Korea, a question of peace

Apr 15, 2013 | Focolare Worldwide

Behind the Korean peninsula’s crisis there are profound political questions and delicate power relations. The crisis between North and South Korea and the threats to attack the USA with a North Korean nuclear warhead have generate tensions locally and throughout the world.

‘How are we living these days of tension because the threats from North Korea?’ say Sok In (Alberto) Kim and Won Ju (Maris) Moon who are responsible for the Focolare Movement in Korea. ‘We are praying in a special way for politicians on both sides and for all the countries involved, asking that may have the light and the strength to act according to conscience. And for us it is a chance to live out love for our neighbour with greater intensity.’ They also say, ‘We are full of trust, sure that good will always triumph’ and that they do everything with ‘the hope that a stable peace will return as soon as possible.’

They have been encouraged by a message sent by Maria Voce who is following the situation of Korea and adjacent countries with particular attentiveness. She has assured the Focolare community of her closeness in spirit. ‘I hold you, together with the Korean people, in my prayer and in my heart. Together let us renew our faith in the Father’s love.’

She has invited everyone to pray, all united, with greater intensity the Time Out for peace in the world, asking that new conflicts are avoided. Maria Voce visited the Focolare community in Korea in 2010. She was struck by their characteristic commitment to build, through dialogue, relationships of fraternity in all day to day situations everywhere: ‘a contribution to a solution of peace in the many hotspots in the world.’

Sok in Kim and Won Ju Moon write that the  moment of the Time Out is being lived with great intensity by everyone, ‘entrusting to God all the countries where there is warfare and especially our own land.’

The Focolare has been present in Korea since the 60s, and the first focolare house was opened in 1969. The Movement’s community is made up of people of every age and vocation. Especially significant for them have been political and economic initiatives and their commitment in interfaith dialogue.

A comment in Italian on the Korean crisis can be found in Città Nuova online in an interview with Paquale Ferrara, an international relations expert.

Egypt: restoring childhood

Apr 12, 2013 | Focolare Worldwide

In Egypt child labour is a real social emergency. Out of population of about 80 million people, the work force includes more than 2 million children between the ages of 7 and 15. Many of them have to leave school to keep their families. In Cairo, working children often live on the streets and are exposed to many kinds of violence and the risk of serious illness.

AMU (Azione per un mondo unito, meaning Action for a United World), an NGO inspired by the spirituality of the Focolare Movement, which for years has working with the Foundation ‘Koz Kazah’ (‘Rainbow’ in Arabic), has continued its commitment in 2013 to work for the children of the Shubra district of Cairo. They are minors between 5 and 15 years old, doing unskilled work and coming from extremely difficult home situations. The prime objective is to give them back their childhoods by creating conditions suitable for their ages. A centre has been established and the children come to it one day a week, when they are off work, and they have the chance to learn how to read and write and, through games, sport and art, they learn how to recover their self-esteem and their ability to interact positively with others. The older children, who have been coming to the centre for several years, help the new ones fit in with the various activities. A club has been set up called ‘Edn Masr’ (Child of Egypt).

Seeing how successful it has been over the years, led the centre to venture into offering job training courses: as electricians and carpenters for the boys, as dressmakers for the girls. An interesting confirmation of this activity is taking place with a theatre course held by a professional director. In September they managed to offer a first performance at an important peace day run by Koz Kazah together with two Muslim associations, one that cares for orphans and the other for people with disabilities.

Hanaa Kaiser, the local representative of AMU for the project said, ‘The peace day was a unique opportunity for our children to feel appreciated and part of society. The performers came from every social category among both Christians and Muslims.’ She went on to say, ‘We have seen that sport plays an important part in educating boys, and so we have organized a football tournament with other sport’s centres in the city. For girls things are very different and in our various activities we find we can help them overcome several prejudices deeply rooted in some parts of society. For example, R., among the brightest girls in the school, was supposed to finish her studies after middle school in order to get married, which was all that was thought possible for her. Our support made it possible to convince her parents to let her carry on and become a nurse. This was an important sign of change also for other families.’

Another important achievement has been attained by four boys who passed the government literacy examination. With the certificate obtained, they will be able to get a job and a driving licence, and work, for instance, as taxi drivers. This will certainly be an example for others and encourage them to better their living conditions.

Project data for 2013

Project: Children at risk – in the country and locally: Egypt, Cairo

Beneficiaries: 120 minors

Local partner: the Koz Kazah Foundation

Total cost of the project: €27,624.37

Local funds: €12,352.63 – funds asked from AMU €15,271.74

Source: AMU Notizie and AMU Newsletter

http://www.amu-it.eu/2013/03/08/egitto-andata-e-ritorno/?lang=en

http://www.amu-it.eu/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/NEWSLETTER-formazione-giugno-2012.pdf

http://www.amu-it.eu/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/AMU-Notizie-n%C2%B04per-web.pdf

A Year At Sophia

Apr 11, 2013 | Focolare Worldwide

“The months spent at Sophia have helped me to bring together what I believe in and what I live: a more just world that with equality in diversity. Everything – the economy and political science classes and the opportunism to meet students and professors at Sophia from around the world – all of it has made me a different person inside. Then there was the work that made me more tolerant and aware of other’s needs, sufferings and joys. Now it is a treasure that has become part of me.” These words were shared by Valeria as she was being interviewed by the Brazilian journalist Valter Hugo Muniz concerning her year-long experience at Sophia University Institute of Loppiano (Italy).     “For me, working in the social field has always meant integrating my profession with my desire for a more fraternal world in which everyone’s rights are fully respected,” Valeria continues. “Before going to Sophia I had been working for three years as a social worker in the Borro Quarter, which is one of the poorest quarters of Montevideo (Uruguay) where families, teenagers and children live under  extremely vulnerable conditions. I tried never to lose sight of my main objective of affirming the dignity of the people, involving them and creating social spaces where isolation could be overcome, and facing problems together through dialogue and collective action.” Last December Valeria returned to Montevideo and has been involved in a project that focuses on children between the ages of 5 and 12, and their families. “The year spent at Sophia,” she concludes, “was quite intense in many ways. It was a turning point for me that required me to change. . . and the learning hasn’t ended. I’m still assimilating the new categories that I learnt there. I now see my activity as an on-going “walking together” in which it is necessary to see each other with eyes of genuine fraternity. What needs to improve are not only the material standards or the quality of life, but also the awareness of our common citizenship.” In collaboration with: Valter Hugo Muniz Source: Sophia University Institute

Let the seeds grow!

Apr 10, 2013 | Focolare Worldwide

A renewed humanity? Sounds like a big project. You’ll need a lot of people, and it will take some time, and probably you will need a few miracles along the way – especially if you think you have to change the whole world at once, and if you think you are alone. But you don’t. And you are not. Mary, a school nurse in Brooklyn, found some of her co-workers attracted to her commitment to building unity in their school. After three years working together, her group proposed an interdisciplinary, holistic approach to conflict resolution among staff members, encouraging them to listen more to one another and to consider the ideas and opinions of one another with respect. The proposal was accepted by their director and shared with the school’s whole staff.

Carol is a neighbourhood block captain who took her mayor’s request to make of every neighbourhood a family and developed the Art of Caring, which she shared with her own village. It encouraged people to take the first step in reaching out to others, sharing their stories with one another and forming positive relationships. Initiatives ranged from raking an elderly neighbour’s yard to addressing the housing needs of residents. The program is so successful that other towns are asking how they can replicate it.

Stephen pursued one of his dreams right after graduating from high school: he went for one year to volunteer at Bukas Palad (“Open hands” in Tagalog), a social project in Manila, Philippines. “I want to give back to those who have fewer opportunities than I do,” he explained. “That means more to me than starting college right away.” When he returned, Stephen and his friends launched fundraising projects to sustain the families in Bukas Palad. “We know that we are one family,” he said.

These three stories are not hypothetical. They are real-life examples of how the Focolare spirituality of unity has had an impact on the lives of those who live it, and on how they influence the environments around them.

Focolare EXPO 2013, to be held in Chicago, April 27-28, will be a showcase of what has actually resulted from people living for unity in their various fields on a daily basis. It highlights an approach based on principles such as the Golden Rule (“Do to others what you would have them do to you“) and founded on individual dignity and mutual respect. The resulting initiatives are attempts to respond to the deepest needs of each situation and to build a sense of renewed humanity for all involved. Interactive case studies will provide a starting point for constructive dialogue about how loving, as an “art” can be implemented to influence the quality of relationships for the better. Exploring the theme “Building a Renewed Humanity,” participants will delve into the specifics of change in their own areas of interest, as well as presentations that bring together the whole group to synthesize the results. There will be workshops reflecting eight major aspects of cultural life: 1) health and recreation; 2) law and ethics; 3) education; 4) faith communities; 5) the arts and society; 6) media and communications; 7) civic engagement; 8) business and economy.

“Positive change does not happen just by wishing for it, or according to some template or formula,” said Amy Uelmen, author and lecturer at Georgetown University Law School and one of the panelists for the event. “Nevertheless, successful initiatives have three essential elements: core values that people can share, no matter what their background; renewed relationships based on those values; and solutions developed for each specific context, based on these values and relationships.”

“EXPO 2013 will be a kind of laboratory for positive change rather than just a set of lectures or open-ended discussions,” added Tom Masters, who is chairing the education workshop. The idea for EXPO came about in 2011, when Focolare President Maria Voce visited the U.S. and Canada and saw that there were many seeds that had been planted, experiences that had begun on a smaller level. She proposed an event that would highlight these projects and give people the chance to come together and see how to make these seeds continue to grow through exchange of ideas and increased collaboration.
by Sarah Mundell (Living City Magazine, NY)

For information visit expo2013.us 

Expo video archives: http://www.expo2013.us/video-archive/

Argentina: solidarity stronger than floods

Apr 8, 2013 | Focolare Worldwide

La Plata, 54 km from Buenos Aires, 750,000 inhabitants. On 2nd and 3rd April 2013 about 400 millimetres of rain led to a greater flood than had ever been seen before. More than half the city was submerged – in some places it was more than 2 metres deep. The previous day something similar, though on a smaller scale, struck Buenos Aires and some of the surrounding towns. The 59 deaths (6 in Buenos Aires, 2 in the surrounding towns and 51 in the city of La Plata) still trouble people and make them fear for the future. Despite all this, people’s solidarity swung into action yet again, meeting the victims’ the urgent needs.

The cries and the practical acts of the people were felt as never before… or, perhaps it would be truer to say, they were clear as they always are when such tragedies strike. Caritas, Red Solidaria, the Red Cross, various NGOs, neighbourhood committees and parishes, as well as others, immediately repsonded and in a short time they set up more than 500 collection points for things of prime necessity: clothing, mattresses, bottled water, bleach, nappies, food, blankets. On Saturday 6th in front of Buenos Aires Cathedral there was a queue about 400 metres long of people waiting to give their contributions. These were then taken in heavily laden trucks (on that day there were 19) to the various parishes in the hardest hit parts.

Besides these very noticeable things, thousands of others were done, whether on small scale or large, and they are coming to light bit by bit. There were people who, quite literally, gave their lives to save others, people who made themselves available to lend a hand or give time to help anyone who needed it, wherever they needed it, ready to do whatever was needed.

The tragedy did not discriminate between better or worse off areas. The young people, who were tireless, were the ‘attack force’ in the work of classifying all the donations that arrived, distributing them, helping clean houses, clearing away tons of debris and rubbish piled up in the streets.

Once again social networks were the vehicle for immediate communication. For example, the Facebook group ‘Focolares La Plata’ right from the start carried messages asking for help, with news of everyone in the community: those whose houses were under water, those who offered help, those who offered to take children to school (a large number of cars were submerged)… a true current of solidarity and mutual love.

Pope Francis, when he heard about the situation, telephoned the provincial governor who offered a grant of 50,000 dollars for the victims.

Such gestures of solidarity happen when others are seen to suffer. This kind of solidarity does not tire and provides relief, especially when tragedy seems to destroy everything. Now that the moment of greatest commitment is over, it is a matter of being careful of the needs of the poorest.

Carlos Mana, Argentina

Pope Francis’ Gesture

Apr 7, 2013 | Focolare Worldwide

“Press on! Don’t let yourselves be robbed of hope. Understood?” This was the message with which Pope Francis greeted the young detainees of the Casal del Marmo Jail in Rome, Italy at the conclusion of the Eucharistic celebration on Holy Thursday. During the liturgy the Pope had washed the feet of twelve young detainees of different nationalities and religious faiths. Among them were two young women, one Italian Roman Catholic and one Serbian Muslim. Pope Francis is accustoming us every day to strong gestures that are unusual and even revolutionary. This gesture was particularly striking given its location and the fact that the Pope did it beyond the view of cameras.

Carlo Tedde, social entrepreneur from the Economy of Communion (EoC) and chairman of the consortium of social cooperatives in Sardinia, Italy (Consortio Solidarieta) and also representative of the Confcooperative Sardegna, has worked for years with the Cooperativa Elan that manages the laundry services of the juvenile detention centres in Cagliari, Italy.

Carlo, what do you think of the Pope’s gesture?

“It seemed to express the radicalness of Christianity. In today’s world where all that seems to matter is appearances, this was not an act that was done for appearances sake. It was a powerful but simple gesture, performed with the joy of a pope who did it so that we would believe it. It was a gesture that returns us to the purity of Jesus’ message and helps us to stay on the real Christian path.”

How do you interpret the fact that Pope Francis chose a juvenile jail to celebrate Holy Thursday?

“This is a very important fact for me. I have a personal experience of this myself. At a very difficult moment in my life I was in a juvenile jail in England, after having fallen to every possible low. But what I still had within me was the powerful energy of a young man who still had his whole life ahead of him, and an energy that needed to be redirected in the direction of hope.”

When my family was fed up with me and my misdemeanors, in that juvenile detention centre I met people who had faith in me, and this gave me the push that allowed me to begin again.

Yesterday, by choosing to wash the feet of the ‘least’ and by choosing an institution that often because of a suffocating bureacracy is not able to do what it ought to, the Pope wanted to give hope. His gesture truly presented the strong point of the faith that begins from the simplest things, from the least, from the ‘least’ who, if you think about it, are the ‘first’ because they’re our kids. Hope is conatgious and giving them hope means giving everyone hope.”

By Antonella Ferrucci

Source: EoC online

Beyond the Discontent and Dissatisfaction

Apr 5, 2013 | Focolare Worldwide

It all began with a question: What can we do for Jànoshalma, our city? “Our first step was to make a pact with each other,” M. C. recalls. “We promised each other that we would put into practice Jesus’ New Commandment: “Love one another as I have loved you” (Jn. 15:12). This would mean sharing one another’s joys and sorrows, possessions and experiences. And we tried to extend this same measure of love to our city as well. It was a pact of mutual love that would require time, energy and sacrifice. We often found ourselves beginning again.

Together we had given life to the “Jànoshalma Association” which now has 25 members. We had so many ideas: helping the poor, implementing programs for youths and their peers, setting up exhibitions that valorised local traditions. Through these activities we also established close collaboration with several institutes and, through these events, more than one hundred people came into contact with us.

One activity involved the restoration of the city park, which was in a state of disrepair. We were aware that there were no monies for this project in our Association, nor in the City Council, so we came up with the idea of collecting paper for recycling. We contacted shops, but the results of the project didn’t render much revenue. So then we decided to organize a benefit ball in the centre of town. This time the profits were beyond our expectations. We contacted City Hall and our proposal to use these funds for restoring the park was accepted. A short time later there was the inauguration and, since the park did not have a name, we had the idea of involving schools and kindergartens in a naming contest. More than 100 children participated in the contest and when the winner was announced, we had a grand feast with the children.

For two years we also collaborated with the “embellishment of the city” project and now the Town Council has appointed people who are officially in charge of this activity. We instead continued our work amongst the poor, for which there is an extreme need. This has led to the establishment of a social network.

A short time ago, seeing the difficult state of public security, we organized another benefit ball to collect funds. Many people didn’t understand what motivated us in our efforts, assuming that public security was the responsibility of the State. Yet many intervened and supported the project with considerable generosity. One person said: “I’ve come to this ball because I know that you deliver on your promises.”

M. C. – Hungary

New Focolare website in Spain

Apr 4, 2013 | Focolare Worldwide

Focolare.org/espana went online on 14 March, the day when throughout the world is celebrated the anniversary of the death of Chiara Lubich (1920-2008).

The new Spanish web page’s vocation is to bring together the life of the entire Focolare Movement and its members from all the peoples of Spain, its commitment in civil society and the church, starting from the spirituality of unity that animates it and leads it to build bridges of dialogue across the spectrum, in its attempt to contribute to a fairer and more united world.

The contents of the new site can be read in Castilian, Catalan, Basque and Galician, so as to meet the needs of the various peoples of Spain.

The new version of the site is a way to find out more about the Focolare Movement, its history, founder, spirituality, organization, projects, news and initiatives both in Spain and in the world.

Special attention is given to important events like the coming World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro, critical situations in the world such as the war in Syria or other points of conflict across the globe. Situations are interpreted through the words of those who take part in them, Focolare members living in those trouble spots who seek, laying their own lives on the line, to help others in need and to build, on a daily basis, relationships of solidarity and fraternity that will lead to lasting peace

“Spring” has arrived

Apr 3, 2013 | Focolare Worldwide

“Our story has been a long and sometimes bumpy road, but our family has been the most beautiful gift that has come out of it. The name of our youngest daughter was like a promise: in Vietnamese it means “Springtime”.

Soon after marrying we met a girl who was around a year old. She was in the care of a centre for children with severe disabilities where my wife as working as a volunteer. Following a period of probation we were invited to adopt the child. Through her we experienced that maternity and paternity are more a matter of the soul and that it can reach beyond biology. Regrettably the bureaucracy forced us to give up our plan. But joy returned to us when our first son was born in Asia. This long and drawn out experience was our first encounter with the culture of the East where we lived for two years.

After returning to Italy we had our second son and then came the idea of adoption. We decided to approach the Focolare Movement’s Azione per Famiglie Nuove (New Families Projects) Foundation. On August 1st, they telephoned us to say that we should prepare to travel to Vietnam. We were there for a month and it was a truly beautiful adventure. Our firstborn – nine years old at the time – said “It was like giving birth all together.” The most touching moment was when my wife too her into her arms for the first time, and then we all held her. We visited Saigon and got to know about our daughter’s background. After a few days she began to smile; first for her brothers, as if she knew what an important role she would play in their lives and in the life of our family. They learnt to make room for her like when the second-born who was already six years old and loved to be in his father’s arms, was able to give up his place to the baby.

The network of families that we belong to since returning to Italy has turned out to be an important part of the experience we are living. It’s like one big extended family comprised of adoptive families from Vietnam and other countries. We also take long trips in order to meet and allow our children to grow with the awareness that adoption is a natural experience that many families share. It’s also a great opportunity to see that love is possible among people of different origins.

Our little daughter is now nine years old and is such a beautiful girl, well integrated both at school and in her larger family. With her two brothers she plays a lot of boys’ games but has managed to maintain her sweet and delicate charm. She love music and dancing and attends Celtic harp lessons with her mother.

The last few years – so beautiful but also so intense – led us to focus on the needs of our daughter. Now we may have to make up for a few lost steps with the other two. But the wave of springtime that has come into our family with her love for life and bubbly sweetness which is typical of her native land helps us to overcome even the most difficult and stormy of days.

Compiled by: Marzia Rigliani

Source: “Spazio Famiglia, Azione per familiglie nuove” monthly newsletter (www.afonlus.org), March 2013, pp. 12-13