An unexpectedly historic interview

Dec 30, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

Thomas Klann in Tokyo,
November 1985

“November 1985. I was in Japan covering Chiara Lubich’s visit there. As the cameraman, it was my job to document the entire journey that was so important because of the dialogues with personalities from the non-Christian religions.

The elderly Venerable Etai Yamada, a great figure in Tendai Buddhism and personal friend of Chiara, had agreed to an interview with my film crew. On the day of the interview we learned that he was not well and had been admitted to hospital. We thought the interview would have been called off, but it hadn’t been. He wanted to leave the hospital, and he met us dressed in full regalia and solemnly seated on his throne.

That day I had left the video footage to a friend so that he could take care of the audio. I used a shotgun mic, so that I could keep my distance and not interfere with the videotaping. I knelt at the feet of the venerable monk and held the microphone from there. We put all we had into listening to him with love. We were only going to need a few minutes of his talking for insertion in the documentary. But in spite of his poor health he continued to speak, always looking at me, seemingly unmindful of the fact that I didn’t understand a word of Japanese. He spoke non-stop for more than an hour, and during that time I kept on giving him my full attention.

A screenshot of the video-interview with the Venerable Etai Yamada

A few years later Etai Yamada died. His followers asked if they could have copies of the interview he had granted to us. We got to work on it right away, because, since the Japanese video system is different than Europe’s, we had to first send this first shooting to Britain where it could be properly recoded. When it arrived in Japan we received a big thank you, because in the interview Etai Yamada had recounted his whole spiritual life, with details that no one knew. It turned out to be a very precious document for his followers!

I’ve never forgotten this event. It’s always there to remind me that for good communication, it’s not as important to talk, as it is to love.”

Thomas Klann

(Centro Santa Chiara Audiovisual Centre, Italy)

Source: Una Buona Notizia: gente che crede gente che muove (Rome: Ed. Città Nuova, 2012).

Nigeria is not only conflict …

Dec 28, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

Situated in the West of Africa, Nigeria is a vast land with a tropical climate. It is rich in natural resources like natural gas and oil. This has placed it among the six largest exporters in the world. It is also among the countries with the most inhabitants with some 170 million people, half of which are under the age of fifteen.

It contains an extraordinary variety of ethinic groups and cultures: 250 spoken languages. Its people are profound and joyful with the joy of life. Good listeners, they have a distinct interior life and a faith that is deep and alive. More than 60% of the population lives in poverty on less than a dollar a day. Unemployment is quite high. The average life expectancy, which is presently placed at 48 years, is expected to drop due to AIDS.

Widespread corruption has paralyzed development of the State and of the common good. The large variety of ethnic groups is a major challenge that is often considered a major threat. With the rapid growth of the population, the struggle for survival has become more and more acute. And yet these people are strikingly able to carry on, never giving up, accepting the pain without ever losing hope in a better future while seeking new and creative strategies in the present.

The natural religosity that characterizes the people of this continent is sometimes exploited for political or religious interests. Extremist thinking and terrorist groups that are moved by socio-economic, historical and political motivations convey a falsified image of conflicts between Christians and Muslims. In the North the population is 50%Muslim and 45% Christian.

Twenty five years ago, at the urging of Cardinall Arinze, the Focolare Movement arrived in Nigeria and began communities in several regions. Today it has 5, 490 members across a network of 28 local communities spread throughout the country. These communities distinguish themselves by their strong commitment to witnessing to ethical, spiritual and human values. In fact, taking advantage of the deep spiritual roots of the Nigerians, they stands by their sides so that the faith might everywhere come to be translated into real life: at school, at work, in the marketplace. Their commitment has a positive impact on the social development and health.

The social landscape of this land of many ethnic groups, social levels and different religions is that of universal brotherhood through the practice of dialogue, witnessing to the possibility of fraternal relationships, but especially encouraging and supporting this people as they become bridge builders. No few times have they discovered a variety of riches in their diversity, with positive implications for the public life, creating a civic conscience and public opinion.

In the centre of the country, for example, where there are particulary violent clashes between Muslims and Christians, it is quite striking to hear their stories of “being put on the spot” by universal brotherhood as they reach the point of risking their lives to save the lives of members of the other religion.

Desiring to form a culture of fraternity, a centre of formation and witness is being begun in the village of Igbariam. This has been joined by other social projects: a kindergarten, a primary school, a small clinic and workshops for teenagers. These are all carried out in collaboration with the local population in the village that is actively involved.

Kenya: Jivunie! Be proud!

Dec 27, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

‘Still burning in the Kenyan soul is the pain of the blood-soaked battles of the election in 2007 when more than 1000 people died.

“Never again!” is now the cry of everyone’s heart, while the country prepares for the presidential election in March 2013.

‘Many young people are engaged in initiatives for a year of peace.

‘Sr Bernadette Sangma (Director of Youth Ministry) and a group from the Focolare Movement working in the Catholic University of Nairobi, have welcomed this and promoted the idea of the “peace caravan”, which would unify the voices of the university students in Nairobi and make an impression on public opinion. As a symbol of this “earthquake of peace” the idea was to have a song that would be heard loud and clear throughout the nation!

‘This was the request made to Gen Rosso. After the 2007 tour there was already a profound friendship with Tangaza College and after some of us in 2009 went back to Kenya to give lessons and run workshops to teach “music with values”. We had a tradition of working together. How could we refuse this new request?

‘And so the song was written:

Jivunie nchi yako, kabila si silaha                    

Nyuma twasema, kamwe haturudi                                        

wito wetu ni umoja

Be proud of your country! Tribe is not a weapon. The past never comes back. Our call is to be one.

‘Tangaza College and the Catholic University began to “recruit” young men and women from the various universities in the capital. Other young people from elsewhere became involved. Enthusiasm grew.

‘Magdalene Kasuku, a young journalist, presented “Jivunie” at official State Functions and at the huge celebrations on the 49th anniversary of Kenyan independence, on 12 December, in Nairobi’s Nyayo Stadium.

‘The song was heard with enthusiasm and it had been the government to propose that it should be sung at this major event in the presence of President Emilio Mwai Kibaki.

‘We recorded “Jivunie” with a choir to make it more “Kenyan” and to make it suitable to be left as an audio support for all the initiatives that will take place until next March.

‘Ponsiano Pascal Changa created a choreography for the performance on the 12th. We wanted a choir that danced with energy and joy and the kind of moves young people make.

‘We recorded everything, mixed it and prepared the choreography in just three days!

‘A group of 120 young people, called Kenya Youth for Peace, were brought together up for the occasion. The choreography captured people’s imagination because of its energy and freshness. The young people sang and danced in a stadium full of people: “Jivunie”: “Be proud! We are brothers and sisters of one nation!”

‘We are really happy to have given a platform to Kenyan youth so that they can proclaim to all who they are, expressing their infinite desire for a world at peace. We have become a single family with them. Family: the experience that Africa can give to the whole of humanity.’

Beni Enderle

Argentina: 60 young people from Latin America at a Summer School

Dec 21, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

The first Summer School in the Mariapolis Lia, the Focolare little town in Argentina, called in Spanish Escuela de Verano, is without doubt an extremely important step, with far-reaching consequences, in the academic development of Latin American young people.

It is not the first time that this little town has hosted an intense university-level study programme. It  already hosts various well-attended seminars and courses in politics, economics and the arts.

The Escuela de Verano is the first such educational project run jointly with the Sophia University Institute, based in Loppiano, near Incisa Valdarno (not far from Florence, Italy), whose international educational status means it can give academic accreditation to the Summer School. Among its aims, Sophia offers a course of life, study and research that explores a deeper understanding of Christian culture, as inspired by the life and work of Chiara Lubich who founded Sophia in 2007. The ideal of universal brotherhood, which she proposed and developed, can be seen in the experience of that culture and in the way it expresses itself. It is a culture that seeks to shed light upon the many dimensions of human knowledge, in its various disciplines, as it searches for the common good.

This first Summer School will look at: Epistemological Foundations for a Culture of Unity from the Perspectives of Theology, Science and Politics. Apart from established Latin American lecturers, it is significant that Prof. Piero Coda the President of Sophia will be present and will give a lecture on The Trinitarian God and the Historical Development of Christian Faith. Prof. Sergio Rondinara, who works in the fields of epistemology and cosmology, will give two lectures on The Relationship between Humankind and the Cosmos, Scientific Rationality and the Relationship between the Natural Sciences and Faith, and Ecology. Dr Daniela Ropelato, lecturer in political sciences, will also give two lectures on Contemporary Forms of Democracy, New Social and Political Agents, and Fraternity as a Political Category.

The Escuela de Verano offers university-level education to young men and women through the medium of an intense experience of study and of a shared life with others. It builds an academic community and is designed to enhance the students’ career development and their intellectual progress in their various disciplines. This communitarian enterprise, rooted in a dialogue sustained by a mutual exchange of experiences, fosters both the personal and corporate growth of its participants.

There seems to be great enthusiasm for this first Summer School in Latin America, which will begin on 28 December 2012. Already 100 university students from Mexico, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and Argentina have asked to be enrolled. From these 61 have been accepted on the courses.

The Legion of Honour Award to Catherine Belzung

Dec 20, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

Specializing in emotional psycho-biology, Catherine Belzung has made a crucial contribution to our understanding of the human being, particularly in the study of depression. This is why this professor of neruosciences and collaborator of Nouvelle Cite was decorated a Knight of the Legion of Honour on 11 December 2012 at the Francois Rabelais di Tours University in France.

In her research Belzung has highlighted how, contrary to what has been assumed up until now, in a certain region of the brain, there are cells that renew themselves and control the hormonal and nervous systems. But what most contributed to choosing her for this award was her ability to share the questions and knowledge of science and to allow them to be shared at a humanistic level.

At this level each one both brings and ‘loses’ his own scientific reasoning. This way of dialogue is a veritable challenge among university crowds, where the differing points of view are often incompatible with each another. Belzung’s conferences are being attended by many young people and students who are thus trained in the practice of dialogue and are opening new paths for further research.

Source: www.focolari.fr

Fidelia and her 1,083 students

Dec 19, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

Video on VIMEO (Italian only)

“My name is Fidelia. I’m Congolese and have been living in Central Africa for four years. I’m the director of a school with 1083 students between the ages of three and eighteen.

I always try to keep the Gospel before me as I carry out my work for the children. How can I live the Gospel with them? I’m always mindful of Jesus’ words: ‘Whoever welcomes one of these little ones, welcomes me.’ One time I had so much work to do that I closed myself up in my office where I could work in peace.

Suddenly a small boy of six years arrived, and I remembered those words of the Gospel regarding the little ones: if you do not convert and become like these little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. And so I opened the door and the child entered my office telling me that he hadn’t attended school for a week, since his parents separated. ‘I didn’t want to go with my father or my mother, and so I am staying with my grandmother,’ he told me. Then he continued: ‘You’ve been always teaching us that we should love everyone, even our enemies. And so I’ve come to ask you: ‘Can you do something for me?’

I asked for his parents’ telephone numbers and was able to speak for a long time with his mother. Then I telephoned his father but neither one of them wanted to forgive the other and accept their mistakes. This went on for some time until after a long conversation they were finally able to reconcile with each other. In fact they wanted to come and stand before me as they asked each other forgiveness. They forgave and were reconciled. Now they’re together again, which is a great joy for me and for their son.”

Prize for Young People for a United World in Hungary

Dec 18, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

It’s not every day that you go to a government ministry to receive official recognition. This is what happened to Youth People for a United World (Y4UW) in Hungary, after they had worked hard for a year in their own country to organize the Genfest. It was a huge event that from 31 August to 2 September 2012 drew together 12,000 young people from all over the world. Among them were 2000 from Hungary. Rita and Agoston, among the key figures, spoke of receiving the prize at the end of November. What was the prize for? ‘At the beginning of October the Hungarian Ministry of Human Resources sent us a message to say that, in recognition of our professionalism at the Genfest, the Focolare’s Young People for a United World was to be given a certificate of merit. We were surprised and happy at the news. It immediately spread to all the young people of the Movement. The minister, accepting our candidature, was recognizing the youth of the Focolare Movement and was giving us a prize. This took place on 20 November on the occasion of Universal Children’s Day.’ Someone within the ministry had nominated Y4UW. This person and the Minister of State for Social, Family and Youth Affairs, Miklós Soltész, had been at the opening of the Genfest. Rita and Agoston continued, ‘Both of them were struck by the dynamism, enthusiasm and sense of fraternity they experienced with the young people.’ On 20 November a delegation of five young people representing the Focolare and Y4UW went to the ministry. ‘The prizes, 14 in all, were given to organizations and persons who had done something special for children and youth. In his speech Miklós Soltész emphasized that all the prize winners were ‘examples’ who, with their activities, poetry and prose had educated young people and, through them, had also given help to parents, supporting them at critical moments.’ In the official citation, the youth section of the Focolare Movement received a certificate of merit for having put on the Genfest collectively, efficiently, professionally and in a way that was effective and exemplary in the youth sector. For Y4UW this contained a pleasant surprise, ‘We really liked hearing that word “collectively”, because it showed us that there was an understanding of our intention of building universal brotherhood by living the spirituality of unity.’ After the Genfest, new prospects have opened up for young people in Hungary, especially with regard to the United World Project: ‘After the ceremony the Minister of State said again how, at a personal level, that international meeting had been an important experience. He said that he hoped in the future to work together with us for the good of young people. We gave him as a gift a copy of Új Város [the Focolare Movement’s magazine in Hungarian] which contained articles on the Genfest.’ Rita and Agoston concluded by saying, ‘Now, together with many young people who’ve worked with us in the last few years, we will carry along the way of building a more united world “together”, as highlighted by the prize’s official citation.’

Sardinia, Italy: In the Buoncammino Prison

Dec 16, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

Luca Pani (Cagliari)

With some members of Youth for a United World, we have begun a special experience in the Buoncammino prison in Cagliari, Italy. We were offered the opportunity of presenting an hour of catechesis to the inmates at the jails. We divided up, some in the left wing, some in the women’s jail and some in the high security section. This was an opportunity for us to dedicate some time to these persons, “other Jesuses”, who never come your way because of their condition, and whom you never have an opportunity of ever meeting under normal circumstances.

Stepping into a jail is stepping into a society that is completely different from the one we live in, a small world in miniature, with its own rhythm, customs and problems. An inmate begins to lose contact with the outside world. Oftentimes relations with family and friends become clouded and some inmates sink into solitude and depression. But within this world you find yourself surrounded by people whose lives are connected . . . new friendships are formed, new relationships. And even though there is a long term sentence, they no longer find life outside but within the bars of the jail.

When you listen carefully to an inmate, stories, problems and lives are presented to you that are not like your own. And you begin to see how important freedom is and how difficult it is to really live it within this world.

Inside I found nice, normal, perhaps clever people . . . but thinking about it, you also find such people outside of jails. They ask you, “Why did you come into this jail? Who made you do it? Why aren’t you outside running around with your friends? You certainly have nicer things to do than this?” The answer was simple. I told them that if I were an inmate, I would like it if someone came to visit me just to break the monotony.

Then I discover that gratuitous love is not a given. On the contrary, it is practically inexistent for some of them. A gesture of courtesy or love should at least be followed with some respect if not gratitude.

When I returned from the Genfest that was held in Budapest, Hungary, I was carrying a thought in my mind, something I had heard during the fest: “If you don’t change your world, who will do it for you?” Finding myself among these inmates, after that extraordinary experience of universal brotherhood, I was a bit surprised. Everyone fell silent as my friends and I told the inmates about the various events: the bus ride, the food, the experiences. They listened and intervened with interest. We were so tempted by the desire to share with them the experience of the United World Project, and we asked them: “According to you is a united world where disinterested love reaches beyond cultures and religions, possible? Then a very lively debate was begun.

We don’t know what will come of this. We don’t know whether one of those young men among the inmates has decided to cooperate with justice after meeting us, or how it will turn out. This experience has borne some fruit in my own soul, and it has revived my convictions as a youth for a united world. This is one fragment of the united world that is becoming something real.

Our Christmas

Dec 8, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

For the ancients the Christ was a king. But Christ is a king outside the accepted schemes. He was born  to a daughter of peasants, in a stable amongst cattle and shepherds. While other sovereigns loomed from above and looked down from their thrones dominate and rule, he came from below, from the bottom layer, to serve: under all, the universal servant. And in this service did his kingship consist. It’s all so charming and lovely this romance about the birth of a baby boy in the heart of a windy night – in the heart of the mists of time – a child who has been sent for safety. Because the world was in need of being saved. It was full of evil, infused by a sickness, a fever in which humanity just fell apart. Jesus brought health, restored life and defeated death. When the Saviour appeared a great light lit up the night. The night was still there, but so was the light. It is forever Christmas in Christianity. You never yield to death; you begin again. And Christmas amid her tears, brings joy even today. God comes down among us and we ascend to God. He is humanized and we are divinised. His Heart is the meeting point. From his birth a new people was born, as the angel had proclaimed to astonished shepherds: Do not be frightened. Behold I bring you great tidings of great joy that shall be to the entire population. The entire population, joy: no one is excluded – no one of any class, race, language or colour – for wherever discrimination takes place, there death has its impact. The Church is there for Christ because just as he was born for everyone during that night in Bethlehem, every day he is reborn for everyone anew. And he asks that we do not refuse him but open to him the hospitality of our hearts even though they may be squallid as stables. He will take care of transforming them into temples filled with angels.

Istanbul. The Church of Rome and the Church of Constantinople celebrate together

Dec 5, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

The 30^th of November was a day of feasting in at Patriarchal Basilica of the Phanar in Istanbul, the celebration of the Solemnity of St. Andrew the Apostle, Patron of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. “The exchange of Delegations between the Church of Rome and the Church of Constantinople [. . .] testifies in a concrete way to the close bond of fraternity that unites us. This is a real and profound communion, though still imperfect, which is not based on human courtesy and co-existence, but on the common faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.” These are the words that were written by Benedict XVI in his message to His Holiness Bartholomew I, underscoring how the full communion is a gift from God and assuring the Patriarch of his unity of prayer as well as that of all the Catholic faithful. The president of the Pontifical Counsel for the Promotion of the Unity of Christians, Cardinal Kurt Koch, had guided this year’s delegation of the Holy See. In his address the Patriarch highlighted the importance of moving as brothers towards Christ as he delineated today’s ecumenical journey. His message was neither simplistic nor did it limit itself to being optimistic. It was an invitation to seek the path that must be taken in the present moment with a realistic reading of the past, and a desire to sincerely find the ways for drawing closer to each other. In this undertaking he indicated dialogue as the means par excellence for dispersing fear, suspicion and prejudice, dialogue which has as its goal “the Eucharistic Communion to which we all aspire.” [It is] a dialogue that facilitates mutual understanding in order to “arrive at the fullness of truth” (Jn. 16:13). There was also an appeal for “Good Samaritans” to be neighbours for humanity that suffers today in various ways due to many “crises”. [It was] an appeal that we should be neighbours “together” so that we can be united in proclaiming the Lord’s power and mercy. After he emotionally recalled his attendance at the 50^th anniversary celebrations of Vatican II that had opened new paths, and the upcoming anniversary of the 1700 years of the Edict of Milan, he joyfully announced that the work that is underway for the Pan-Orthodox Council is coming to a close. On Saturday morning (1 December 2012), Cardinal Koch and Metropolitan Gennadios from Sassima met with some representatives of the local Catholic community, talking informally about the ecumenical journey between the two sister Churches, tracing the challenges and the prospects in the process towards full unity since 50 years after the Second Vatican Council. In the dialogue that followed Metropolitan Gennadios noted how the social priorities that are the consequence of the crisis, had given secondary importance to the ecumenical dialogue. His twenty-year experience at the mixed theological commission leads him to foresee a renewed impulse for finding solutions together and, in this way, giving a common life witness. Cardinal Koch referred to a painting that portrays the embrace between the Apostles Peter and Andrew that hangs in the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity. He underscored that the embrace between the two of them is a sign of His presence. He concluded by asking everyone to pray for unity, recalling that Jesus had not commanded it but asked it of the Father as His gift to us.

Cameroon: honesty versus corruption

Dec 1, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

“I work in the Customs Authority and I’m coming close to the end of my career. A long journey of 29 years! There were joys and sorrows, but especially difficult choices. Since the beginning of my career, as a woman and even moreso as a Christian, I had scruples of conscience. How could I listen to the voice of God and follow it in an environment of easy money and comprimise that seemed inevitable? The answer was given to me in 1984. That year I met the Focolare Movement, and I was struck by these simple and happy people. They possessed a freedom and joy that I had never experienced. I wanted to know more. The secret turned out to be love for God and for others.

This encounter has transformed my life. I began to realize that the most important thing in life is to love. You profession doesn’t matter much. The task you’ve been given is a great opportunity to love God and your brothers and sisters. This changed everything! My colleagues and clients were no longer barriers, but they became partners with whom I could build unity.

The continual effort to go beyond my own limits and those of others, in order to go against the current, has always been accompanied by the joy that you experience after rendering some service. It is a feeling of freedom each time, that I was able to renounce my own interests as well as the easy money.

In 1999 I was awarded the Excellence Award by the Cameroon Women Customs Officers Association. The Word of Life for that month was: “Let you light shine before others, so taht they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in the heavens” (Mt. 5:14-16).

With this award I felt like I was being called upon in person: “Hang in there, don’t give into your doubts and discouragement, improve each day.”

At the end of my career, I experienced that no profession is the antechamber of hell! I saw that our specific roll in society as Christians is to do everything we do with a new spirit, with complete adhesion to God’s will. He has always accompanied us with His grace.”

(Jeanne – Cameroon)

Gen Rosso: When communication becomes listening

Nov 30, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

For an entire week they learnt to dance hip-hop, ventured into acting and song, and learnt the secrets of stage lighting and sound – all without the aid of verbal communication. All they had was sign language, sound vibrations and a profound and personal relationship with those who were giving this unique workshop on the musical “Streetlight”. This workshop which is very unique both as a musical and human experience took place on 5-12 November 2012. It involved Gen Rosso and 155 teenagers from the LVR-Gerricus-Schule and the Hauptschule Montessori. Many of the students were hearing impaired and some had learning and behavioral problems. What they managed to create among them was new and unexpected: they said they had created a “space for mutual exchange”. On the one side there was the opportunity to learn the art of listening, learning to ‘spend a small stretch of our life’ alongside hearing impaired youth from several social and faith backgrounds. On the other side it provided an opportunity to dress up the musical in new forms of artistic expression: short light shows, acting and song using sign language. At the end of the week there were many expressions of gratitude both for the work that had been done and for the indispensable supplement of love that everyone had put into it. As a motto for the week they chose the title of one of the songs from Streetlight: “Count me in!” This song is sung by one of the characters during the show, who sings it to tell of his desire to join the others in living for the ideal of peace and fraternity. “I’m so proud of my students,” said the director of LVR-Gerricus-Schule at the end of the show, “because performing a musical in spite of their hearing problems is quite a challenge, but it was possible thanks to Caritas Verband Colonia, the Starkmacher Association and Gen Rosso” .

Family: common pathways for Muslims and Christians

Nov 27, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

Nadia and Kadija are women from two cities in Northern Italy. You can see their ethnic, religious and cultural differences just by looking at them. Nadia is Italian and Christian and Kadija is Tunisian and Muslim. Their experience of social cohesion began in school and has had unexpected results. Among these was Nadia’s degree dissertation in Political Science about Muslim women, which looked in particular at the question of wearing the veil. Theirs was only one of the experiences recounted on 25 November in Brescia, where about 1300 Christians and Muslims met for a day with the title Common Pathways for Christian and Muslim Families, organized by the Focolare Movement and various Islamic associations and communities. It was a development of what had taken place in the little town of Loppiano in October 2010, when 600 Muslims and Christians from all over Italy met for a moment’s reflection upon the common pathways followed by people of different faiths and traditions. The ‘Workshop Brescia 2012’ affirmed that the journey to universal fraternity among people of different religions, promoted by Chiara Lubich a decade ago, has taken a decisive step ahead. Indeed, it seems that there are already many experiences of fostering social cohesion and preparing the next generation for dialogue. During a round table discussion, which included two Imams, Kamel Layachi from Treviso and Youssef Sbai from Massa, there was talk about the daily problems that families of both traditions have to face. Maria Voce, in France for a Social Studies Event, was present through a message where she promised her prayers to ‘God the almighty and merciful’ that he would bless ‘these “common pathways” so that they may reveal the huge contributions that communities of believers … can give to the fabric of society wherever they may be.’ She went on to say that ‘that they are like first shoots generating a sense of family and creating harmonious relations among people, which respect their rights and duties, beyond any cultural and religious differences.’ It was an event that also saw moments of meditation upon the value of the family according to Muslim and Christian tradition. Real experiences of everyday life from where people lived were told and there were also moments of artistic beauty. One of the most moving of these was led by Harif Abdelghani from Morocco. He sang a folk song and all joined in with him. And then the hall was filled with a party atmosphere as 130 children and young people presented dances and songs they had learned in the morning. There were also moments of intense community prayer, held separately by Christians and Muslims. They spoke, furthermore, about some problems relating to immigration, bearing in mind both, on the one hand, those who face the trauma of travel, the worry about finding somewhere to live, a resident’s permit, work, of having to learn a new language, and often suffering discrimination, fear, doubt, suspicion and, on the other hand, those who see people arriving who have new ways of talking, dressing, eating, behaving, and who must face up to the arrival of an unknown culture. They also considered issues ‘in the light of God’. God’s presence in the lives of individuals and families can truly change things. This goes for personal relations within the family group as well as for those with the world outside, one’s neighbours, work colleagues and companions at school or college. Above all, God’s presence can lead to important shared choices: ‘We are leaving here,’ Imam Layachi said at the conclusion, ‘with the promise that Christians and Muslims can act together in front of God: to be servants of the common good in our neighbourhoods, our cites and our countries.’ Sources: Città Nuova online Servizio Informazioni Focolari Italia

Maria Voce at Social Studies Event in France

Nov 24, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

Maria Voce’s talk was at the heart of the three weeks study event in Paris of the 2012 Semaines Sociales  (23-25 November). She spoke in the plenary session on the afternoon of the 24th, on the topic of ‘Men and Women in the Church’. It is not a question of power but of love was the message that emerged from what she said. She was speaking in conjunction with the theologian Alphonse Borras and Anne Ponce, editor in chief of the Roman Catholic journal Pèlerin.

In an institution where the hierarchy is all male, what recognition can be given to the increasing contribution given by women? This question arose in the afternoon. Maria Voce was happy to speak to it and giving a witness from the perspective of women at the head of a Movement with wide-ranging membership, spread throughout the world and founded by a woman, Chiara Lubich. This Movement, according to its Statutes, will always have a woman at its head. Nonetheless, unity in distinction is part of the Movement’s DNA and so the exercise of leadership is conducted jointly by men and women.

Maria Voce emphasized in first place how the role of men and women must be understood ‘in the light of God’s plan for humanity. Created by God “in his image and likeness” (Gn 2:26), they are called to participate in the intimacy of his inner life and to live in a mutual communion of love, following the model of God who is Love, Trinity. Hence the dignity of men and women is rooted in God the creator. If women cannot have ecclesiastical roles, they have the greatest of charisms: love. Women can mirror Mary, the greatest creature that exists, the One who lived love in a perfect way.’

Having outlined the history and make-up of the Focolare Movement, Maria Voce put the question: ‘How is it possible to keep all these persons united, in a single family? In the Focolare Movement more importance is given to life than to structures, even though these latter are useful.’ In the past the Church frequently tested this structure ‘in particular with regard to its having a woman, Chiara Lubich, as its founder and President. The attempts at putting it under another body or its being absorbed by the ecclesiastical hierarchy were numerous. To begin with it seemed that the head of the Movement should be a man and if possible a priest. Chiara, and with her the whole Movement, always maintained unconditional obedience to the will of the Church. The words of the gospel ‘Whoever listens to you listens to me’ (Lk 10:16) were to be respected, even if it seemed to her that a man at the head of this Work of God would have altered its very nature which, no one knew better than she, was born of God and not as a human project.’

Her comments emphasized that the ‘recognition of women in the Church demands a kind of “struggle”, that is of faithfulness to oneself, to one’s conscience and, in the final analysis, to God’s plan. But in this case it is a “struggle” that for Chiara had “Easter” characteristics, that is, of death and resurrection, which allow the full manifestation of God’s plan, of his will, for the role of women.’

‘The fact of having female presidency,’ Maria Voce continued, ‘is very significant. It indicates a distinction between the power to govern and the importance of the charismatic dimension.’ This was the message launched to the Church ‘to underline the priority of love, a priority that is not simply a feminine monopoly. Certainly women, given their predisposition to maternity, have a tremendous capacity for love which gives them the ability to perceive within themselves what the other person is living, as only a mother can.’ Maria Voce emphasized that ‘true’ power rests in gospel love that generates the presence of Jesus in the midst of the community, affirming that when something is built on this basis ‘an amazing and radical transformation takes place.’

Afterwards Maria Voce also said, ‘Unity between men and women is always a delicate balance. Each must rediscover the value of the other, and both must not forget that diversity is a richness – and neither they must tire of constantly beginning again on the royal road of dialogue.’ And a Movement that ‘wishes to witness to the unity of the human family must, before all else, make certain of its own unity within itself.’ In conclusion she recalled that we must be aware ‘that no ecclesiastical structure exists for itself alone but for the good of humanity that surrounds it.’

• Maria Voce’s talk “Men and Women of the Church” 
• Photo Gallery SSF Official Website
• More information: Press Area

Congo and the Challenge of the New Evangelisation

Nov 24, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

The contribution of women at the recent Synod on the New Evangelisation was also expressed by the voice of Professor Ernestine Sikujua Kinyabuuma from Congo. A member of the Focolare Movement, the African lecturer highlighted the importance of the New Evangelisation in Africa where the faith is still young and in need of strengthening. “In the African world,” she explained, “the human person is divided within. There is a struggle between two irreconcilable forces: traditional culture and religion. Then there is the phenomenon of the so-called “revival churches” that present a Gospel of prosperity and success, and it is difficult to distinguish between what are authentic Christian values and what is the influence of the Western world. The African is in search of a relationship with God, but an insufficient catechetical foundation allows him to be drawn into a search for another superior force that can bring protection and prosperity.”

As a lecturer, Ernestine is in constant contact with students. During her intervention at the Synod she said that she came to realize that young people, in spite of the fact that they live immersed in a culture of “ease”, they are in search of a great ideal and of a more radical life based on the Gospel. She presented a few experiences of young people belonging to the Focolare Movement who gave testimony to an everyday life that is based on living the Word of God. Many others do not remain indifferent to this, but come into contact with Christian values.

“In the midst of the changes brought by globalisation, Africa is undergoing a crisis at every level: political, economic and cultural. For this reason, the people react in various ways as they try to find a way out,” she explained in her intervention by recounting a few experiences of the local Focolare community that were illuminated by the desire to live Jesus words: “Insofar as you did these things to one of the least of my brethren, you did it to me” (Mt. 2:40). Together they reconstructed three blocks of dormitory buildings in the central prison of Lubumbashi with the help of an international NGO. They built a tailor shop so that prisoners could learn a trade, and a shop where basic food products could be sold, along with other basic needs at a cost that was favourable to the prisoners.

In an interview with the Italian Radio Station “Inblu”, she added: “This has been a new and enriching and beautiful experience, because it has brought me into the heart of the Church.” And when she was asked: “Why a New Evangelisation for Africa and, in particular, for you own country of Democratic Republic of the Congo?” Ernestine responded: “There have been 2000 years of evangelization in Europe; for us only two centuries. In the scientific world where I work, the African goes to church, but then when he steps out of the church he goes looking for ‘supernatural forces’ that will bring him more success at work, more intelligence. . . And so the message of the New Evangelisation is quite important for us, in order to help us realize that all the answers we are looking for are to be found in Jesus. There’s no need to search elsewhere.”

2012 Annual Luminosa Award for Unity: for outstanding service to immigrants

Nov 23, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

(from left) Rev. Mario Dorsonville , Marco Desalvo, and Clare Zanzucchi at the awarding ceremony

One day, on his way into the Spanish Catholic Center of Washington, Rev. Mario Dorsonville, who directs Immigration and Refugee Services at Catholic Charities in the Archdiocese of Washington, was stopped by a young man who grabbed him by the arm.  He told him that he had a lot of pain in his heart. “Let’s go find a doctor,” Dorsonville told him. “No,” answered the young man, because his pain stemmed from being an undocumented immigrant, from not being able to find a job. He didn’t know how he could face his children at the end of the day.

“I was thinking that there is no worse poverty than when we say to people that they’re invisible,” says Dorsonville.

This is what journalist Marylin Boesch wrote in the opening paragraph of her Living City magazine article, published recently, in which she gave a description of the Spanish Catholic Centre in Washington. It’s a so-called “lab of faith” where “these people are visible”. The centre’s mission is to provide the best quality of integrated services to immigrants and refugees in order to bring back hope and dignity to their lives and to make them more confident, respected, and effective members of American society. It does this by providing medical and dental clinics, counselling centres, English classes and job training programs.

Fr Mario Dorsonville received the Luminosa Award 2012, on behalf of the Spanish Catholic Centre, on 7 November in the presence of more than 250 diplomats, politicians, representatives of the Jewish, Muslim and Christian faith and others of no particular faith tradition gathered at The Catholic University of America in Washington.

“This prize encourages us even more to illuminate the darkness around us through service to our neighbour,” said Fr Mario Dorsonville in his acceptance speech.

As the award was sponsored by the Focolare Movement, during the conferral ceremony, Marco Desalvo and Clare Zanzucchi, Focolare Co-Directors of the eastern region of the United States, shared a reflection by the Movement’s founder, Chiara Lubich (1920-2008), on love of neighbour, one of the pearls of the Focolare’s spirituality of unity: “The Holy Spirit, enlightening us with his charism, said to us:’ your brother, your sister… can become your way to God, an opening, a door, a path, a passageway that leads to union with him. And if we have gained this by loving our neighbours, then they are not only our beneficiaries, but our benefactors as well; they have given us the best of what we had hoped for.”  Very much in tune with the experience of the Spanish Catholic Center, this reading strongly resonated in those present, affirming and giving light to their day-to-day work in favour of those in need.

“It is an active, constant and courageous service that gives dignity to many people of diverse ethnic and social origins who are in difficulty due to various circumstances, thus helping them to become an integral part of society” – wrote Focolare president Maria Voce in her message to Fr Dorsonville.

The Luminosa Award for Unity of the Focolare, established in 1987, honours persons or associations whose lives and works have given a significant contribution to building bridges of mutual understanding and concern among diverse Christian denominations, major faith traditions and people of good will in all aspects of social life.

Common Pathways for Christian and Muslim Families

Nov 22, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

It will be a moment of gathering the fruits from a network of relationships and common experiences that have matured over the years in many Italian cities. New possibilities have been opened amid the diversity of religious and cultural perspectives. The family will be presented as the common setting for an exchange of testimonies and reflections on dialogue and in listening to one another. The administrative capital of the Province of Brescia will host this unique workshop on Sunday, November 25, 2012 at Pala Brescia Theatre. The workshop will be attended by 2000 people of Christian and Muslim families from more than 50 cities of North Italy. This is the region that has seen the highest presence of new citizens who have emigrated to Italy and made it their home. The workshop is the result of a process of welcoming and friendship that has been going on for years between Christians and Muslims, and is rooted in their common faith in God. It is a dialogue that is lived out in daily life and draws on the ideal of universal brotherhood that inspires both the Focolare Movement and some members of the Islamic faith who belong to several Muslim communities in Italy. The process has been one of mutual recognition which has woven a fabric of wholesome friendship that now spreads from the North to the South of the Italian peninsula as it also does in many other countries of the world. Back in 2010 a national meeting was held in the Focolare town of Loppiano with 600 Muslim and Christian participants. It included several religious and civil authorities and was entitled “Common Pathways for Brotherhood.” Brescia 2012 is one step forward in the project that will merge into a national event in Rome, Italy in May 2013 that hopes to further the construction of this common pathway. The November 25th event will be attended by religious and civil authorities, including the Bishop of Brescia, Luciano Monari, the Imam of the Islamic Community of Brescia, Dr. Amyn Hasmy and many other Imams and leaders of the Muslim community in North Italy.   The panel discussion that will be the centrepiece of the event will focus on the family as a promoter of the common good in the city. Therefore the family be presented as a resource and not as a problem, and the relationship between families will be highlighted as a space in which to influence the surrounding society with its virtues through the construction of a network of solidarity and shared projects. The year 2013 is the European Year of Citizenship. In this sense the promotors are convinced that families will also be able to bring their own important contribution to the formation and training of responsible citizens who are actively involved in pursuing the common good. Promotors:

• Focolare Movement

• Ucoii (Union of Islamic Communities in Italy)

• Crii (Council of Islamic Italian Relations)

• Gmi  (Muslim Youths of Italy)

• Admi (Muslim Womens Association of Italy)

• Islamic Community of Triveneto

• Islamic Cultural Centre of Brescia

Crisis in Gaza

Nov 21, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

Stuck for days under the shelling of the Catholic area of the Gaza Strip, three focolarini were liberated only as a result of intervention by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and the French, Korean and Italian consulates. They managed to get way under escort by a United Nations convoy. This is an interview with two of them who are experiencing at first hand the start of the new crisis.

‘It’s not possible to understand much of what’s happening, nor what people want to achieve. Certainly things are really bad, and the impression is that we’re on the edge of an abyss,’ I was told in a phone call with two focolarine in Jerusalem who had been caught by surprise in the Israeli bombardment while visiting Focolare friends in the Gaza strip.

‘We left on the Wednesday, Corres from Korea, Gérard from France and I, to visit our community,’ says 35 year-old nurse Francesca, living for more than ten years in Jerusalem. ‘We wanted to go there at other times in the last few months, but various circumstances meant the trip was put off. As soon as we arrived, after hearing the deafening explosion, we were told of the death of Hamas’s military leader. From that moment on, except for very brief moments, it was effectively impossible to leave the tiny Christian quarter where we were staying.’

Corres took up the story, ‘We had brought aid collected by the Movement’s friends for our friends in Gaza: clothing, educational material, games for the children, food. We distributed these few things among our Christian friends, in a deeply serene atmosphere. We are witnesses of the generosity of these people, who often when about to receive gifts pointed out other families more in need than they. Despite hearing the bombardment, we can say we were all quite calm. We prayed together, met small groups who wanted news of our community in Israel, Palestine and the world. We played with the children and took tea with young people and adults.’

Francesca spoke again, ‘We stayed on the ground floor of the houses, without any shelter, without siren warnings: because shelters and sirens don’t exist in Gaza. People live in constant danger. We were struck by the faith of these people, their endless hope, so strong that it was they who encouraged us. They showed no fear and kept on saying to us: “We are in God’s hands.” Certainly we could hear the explosions (it was impossible not to!), but we carried on living the normality and simplicity of a life where we are brothers and sisters of one another. We prepared meals for parties, despite everything. One of our friends went as far as the harbour to buy fresh fish for us and one morning they cooked pizza in the oven for our breakfast.’ The most difficult moment was at night when, with each explosion, the windows and the ground shook, as the planes flew overhead of the people in Gaza City.

Of course all three focolarini had registered their presence with the UN who were preparing an expedition to withdraw foreigners from the Gaza Strip. For two days they went to the exit point, but each time there was a problem that stopped them leaving, until a UN convoy was able to escort people away.

Francesca concluded by saying, ‘I brought away with me a picture of those days: we had taken colouring books and paints with us. A boy painted a house under a tree. But at the centre of the house there was a missile. These children have grown up without peace, without calm.’

By Michele Zanzucchi (Source: Città Nuova online)

Syria: the young want peace

Nov 20, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

What is your country like, what situation have you left behind?

My only experience of war used to be from watching TV about Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq… I’d never have imagined that it would break out in Syria. We were a ‘rainbow nation’ with people of every sort, then suddenly war broke out and the colours disappeared: we became simply black and white. Neighbours looked at neighbours with suspicion, we lost our great tradition, peace, the ability to live together, our homes…We were forced to run away, losing our work and our friends… and people withdrew from one another. After living side by side we found ourselves on opposite banks. In every family there are people who have disappeared, kidnapped, orphans, killed…

Homs used to be a city full of life. We heard of gun battles elsewhere in the country and we thought that the TV was exaggerating. But sadly our city became a place where the warring parties clashed. Then we found ourselves in the midst of a gun battle. At that point I realized that Homs too had been engulfed by the war.

What is it like to experience war?

It means that the past instantly disappears – no more peace, no more freedom to go where you want without fear. Syria had been a safe country, where no one asked what your religion was. A friend of mine died, the first person I lost in the war. He loved peace. The people who die are just numbers: 30 dead today, 50 yesterday… But each one has a name, a father, a mother… When I found myself in church at my friend’s funeral, I cried as I have never cried before. When the priest asked: ‘What would Christ say now? Forgive!’, there was a stunned silence. All you could hear was the sound of people breathing. Everyone replied that we had to forgive, but I couldn’t manage it. I ran out in tears, I was burning with the wish to run over some of the killers with my car. But then I thought: what am I doing? I said to myself, should I also ill someone like my friend? I reversed the car and went back home. I prayed, God give me patience. I mustn’t kill, but avoid causing the evil I have suffered.

What do you hope for Syria in the future?

To see the country return to how it was, in peace. ‘Put away your sword and live in peace’, this ought to be the message of all religions. I hope that a media war like this would encourage young people to make peace and not war. Religious leaders should give a message of peace, so that the young can rebuild Syria.

Source: TV 2000, interview with Wael, 16 October 2012

Stories of Daily Heroism

Nov 19, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

Castelgandolfo, Italy, 15-18 November 2012. Faces and stories came together like a puzzle composing a portrait of hope. This year’s congress for adherents of the Focolare Movement was attended by one thousand people and was based on their lived experiences throughout the year.

Tanino had taught in Hungary several years ago. He was warned of the “spies” that may have been planted among the students by the regime. He recounts: “I went to class trying not to think about spies, but about discovering the positive in each of the students. I noticed one student looking very serious. I approached him and asked what was wrong. He told me of a small child in poor health and living under very poor conditions. I was helped by my sister to find clothing and other things for the child, and we took care of him.” When Communism ended Tanino discovered that it was precisely that student that was the spy. “The important thing is to love,” Tanino concludes, “if I had searched for the spy, I would have been distracted from noticing the problems of the student whom I had shown more love.”

Then Grace from Catania in Italy spoke. Her story involved the whole city in reacting against the gambling that had also involved minors as young as thirteen, and produced a debt of 18,000 Euros. It becomes a burden that can lead a boy to contemplate suicide. Grace had become aware of this during her time in classrooms. She began a neighbourhood awareness project geared towards mothers and teachers. A signature campaign was begun in favour of a law that would forbid gambling halls within school areas and publicity for the game in newspapers and television.

Discovering that we are brothers and sisters was the overriding theme of all these experiences. They did not come from Europe only but also from the Philippines, for example, where there was a presentation by Bukas Palad (With Open Hands) Community Centres. These centres offer third level care for children suffering from malnutrition. They provide education, hygiene, medical care and distance adoption that helps people rise out of poverty. They have opened kindergartens for 500 children this year alone and professional training schools for teenagers. With their motto: “Freely you have received, freely give” (Mt 10:8), Bukas Palad has assisted more than 90,000 people for twenty years, promoting a life based on reciprocity in which the one who receives assistance, offers assistance in return.

Graziella de Luca, one of the first companions of Chiara Lubich, came to greet the participants

Then there are the people who are waiting for a smile or for some concrete gesture. And so there were also the experiences of those who had used their own salaries to buy a stove for someone on Christmas day; to open the doors of their home to a gypsy, overcoming common prejudices and discovering a sister in the stranger’s face. “We met Pietro,” Luigino and Esterina recount, who have been married for forty years. “He is an elderly man without a home. We tried to reach out to him in his need, changing his clothes, welcoming him into our home. Easter morning he asked Luigino if he could bathe him and cut his fingernails. By saying yes, we experienced a profound joy at having loved and served Jesus in Pietro.” We could continue by recalling the thirty seven people who attended from Lebanon; the anti-conformist priest; the experiences of teenagers from Peru, Panama, and many more. As the curtains seemed to close on the congress, there was an artistic performance by the singers from the Arena in Verona, Italy. But the congress will go on in the choices of those who have constructed it if they take seriously the words of the Gospel where the message originates: “Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these brethren of mine, you did it to me” (Mt. 25:40). Comfortable habits are overcome, the Golden Rule seems reasonable and, through love for others, conflicts are transformed into relationships.

Humour to spread the Gospel

Nov 16, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

Cesare’s dream has always been to give God to others as the ideal of life. When he realized that schools were a privileged place for doing this, he thought he would add his specialism to the curriculum: humour. He first tried his method in Cagliari, Sardinia, in a primary school in a run-down area where, out of a class of 25 children, 12 fathers were in prison. He said, ‘With the head teacher’s agreement I visited classes and offered to teach them a method: humour applied to school subjects, building dialogue, maintaining discipline, bodily care, social behaviour, world awareness, coping with difficulty, appreciating beauty and building peace.’ After that Cesare visited a large number of schools, offering his innovative teaching to many regions of Italy.

Following that he carried on his mission when he went to live in the focolare in Albania where in the space of ten years he met and inspired with his message about 25,000 people, in courses of catechists, groups of young people, professional schools, kindergartens and parents’ groups. His brilliance and the effectiveness of his applied humour were such that he even ran a course on street evangelization for the Sisters of Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

Cesare has a profound knowledge of the Bible, and he even offers a Master’s course in the Song of Songs which has been a great success among both seminarians and young married couples. Some of the feedback: ‘Behind your apparent improvisation there is tremendous research, tremendous work, tremendous passion, tremendous attention for each person,’ ‘You have a deep love for the Bible, (you quote it from memory) every artistic expression of yours is drawn from a relationship with the Word.’

Besides working with schools and running training courses, Cesare has created a theatrical show where his ‘applied humour for extreme evangelization’ aims at honouring inner beauty and the priceless value of each person. In the show he observes life with care and sympathy, picking up on educational points so as to learn how to face things, whether happy or sad, in a balanced way and with Gospel wisdom. Cesare likes to call himself an ‘Actor-Soul’ who, using the instruments of art, humour and culture, as well as a wide range of deeply human life-experiences, produces a two-hour show characterized by fun and contemplation.

Email: gattocex@yahoo.it

Cuba, the dignity of a people

Nov 14, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

‘Havana, 5 November 2012. I came back yesterday from Santiago, Palma Soriano and Banes. It was a very painful experience but, at the same time, good for me. We left on a bus bulging with food and clothing: a drop in the ocean in comparison with people’s needs. We arrived at the very moment when food had run out for many families. Youth for a United World and Teens for Unity were waiting for us to help unloading and distributing what we had brought. It was a shock to see the city’s devastation: rubble everywhere, most of the streets blocked, 80% of the trees uprooted, many houses in ruins and thousands of people injured and homeless. It was like a war zone. People’s dignity, despite their pain, as they thanked God for being alive, was impressive. And, above all, it was striking to see the willingness to help others rebuild, for example, putting back a roof on a house. ‘David, who is 15 years old, told me, “A huge tree fell on my house, but the roof is made of cement and so it was all right. But my uncle’s house was destroyed. My aunt and he managed to save their 5 month old child by smashing a neighbour’s window. They came to stay with us and later on other children from the area arrived. There was no electricity and, by candlelight, my sister and I began getting an evening meal ready for the little ones and looking for blankets so they would not get cold. When we heard that the church had fallen down, I rushed out to help the parish priest. He was not injured, the building was in ruins. Only one wall was left standing. On it were the crucifix and Jesus Eucharist in the tabernacle. With other Gen and our friends from the parish we cleared away the mess, cleaned the priest’s house and salvaged a few pews and other things. Then we organized shifts to keep a watch over the parish buildings. Even the nun’s convent had been damaged. And so, every day after my morning shift, I went to their place to help them, without going home to sleep.” ‘Then we left Santiago to go to Palma Soriano (42km from Santiago). The houses were not badly damaged, but people had nothing to eat. We arrived just in time to bring them something. ‘After that I went to Banes (300km from Santiago). There I discovered how generous those amazing people are. With one of the Gen 3 I went to several shops to get food and clothing of the best quality at the lowest price, so as to be able to help the most people possible. At one point I realized I didn’t have the money I needed because I’d already spend half of it in Santiago. I was not going to be able to get what was necessary: rice, sugar and so on. My Gen 3 friend gave me 10 dollars; I was surprised and moved because it was all he had apart from his fare home. When I came to another town, another Gen 3 gave me 25 dollars that he had been given to buy food and clothing. Like that I could get some 50kg bags of rice, sugar, wheat and cornflour. When I got to Banes, the local priest embraced me and wept because what I was bringing in the name of the Movement, fruit of sharing among many people, came just at the moment that they were at the end of all the aid the bishop had sent. ‘What has emerged in this natural disaster is the dignity, strength, faith, goodness and heroismof these young people of all ages (and the adults too) who went beyond their own needs and problems to think of the needs of others and throw themselves without stinting into loving and serving.’ A. C. ______________________________________ To find our more or give to the project: AMU – http://www.amu-it.eu Associazione Azione per un Mondo Unito c/o Banca Popolare Etica, Rome Branch. IBAN: IT16G0501803200000000120434 SWIFT/BIC CCRTIT2184D Payments made to: Progetto: La mia casa è la tua casa