippines, in Argentina. For 5 years now it has promoted, among other things, annual courses and workshops for seminary educators to support and spread a priestly lifestyle based on communion. A school centred on the formation to a spirituality of communion, as evidenced by the Second Vatican Council, so as to be “ministers capable of warming the hearts of the people, of walking in the darkness with them, of starting a dialogue with their illusions and delusions, of recomposing their disintegration” (Pope Francis to the bishops of Brazil, July 27, 2013). A unified formation for priests and seminarians that places at the centre the fraternity lived in the Church and among the people. 
These are some of the themes in the convention to be held on October 22, with which the 2013/14 course of the Center is to be inaugurated, in the antique Franciscan convent of the XVI century that houses it, and which was recently restored and renovated by the Centro Ave Arte, so as to better serve the experience of a communitarian life. At the Convention among those who will speak are, Maria Voce, president of the Focolare Movement, Msgr. Mario Meini, bishop of Fiesole and Fr Imre Kiss, the Director of the Centre. Live streaming of the event: 22 October, from 4.00 to 7.00pm (Italian time). For more information: accoglienza.vineamea@gmail.com
Euthanasia issue: an experience from Australia
I’ve been given the opportunity to spend time visiting the terminally ill at home as part of the Special Ministry in our parish, and have seen and experienced quite a few things in the past 25 years of doing so with regard to the sick and dying.
This email came late one afternoon from an ex-colleague of mine. It was like a bolt out of the blue:
“Guess you have never been asked this before (…). I know I have no right to ask this of you but I am searching my conscience and really need help for an answer. I have been asked to escort ‘someone’ to Switzerland to be with him/her as they die. I am sure you know about the euthanasia program that is available there.* The person’s life is a misery, no hope of returning to a so called normal life….he/she has no religious beliefs and has no possibility of returning to a reasonable life… Personally, I have no religious beliefs, so your honesty would be appreciated. If it helps it is a family member I am talking about.”
I sat and read it over, I think, probably 4-5 times before I started to think about an answer. How do you answer such a painful cry for help? What sprang to mind was the “thought of the day” I was living with my Focolare friends: “Free yourself totally in order to be the living will of God”. But how could I live it? I tried to concentrate on living the present moment, putting aside everything else in order to take onto myself the burden of the person who was asking for my help. I prayed to God for courage to say with sincerity what I was feeling in my heart, without any fear.
All I did was to share my thoughts as asked. I also shared some brief experiences I have personally made with the dying and their families over the past 25 years, that includes the sufferings, the joys and the triumphs. And then I said I wouldn’t take the path her relative had chosen and the reasons why from the depths of my heart, and gave her some contacts in Palliative Care close to her.
My friend, who has always remained grateful for my help, recently let me know that she had shared my thoughts with her relative who decided to consult the resources I had given her and not to go to Switzerland, choosing the palliative care option instead. In fact she spent nearly 2 years making peace within the family.
R.L. (Australia)
Cameroon: Taking risks for the common good
Patience Mollè Lobè (Cameroon) is a 56-year-old widow, the first woman to hold the position of Vice-Director at the Minister of Public Works in her country. Her story is marked by commitment to her people, which is rooted in a deep evangelical lifestyle. Her decision has led her to begin a foundation for helping teenage girls at risk; promote Economy of Communion projects and help citizens become aware and actively involved in promoting progress in the country. Her decision has also won her some enemies. She has received several death threats, but remains unrelenting in her efforts.
“I came to know about the Ideal of unity in 1977,” she explains, “while attending high school. I had always been accustomed to seeing religious sisters teaching catechism, but this time it was a simple woman. Athough she had a nice way of relating to people and this appealed to me: she was a focolarina. I wanted to know more about her life and was invited to her home, the focolare. I left that encounter with one idea in my head: the importance of loving, of serving everyone. My first move was to prepare the food for my aunt, even though I had never liked to cook.”
When her teenage years with the Gen ended, she decided to spend a year and a half in the Focolare’s permanent Mariapolis in Fontem, Cameroon, because, as she explains, “before going to university I was looking for a deep spiritual experience that would help me lay solid foundations for my life.”
She was the only woman in the School of Engineering. “During the last year at university,” Patience continues, “I was engaged to a young man from my region, and we were soon married. God never gave us children, but we didn’t take this as a loss because we involved ourselves in serving the community on many different fronts: in activities of the EoC and in a foundation for teenage girls at risk. Then, unexpectedly, my husband, who had always been so athletic and healthy, began to suffer stomach problems and a few months later died at the age of 55.”
Now a widow, she carried out her role as Head of Service for the Ministry of Public Works until the Governor wanted her at the Secretariat of the Commission of Public Affairs. “But after a few years,” she recounts, “I saw that corruption had infiltrated the environment, and so I resigned. Then, totally unexpectedly I was promoted as Sub-Director. I tried to carry out this new service according to my Christian principles,” Patience explains “even though it wasn’t easy.”
“A year later, in 2007, I was promoted as Vice-Director of the Ministry of Public Works in the wealthiest area. It was the first time a woman had ever held this position. But the threats quickly began. A few colleagues felt as if their hands were tied; they couldn’t do things as they had before my arrival. They tried to force me into making mistakes, presenting budgets for work plans that contained errors. I had to thoroughly review each and every contract before signing the grants. I received several anonymous phone calls. One day while I was away in the city 5 people tried to break into my home, 15 km from Douala. The security guard was able to stop them. There would be people loitering around the entrance to my property, which I would report to the police. The police told me to keep them informed of each of my movements. My life became impossible.”
Meanwhile, the Minister, seeing Patience’s ability to help people to work together, wished to transfer her to the Ministry. She was weary from the battle, but “I realized that I had to still ‘give my life for my people.’ I accepted the position as director in order to bring the spirit of the Gospel into that difficult environment, remaining firm against illegality. I carried on because I didn’t have any personal interest. It was my way of contributing something to my country. Now, even though I’m officially retired, I preside at a commission of public affairs. I’ve evaluated hundreds of cases, so that public funds are not be used illegally.”
“The next day, after the nominations were listed, during the night I awoke to a pistol at my neck. . . Even though she was considered the better candidate, without explanation the post was taken by another. “Nevertheless, I went house by house, encouraging people to get out and vote, and this created a nice family atmosphere in my home which, meanwhile had become campaign headquarters. On election day there was another threat: Five armed military men came to my house in search of me. . . but they didn’t find me. I had been warned by the authorities.
The election results would arrive a few days later. Her party would probably win, but Patience says that her goal had already been reached: to work for the good of the country, despite the results; and overcoming the fear and threats witht he strength of the Gospel.
Interview of October 12, 2013 at the international Volunteers Centre of the Focolare Movement, Grottaferrata, Italy
New City Phillipines and Living City Recognized for Innovative Journalism
2013 will be remembered as a good year for two of the Focolare’s English publications. New City (Philippine Edition) was awarded a special mention for Interreligious Dialogue by Christian Media (ICOM), which has its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. The North American Living City magazine received an honorary mention in the category “Best Coverage of Vocations to Priesthood, Religious Life or Diaconate” for an article written by Sarah Mundell. The award was conferred by the Catholic Press Association of Canada and North America (CPA).
From vocations of the Catholic Church to the great frontier of inter-religious dialogue. An article in Living City and two in New City were particularly appreciated. The article in the American magazine was written by Sarah Mundell, following her interview with David Rider, the protagonist of the story, entitled: “Man of the cloth . . . and tap shoes” (LC June 2012). During the award ceremony the CPA described the article as “expressively written, fascinatingly original.”
New City Philippines magazine dealt with the fragile peace process in Mindanao (No 1/2013) and education for a culture of dialogue (No 6/2012). The award that was conferred during ICOM’s world congress in Panama City (September 28, 2013-October 5, 2013), gave recognition to the commitment of New City in easing the tensions of cultural and religious conflicts, recounting factual accounts of daily life in which there is a sense of reciprocity, mutual respect and solidarity.
The awardees. Jose Aranas is third from left.
The Panama event brought together journalists and professionals from around the world who have had opportunities to study the problems of the American continent. It was in this context that the International Journalism Awards were conferred, on October 4, 2013 at the University of Panama.
In accepting the award, Jose Aranas, editor-in-chief of the Focolare’s magazine published in the Philippines, spoke about the cultural and religious context of his country, the only country in Asia with a Christian majority. He stressed how the articles leading to the conferring of the award were above all experiences of Focolare members from different religions who strive to live in the light of the Golden Rule that is present in one form or another in many sacred texts: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” (Mt. 7:12).