Apr 18, 2021 | Non categorizzato
An afternoon dedicated to Igino Giordani (1894-1980) politician, writer, journalist, co-founder of the Focolare Movement. On Sunday, 18 April 2021, at the International Centre of the Focolare Movement in Rocca di Papa, Rome, Italy an event took place remembering Igino Giordani 41 years after his death. Giordani was a rich and multifaceted figure – a politician, a member of the Constituent Assembly and then of the Italian Parliament, a journalist, a writer, and, with Chiara Lubich, co-founder of the Focolare Movement. The event included a presentation of the sculpture by the artist Peter Kostner which is dedicated to Giordani and of the new biography “Igino Giordani: an unarmed hero” edited by Alberto Lo Presti and with a preface by the President of the Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella,. It is published by Citta Nuova’. The programme was live streamed and was enriched by personal testimonies recalling Giordani. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezq3Sak8Pbg
Apr 14, 2021 | Non categorizzato
On Sunday, April 18th, Igino Giordani, a politician who inspired the social commitment and ideal choices of many, a writer and journalist, and co-founder of the Focolare Movement, will be remembered through live streaming. The latest biographical book will be presented and a sculpture dedicated to him will be inaugurated. A man of dialogue and deep faith, a supporter of universal fraternity, a builder of peace, a politician, a journalist: Igino Giordani (1894-1980) is all this and much more. April 18th, 2021 will mark the 41st anniversary of his death, and the Igino Giordani Centre has organised an event to commemorate his life. A personality who continues over time to arouse interest in people of different ages, geographical, political and cultural backgrounds calling for commitment to build a better society. The event will be broadcast in live streaming ( https://live.focolare.org/ ) from the International Centre of the Focolare Movement (Rocca di Papa, Italy) on Sunday, April 18th, 2021 at 3:30 p.m. (Italian time) with the possibility of following it in Italian, English, French, Spanish and Portuguese. Giordani was a journalist and writer, but he played a very important role in Italian politics. In fact, after World War II, he made a valuable contribution to laying the foundations for the nascent Italian Republic in a period that was not easy for the country, i.e., close to the world wars. He was also a member of the Constituent Assembly, a witness to politics as a service to peace and to a more just society. With this in mind, there will be some testimonies from those who have translated Giordani’s wisdom into bills or political initiatives in favour of dialogue and the common good, or those who have understood what choices are right to make in order to oppose policies that threaten peace among peoples. During the event, the latest biography by Alberto Lo Presti (ed. Città Nuova Italia), entitled “Igino Giordani. Un eroe disarmato” (Igino Giordani. Igino Giordani, an unarmed hero), with a preface by the President of the Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella. This biography helps to rediscover the sense of an authentic political and social commitment. The biography is as gripping as a novel. Mattarella writes about Giordani: “His lively faith, his evangelical consistency, the fervour with which he fought for social equity, freedom and peace shook many consciences and promoted action and thought, both in the dark times of Fascism and in the years of democratic reconstruction. He became a builder of peace in the dialogue between people, between religious confessions, between peoples and States … He thought of Europe as a continent of peace, after having been the scene of devastating wars. He wanted his country to be a bridge. And he himself tried to become a bridge to bring people closer, connect them, recompose them”. A sculpture dedicated to him by the artist Peter Kostner will also be inaugurated. The work, which will be placed in the garden of the International Focolare Centre, depicts Giordani sitting on a bench. In the last years of his life, in fact, he often sat on a bench in the park. During the international meetings held at the Centre, many young people and adults would come up to greet him and talk to him. And the bench became a place of encounter and dialogue. During the event some testimonies will recall those conversations in which Giordani listened with humility and patience, not sparing advice drawn from his fruitful life experience and enriched by the charism of unity.
Lorenzo Russo
Apr 12, 2021 | Non categorizzato
When the efforts we make to overcome our selfishness are done out of love for Jesus crucified in the present moment and we do what God wants of us immediately afterwards, we can experience the fullness of life of the Risen Lord in us. We might ask: is it possible to experience the presence of the Risen Lord and the consequent outpouring of the gifts of his Spirit – life, light, peace, love, consolation, ardour, and so on – not only when there are two or more people united in Jesus’ name, but even when we are alone? How? At what price? By embracing Jesus Forsaken in each present moment. This extraordinary experience prompted us to look deeper into the Scriptures and the Church’s teachings. And they confirmed that it was true. But which Jesus Forsaken – as we would say – should we embrace in each present moment? The one our Christian life requires of us in denying ourselves and taking up our cross, if we want to follow Jesus. Therefore, we need to say yes and quickly embrace every suffering that comes our way – our own cross. But we also need to embrace the suffering that comes from our efforts to deny ourselves and in the struggle against our selfishness and the so-called desires of the flesh (overeating, impurity, quarrelling, jealousy, and so on) so that love triumphs in our hearts. When we love these efforts out of love for Jesus crucified in the present moment and we do what God wants of us immediately afterwards, we can experience the fullness of life of the Risen Lord in us, even on our own. His light comes into each of our hearts. His peace fills us. His love is enkindled in us, and with it, consolation, calmness, a taste of Heaven. In other words, everything changes. Our soul is clothed anew. … This is what we want to do: to love Jesus Forsaken always, immediately, and joyfully; not only in our daily sufferings, but also in the effort involved in overcoming our selfishness. This is exactly what Igino Giordani meant when he wrote the following poem, shortly after he had embraced our spirituality: “Mi son messo a morire e quel che accade non mi importa più, mi sono messo a gioire nel cuore desolato di Gesù”, [I have set about dying, and what happens is of no matter anymore, I have set about rejoicing in the desolate heart of Jesus]. To die to ourselves so as to rejoice with Jesus; to die with Him forsaken, so as to live with Him risen from the dead. So let’s remember these words: “I have set about dying” and let’s welcome the death of our selfishness ten or even a hundred times a day, so as to give the people we meet the joy of encountering the Risen Lord.
Chiara Lubich
Taken from a telephone conference call, Rocca di Papa, 3rd November 1983
Apr 10, 2021 | Non categorizzato
After the General Assembly of the Focolare Movement, Assemblies of a number of its branches were held: those of the men and women focolarini, that of the diocesan priests who belong to the Movement and those of the men and women Volunteers of God. The theme that each of the assemblies had in common was the focus on dialogue on all levels. The General Assembly of the Focolare Movement took place from 24 January to 7 February 2021. The roles of President, Co-President and of the governing bodies were renewed and the guidelines and action for the next six years were defined. The Assemblies of the focolarini and focolarine, the focolarini priests and the Volunteers of God were subsequently held, all online. Focolarini and focolarine. The Assembly for the men focolarini held from 9-13 February was composed of 121 members spread across 5 continents including an Anglican focolarino from London, a Coptic Orthodox focolarino from Cairo and a Muslim focolarino from Algeria. In its report of the last six years, the International Centre for the Focolarini shared with great honesty the challenges, painful aspects as well as the very promising developments regarding the life of the Focolarini all over the world. The final document characterises the focolarino as a man of God constantly listening to the cry of humanity today. Flavio Roveré from Brazil was reconfirmed as the person responsible for the men focolarini. At the same time 136 women focolarine met. From a question posed by Agnes van Zeeland, who was previously responsible for this branch as to whether the time has not come to “go out” more to the world and its wounds, a passionate dialogue ensued. The new person responsible, Noreen Lockhart (Great Britain), was described by the Co-President, Jesús Morán, as “someone who has dialogue running through her blood, someone who is used to resolving conflicts”. Focolarini priests. The Assembly of focolarini priests was held from 1 to 5 March with 74 participants, including some invited guests, such as a minister from the Swedish-Lutheran Church. Reviewing the key words of the 2014 General Assembly, “Go out – Together – Well-prepared”, the person responsible Fr Antonio Bacelar presented in his report the steps taken, the processes initiated, the prospects to be developed, such as the need to act more and more together with all the vocations of the People of God. In the final document which is intended to be “a road map”, dialogue based on listening to the Holy Spirit emerges as a priority. Fr Antonio Bacelar (Portugal) was re-elected for a second term as the person responsible for the focolarini priests. Volunteers of God. The two Assemblies of the men and women Volunteers of God were held from 17th to 21st March with a total of 356 participants present online. The words “courage and forward” addressed by the new President of the Focolare, Margaret Karram, to the two Assemblies, highlight the particular vocation of the Volunteers to face future challenges of humanity in order to change the world according to “the law” of Gospel-based love. The starting point for the two final documents was Pope Francis’ invitation to the General Assembly to “be a living expression of the founding charism and to remain faithful to the original source by striving to rethink and express it in dialogue with the new social and cultural situations”. Juan Ignacio Larrañaga, a volunteer from Spain, and Fanny Bava from Italy were elected as the new persons responsible.
Lorenzo Russo
Apr 8, 2021 | Non categorizzato
Arthur George Baum left for heaven on February 4th 2021 at the age of 92, in Augsburg, Germany. He was born on May 18th 1928 in Hinckley, a town in the county of Leicestershire, in the heart of England. Single, a Volunteer of God and a member of the International Volunteers of the Focolare, he worked for many years at Vatican Radio, people there have beautiful memories of him. In the last month of his earthly life, he was in a nursing home as he underwent surgery on his femur, fractured after a fall. He was one of the first Volunteers of God and formed the first nucleus at the International Volunteer Centre. He was renowned for his humour, which was obviously English, but he was also very tidy, one might say German, and as precise as someone Swiss, but above all he managed to overcome obstacles with Italian genius. Hèctor Lorenzo (God’s Volunteer and Arthur’s friend) tells us that, even in tragic physical situations Arthur could add humour. One evening after 11 p.m., he received a phone call: ‘It’s Arthur, I have a haemorrhage in my leg’. Hector, with his wife and son, rushed to Arthur’s flat and, after initial assistance, immediately called an ambulance. Before getting into the ambulance, Arthur uncovered his mouth from the blankets that had sheltered him from the cold and confided to Hèctor: “You know, I’m missing something”. Hector asks him what? And he said: “My hat!”. For the last ten years he was happily settled in Germany. Those who know Arthur know that he loved the strong winds of Ireland and the north of England, was moved by a flower, sang Tyrolean songs and some Elvis Presley themes. He rejoiced in the silence of Gothic churches or Gregorian chant, appreciated warm wine in winter and made a small amount of the drink ‘mead’ which he could not help but share with his friends. He also shared hot goulash and some oriental cuisine. He was very demanding in building a strong unity in the nucleus of Volunteers: he always started by loving everyone first in order to generate mutual love, always finding an intimate dialogue of mercy. Hèctor recounts: “Having been a companion in the same nucleus at the Volunteers’ Centre and living with my family next door to Arthur’s flat, we were enriched by his unique personality and evangelical witness. Our son, Julián, says: “Arthur is his name, but you could call him Humility, Generosity, Welcoming”. Arthur was a man of distinction, of essential words, of intimate religiosity. He knew how to move from serious reflections to healthy irony; to distinguish constructive attitudes from useless or harmful ones. His eloquent smile will always express gratitude.
Lorenzo Russo
Apr 7, 2021 | Non categorizzato
As announced in the press release of 23 December 2020, the Focolare Movement has commissioned GCPS Consulting to conduct the investigation into the abuse cases against J.M.M., a former member of the Focolare in France. Although J.M.M. has been prosecuted in relation to one victim, it is understood there is a large number of other victims who may wish to speak about their experiences within the Focolare Movement. GCPS Consulting is an independent body that specialises in helping organisations to ensure the safety of children as well as vulnerable or ‘at risk’ groups and to improve their abuse prevention and reporting systems. It also conducts independent investigations and case reviews on behalf of organisations. The Inquiry began in January 2021 and will close at the end of the year, when its results will be made public. Work has already begun listening to victims and gathering witness testimony. To find out in detail the terms of the investigation GCPS Consulting has made public the relevant section of the contract, published on a dedicated Inquiry website As stated in the document, there are the four main elements of the Inquiry: – To investigate the sexual abuse crimes committed by J.M.M., reviewing the details and assessing the context; – To establish the degree of knowledge of these events on the part of Focolare’s persons in charge at the time and/or subsequently; – To provide recommendations on the current arrangements put in place by the Focolare in France and elsewhere for the protection of minors; and – To produce a public report outlining the findings of the investigation and the recommendations that stemmed from it. In order to ensure that the Inquiry process is as victim-centred as possible, GCPS Consulting has shared and evaluated the proposed process with some victims to ensure it meets their expectations. It has also provided a contact page on the Inquiry website dedicated to receiving testimonies, requests, or suggestions from the victims and anyone wishing to get in touch with the Independent Inquiry. The Focolare Movement encourages anyone with information relating to J.M.M to make contact with the Inquiry via this webpage . It is possible to contact the GCPS Inquiry team confidentially by phone, email or using the site’s contact form. In order to guarantee the full independent nature of the investigation, the Focolare Movement has accepted GCPS Consulting’s invitation to maintain a “press silence” on matters related to J.M.M.’s case until the final report is published. Therefore, from now on the decision to make statements or respond to media enquiries relating to this abuse case will be solely at the discretion of GCPS Consulting.
Stefania Tanesini
For the Media: contact GCPS Consulting for this case: info@gcps.consulting
Apr 6, 2021 | Non categorizzato
After the audience of the Focolare General Assembly with Pope Francis what lies ahead for the Focolare Movement. In this Link up we take stock with Margaret Karram, President of the Focolare and Jesús Morán, co-president. https://vimeo.com/529523835 This is the link to Patrick Gilger’s reading of Pope Francis’ address to the members of the General Assembly of the Focolare Movement. Fr Patrick Gilger is a Jesuit, doctoral candidate at the New School for Social Research in New York. He is currently studying various Ecclesial Movements.
Apr 5, 2021 | Non categorizzato
To love Jesus in his abandonment on the cross means to love him in the pains and sacrifices that being attentive to our neighbor entails. This is a true way to perfection in Christian life as Chiara Lubich communicates to us through her experience. […] To encourage us on the way of our collective sanctification […] I think you would like to get to know a very recent spiritual experience of mine. A small one but one which seems to me to be valid. As perhaps you know, I am dedicating some days during the month […] to considering in depth a cardinal point of our spirituality […] Jesus forsaken, the key to unity. This theme has touched me so deeply, it seemed to me to be so interesting and attractive that I felt compelled to live it straightaway in the present moment. Almost forgetting the commitment to the tension towards holiness as such, I started loving Jesus forsaken, embracing him under his various aspects. However, exactly in those days during morning meditation, what St. John of the Cross called the twelve stars of perfection, came to my attention again. Love of God, love of neighbour, chastity, poverty, obedience, peace, silence, humility, mortification, penitence, choir and prayer. I knew them well; in fact, by meditating on them, I had learnt them by heart. However, in these days, I was not thinking about them at all, taken up as I was by loving only Jesus Forsaken, because I was so touched by this theme. And then the surprise, the joyous surprise like a luminous rediscovery. Re-reading these twelve stars during meditation, I realized that in loving Jesus forsaken, I had made these twelve stars shine a bit more in my soul. I had loved God a little more because I had loved out of love for Jesus forsaken, who is God. I had loved my neighbour more, because out of love for Jesus forsaken I had made the effort to make myself one with everyone. I had improved the third star – chastity- because love for Jesus Forsaken leads us to mortify ourselves. In the same way poverty, because for Him I had made the effort to extinguish every attachment. And obedience – the fifth star – because for Him I had made the effort to silence myself in order to listen better to “that voice”. Then living Jesus forsaken in sufferings I was able to keep peace better, another star. Loving Jesus forsaken, again I was able to observe silence better, in the sense that I mortified better useless words. Humility, I think, profited with the death of myself, which love for Jesus forsaken provokes. And in the same way mortification and penitence – other stars. I took better care of the choir, which for us means prayer together of all our focolare. And so personal prayer was truly fuller. Everything better! Everything better, solely though love for Jesus Forsaken. I knew that Jesus Forsaken was, as we say, a monument of holiness but I had not yet experienced with such evidence and such breadth how living Him truly means tending fruitfully towards holiness. […] I can wish you nothing better than to have this same experience. Try it! Love Jesus forsaken in sufferings, in renunciations, in dying to ourselves so as to make ourselves one with every neighbour. […] May Jesus forsaken become everything for us, and our collective sanctification will be assured.
Chiara Lubich
(from a telephonic conference call, Rocca di Papa, 16 June 1982)
Apr 1, 2021 | Non categorizzato
In spite of the continuing coronavirus emergency, Easter is still a time to pass from death to life and darkness to light through love for our neighbour. The strength that comes from solidarity and universal fraternity help us to keep alive hope for a united world. Easter greetings from Focolare President, Margaret Karram, and many others all over the world. Watch the video with subtitles in English, Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese. https://youtu.be/2BVukpY5b5s
Mar 29, 2021 | Non categorizzato
Dearest all, Easter will soon be here. It’s the greatest feast of the year and with it comes Holy Week, which abounds in the most precious mysteries of Jesus’ life. We are reminded of these especially on Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and on Easter Sunday, the day of the Resurrection. For us, too, they represent central aspects of our spirituality. … So what can we live as Holy Week draws near, and during these blessed days? I think the best way to live all of them is to live Easter, to let the Risen Lord live in us. For the Risen Lord to shine out in us, we must love Jesus Forsaken and always be – as we say – “beyond his wound”, where charity reigns. Charity, then, urges us to be the new commandment in action; charity urges us to approach the Eucharist; charity leads us to live in unity with God and with our brothers and sisters. It is through charity that each of us can, in a certain way, be another Mary. … By doing so, all of us together will truly be that Easter People which some people have said they recognize in our Movement.
Chiara Lubich
https://vimeo.com/529414892 Link up, Sierre, March 24, 1994
