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

Switzerland: Crossing the Borders

Nov 12, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

The visit Focolare president Maria Voce to Switzerland, concluded with a glance to the future. She was accompanied by Giancarlo Faletti for nine days in this land of the Swiss (2-11 November 2012) and met with people from the Movement and ecumenical personalities from this country. Her last appointment was with 120 Gen 3, teenage boys who live the spirituality of the Movement and animate the Teens for Unity Movement. Their lively vitality of their experience in engaging numerous teenagers in Switzerland, and the concrete projects that one group carried out during a week-long stay in Croazia where coming into close contact with the most needy families, taught them to value what they have, “being more attentive about eating everything on their plates, even old bread,” as one of them recounted.

The boys’ questions provided an opportunity for Maria Voce and Giancarlo t share their own personal experiences, along with a few “tricks” for becoming “great in love”. “Whenever we find ourselves in front of people who are difficult to love, that is the moment to make the life of Jesus grow within us; these are the moments in which Jesus makes us love with his own Heart. My love grows stronger not when the others have given me a compliment, but when I’ve felt wounded inside and I’ve carried on loving,” said Giancarlo. Maria Voce encouraged the boys to “take the initiative and not expect anything in return.” And she also explained that it’s not enough to tell a boy that he was wrong in stealing, but also that his action “diminished the communion among all, igniting fear and suspicion in the relationship.”

There was the same intensity in the dialogue with the young people on 10 November 2012, in which Maria Voce and Giancarlo Faletti launched that challenge of “living for a united world” with a blazing love in order to be a new generation, always ready to offer the world a supplement of the spirit it so much needs.

The adults were also drawn into the “revolution of love” and they left committed to build fraternity everywhere. “One day, passing in front of a kiosk,” one of the recounts, “I noticed that among the games there were some pornographic videos. I mustered up my courage and spoke to the seller, then with the director, and finally with the owner of the kiosk. It wasn’t easy. But a few days later when I passed by the kiosk again, the seller told me that the owner of the kiosk had told her to ‘remove those DVDs from the shelf‘.”

The ideal of unity arrived in Switzerland in the 1950’s, and so it has a long history in this country. Many were the pioneers of fraternity and not only in the Catholic Church. In fact, the first person to know the focolarini in Italy was an architect from the Reformed Church. Over the years there have been many ecumenical projects, in which Chiara Lubich was directly involved. She loved Switzerland and spent her holidays here, calling it her second homeland. Among those whom the spirituality has reached were also people of other faiths, and others who have arrived from countries in difficulty. This has given witness to how much the Ideal of unity has favoured an integration that must not be taken for granted.

During the open discussion with Maria Voce, Giancarlo Faletti and the thousand people who came from all Switzerland, a few proposals emerged: to make the current of love increase in the world; staying inside one’s own group makes the united world a utopia, so if we want to bring it forward, we should move beyond the borders, responding to this urging from God who is asking for more than what has been done up until now. We should be more passionately engaged in working for the unity among the Churches, active in the building of a better society, aiming for great things because God is in our midst, who can do all things.

By Aurora Nicosia

Brazil, Priests and the Focolare

Nov 10, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

“Just as the stars become brighter in the darkness of a desert, so too in our heavenly path Mary shines with Heavenly strength as the Star of the New Evangelization. . . It is she who guides us along the way.” And this message that was given by the Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelization was the experience of the more than eighty priests and deacons who gathered from different regions of Brazil at the Focolare’s Mariapolis town near to Sao Paulo.

“Mary, “transparency of God, model of pastoral fruitfulness, light for the mission” was the central theme of the congress promoted by the priests sector of the Focolare Movement in Brazil, as a contribution from the charism of unity to the ‘marian priesthood’ that embodies the priestly lifestyle that was inaugurated by the Second Vatican Council for the times in which the Church now lives.

Outlining Mary’s influence on the priesthood, Bishop Francesco Biasin of Barra do Pirai-Volta Redondo, Brazil, spoke of service as “the main promoter” of Gospel brotherhood as a way of life that “does not create relationships of submission but of collaboration and co-responsibility.” This is a lifestyle that aims at laying bridges everywhere, one that is also characterized by personal experiences: “The people have wisdom. We must together listen to the Spirit and not remain closed in our own programming.”

Theologian Sandra Ferreira Ribeiro recalled the new Marialogical formulation given by the Council, and she outlined a few sections from the story of the Focolare Movement, “born with the Gospel in hand, from which a spirituality of unity has blossomed bringing new and original elements to Mariaology, opening a new passageway in ecumenical dialogue as well.” “People today want to see and experience Jesus, to touch the mystery of God, to feel his presence with the senses of the soul. Jesus who makes himself present in fraternal communion makes the fruits of the Spirit to be experienced by those who encounter him: peace, light, love, strength,” affirmed Father Antonio Capelesso who is in charge of the school for priests and seminarians at Mariapolis, during his rich presentation on the connection between “this presence of Jesus in the community and the ecclesiology of Second Vatican Council.”

This experience became tangible during the congress for seminarians and priests, because of the intense communion between priests and laity. It was the dominant note that also enlivened theological understanding, the sharing of experiences between priests, families and youths, artistic pieces, a visit to some concretizations of this spirituality in the fields of economy and cultural workshops that are part of the Mariapolis.

Mary, “all clothed with the Word” appeared as the model of the priestly life. Her life in many of its aspects, as it was deepened and shared in during course of the congress prepared them for a better understanding of that vision of the Church which was outlined by theologian Urs von Balthasar and often recalled by Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI: the co-essentiality that exists between the Marian and Petrine-institutional profiles of the Church, and it also uncovered some of its concrete implications.

Sources:

Radio Vaticana – RG from 1 November 2012

New Office, Mariapoli Ginetta

Ecumenical Day in Switzerland

Nov 9, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

On 8 November 2012, members of  Reformed and Free Churches, Methodists and Catholics, ecumenical personalities, pastors, priests, pastoral assistants and members of several movements from the different linguistic regions of Switzerland – 250  people beyond what was expected – crowded into a hall at the Kreuz Hotel in Berne. They had come to attend an ecumenical symposium organized by the Focolare Movement entitled “Ecumenism: Where is it going?” The speakers were three special guests: a Cardinal, a lay woman and a Reformed pastor. They were Swiss Cardinal Koch who came from the Vatican and is now president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity; the president of the Federation of the Protestant Churches of Switzerland, Gottfried Locher and, to do the honours, Maria Voce, president of the Focolare Movement. In their presentations the speakers explored various aspects of the ecumenical process with a strong common belief that the ecumenical process is by now irreversable indispensable despite the signs of fatigue that sometimes characterize it and make it seem like a mission impossible. “As long as we fight for unity,” the future president of the work Community of Christian Churches in Switzerland, Rita Famos, affirmed, “we are on the right path. It means that we haven’t laid down our arms. Today we want to stimulate dialogue between those who dream with hope and those who struggle for unity.” In fact, one of the “dangers” in the ecumenical journey is that of “getting used to the differences in thinking, and imagining that we are just fine without the other Church,” Locher warned. Maybe “we got comfortable,” we no longer find the “division to be scandalous.” Hence his call to “construct unity wherever it is now possible,” to step out of the Cantonal Reformed Churches that are often very independant from one another, in order to find more communion and a common voice, a common message of the Swiss Reformed Church in these important times. He gave strong and constant reminders of the transforming power of the Word. Many were involved in this process that saw moments of enthusiasm and moments of stalling. Among them the Pope, as Cardinal Koch recalled when he pointed to the ecumenical passion that led the John XXIII to create the Secretariat for the Promotion of Christian Unity in 1960. This institutite over which Koch presides also witnessed how close Paul VI was to the Orthodox world of Constantinople and the cancellation of the mutual anathemas that had “expelled the poison of excommunication” after 900 years. It also also brought Paul VI to meet with Anglican Primate Ramsey. Then there was John Paul II with his concrete acts of ecumenism, until Benedict XVI who in his first message stated his desire to work with all of his strength for the unity of Christians. But there is not only the ecumenism promoted by Church leaders, nor even the ecumenism that is brought forward by theologians. There is also a vital ecumenism based on an ecumenism of life, an ecumenism of people. And this is the ecumenism that Maria Voce spoke about. She recounted the experience of adults and children from different countries who have discovered the main points of Focolare spirituality to be very ecumenical when they lived it, especially for the accent it places on the Word, faith in Jesus’ promise to be there “wherever two or more are united” in His Name (Mt. 18:20), love for Jesus Crucified and Abandoned, who is the symbol of every disunity. And this spirituality has opened fields of dialogue among Christians of different Churches (350 at the moment) who find in one point after another reflections of their own creeds. “It is an ecumenism from below that is not opposed to the one above. It is a kind of dialogue that can serve as the humus, upon which the other dialogues can blossom and develop,” the president of the Focolare affirmed.       There are already many types of dialogue that already exist among Churches,on different levels and reaching different levels. And the difficulties that are never lacking often make the goal of Jesus’ Testament seem a faraway dream. At times lose the trail, we drift apart rather than draw closer together. It was recalled in the hall that in his prayer, Jesus did not command unity. He asked it of the Father. What we Christians are called to do, therefore, is to collaborate with patience and fervour, but unity is a gift of God that we must pray for together. Just as we must feel the pain of our division together, acknowledge the fault of our disunity together, so too must we work together so that “all may be one.” An evermore secularized society requires the witness and the commitment of a united Christianity. This is also something we all agree on. By Aurora Nicosia (Source: Città Nuova online)

Cuba in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy

Nov 9, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

After Hurricane Sandy passed over the eastern side of the island, they wrote from Havana: “The city of Santiago and the surrounding areas were hit strongly. It was expected to be a tropical storm but in a few hours it turned into a category 3 hurricane. The worst situations involved the destruction of homes and farmlands.”

According to government sources, at first count 15,392 homes have been totally destroyed and 36,544 partially destroyed. This does not include the number of hospitals, schools, churches and other public infrastructure. The damages caused by the hurricane have comprimised already comprimised housing situations.

The situation is quite difficult. There is a scarcity of food supplies and reconstruction materials. After a week, the electricity has been restored.

The Focolare community – especially young people and teenagers – have been very actively involved in providing help, unblocking the roads and repairing damaged buildings in the quarters. They are preparing meals for the poor in local parishes.

They write: “A group from Havana travelled right away with a van full of food supplies and basic supplies, but especially to be with the people and share their pain and suffering, trying to help in any way they could. We brought the supplies into their homes, and the people couldn’t find enough words to thank us! Everything arrived at just the right moment. In one family there was no more salt, in another no candles or matchsticks. Others hadn’t eaten in days. . . Above all, we brought comfort and support from the Movement around the world. Our own city was devsastated, but, nevertheless, the mutual love among us grew stronger and the sense of brotherhood towards all helps us in not being defeated by the sadness.”

The Focolare NGO (Azione per un Mondo Unito), supports several micro-businesses in Cuba with future development prospects. Moreover it has offered help in repairing damages caused by previous hurricanes. A pilot project is presently underway that would involve similar future projects on a vaster scale.

______________________________________

To know more or to support the project:

AMU (Action for a United World) – http://www.amu-it.eu

Associazione Azione per un Mondo Unito

c/- Banca Popolare Etica (Rome Branch)

IBAN: IT16G0501803200000000120434

SWIFT/BIC CCRTIT2184D

Description: “Progetto: La mia casa è la tua casa”

You Taught Me Forgiveness

Nov 7, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

“I lost my Mother, my uncle and his wife at the beginning of the war in 1993. All three of them were murdered by some people from our own quarter, people whom we knew well. Then Father took our orphaned cousins to live with us. There were fourteen of us altogether and Father never showed any partiality towards any one.

In order to keep us together Father decided not to remarry. Being the oldest, I helped him out because the smaller children were feeling their mother’s absence. To my proposals that we seek justice against those who had killed our relatives, Father always helped us to forgive, explaining to us the significance of reconciliation.

He suggested to my brothers that they start a “club”, an association for young people that would promote peace and reconciliation. This club contributed to returning peace to people’s spirits in our Commune.

I live in Italy now. When spring arrived, I received news that he had been admitted to hospital, and I had the idea of writing to a few friends asking for their prayers. Then he was transferred to the intensive care unit, and I rushed back to Burundi, I found him suffering greatly. My brothers and sisters were doing everything they could for him. I thought about all the love he had for his children, the love that he showed to so many others, including those who had murdered our relatives. I remembered the Word of Life we were living: “For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away” (Mt. 13:12). And I remembered Jesus on the Cross.

On the day following my arrival Dad departed peacefully for Heaven. It was as if he had been waiting for me. Later as I was pondering over the words that the Archbishop had spoken during my father’s funeral – in which he recalled their conversations about reconciliation and peace – it was confirmed to me, as Chiara Lubich reminded us, that Heaven is a home we will live in up there, but that we build here on earth.”

 Maria-Goretti (Burundi)

From India to Sri Lanka

Nov 6, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

Following an invitation from the Nuncio, Mgr Joseph Spiteri, three focolarini from India, Marilu, Ala Maria and Rey, spent twelve days in Sri Lanka. They found a Focolare community that was small but full of life, despite the fact that it is nine years since the last visit – the terrible civil war, which has left marks that are still visible, only finished last year.

With the Cardinal of Colombo
Msgr. Malcolm Ranjith

During the visit it was possible to meet the Archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, who met Chiara Lubich in the 70s and who is deeply interested in the Movement’s experience of inter-religious dialogue in India, and most especially of its ‘dialogue of life’.

This experience was also spoken about by Dr A. T. Ariyaratne, the Buddhist founder of the Gandhian Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement, which in Coimbatore last January received the ‘Defender of Peace’ prize, given in the past also to Chiara Lubich. Some of the people who work with him were extremely pleased to learn of the relationship between the Focolare and the Shanti Ashram in India and expressed the wish that something similar could happen with them in Sri Lanka.

A visit to Dr. A.T. Ariyaratne

A wonderful moment, full of a sense of family, took place in the meeting with the community of the Movement made up of 25 persons who met the Focolare many years ago and who still desire to live its spirituality. Here a few impressions. A former teacher said: ‘I am going through a difficult moment but, coming here, I have understood that I must be the first to love.’ A woman who came for the first time said, ‘Seeing you so happy cannot leave me indifferent. You have given me courage and I shall start living in the same way.’ And a nun said, ‘Hearing your experiences and seeing you so vibrant has reawoken me.’ Mgr Spiteri, who was also present, at the end of the meeting gave a blessing, saying, ‘Now we have come to know this life, above all in this year of faith, we must be living witnesses of the word.’

Another moment of light was with the bishop emeritus Nicholas Marcus Fernando who, after he had been told about the Focolare’s inter-religious work, said, ‘Love is what’s needed. Before I thought that it was goodness, but that is an abstract concept. You need love for dialogue and for everything.’

Lebanon: after the bombs, hope reborn from young people

Nov 4, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

The Lebanese chief of police was killed and 40 houses in the Achrafieh neighbourhood destroyed in a terrorist outrage in Beirut on 19 October. Many people were left homeless and in need of aid. Jacques, a member of Youth for a United World (Y4UW) who had been at the Genfest in Budapest – an event called ‘Let’s bridge’ that brought more than 12,000 young people to the Hungarian capital – had the idea of holding a concert to raise funds for the homeless and give a message of peace.

It all began with a conversation on WhatsApp. Jacques is also president of a Music Club at his university. After chatting via WhatsApp with several members of Y4UW and other members of his Music Club the idea emerged to have a concert. In just a few days more than 2,500 young people confirmed via Facebook that they would be present. The word spread through TV and radio interviews and articles in newspapers.

On the eve of the concert, organized together with other Lebanese NGOs, the Y4UW in Lebanon wrote, ‘Something much bigger than us is happening, but we go ahead with God’s help. We feel that it is God who is working miracles, because at the moment there are too many political divisions in  Lebanon, and they have been made worse by the bomb. Many young people are disgusted by what the politicians have been saying. This concert is like a light in the midst of deep darkness, a message of hope, of peace and unity among Lebanese people. With this concert we want to give witness to our ideal and to the unity of Lebanese young people.’

The colour code for the concert was white, a sign of peace. At the entrance white strips we handed out, just as they had been at the Genfest, as a sign of a commitment to build peace. ‘The concert left a trail of enthusiasm. We feel as if the Genfest has continued,’ Y4UW also wrote.

It was an important event, therefore, under the banner of the United World Project launched at Budapest (www.unitedworldproject.org). The project is being made effective by means of small or large fragments of fraternity, like this one in Lebanon, building up a more fraternal world even in the most sensitive and risky places.

Celebrating with Blessed Clare Badano

Nov 3, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

In Sassello, the town where Chiara Luce was born, from 27 to 28 October a large number of young people met together to celebrate her life. The title chosen for the weekend was: ‘I have everything’. In four stages the young people went around the town and listened to many things from people who had witnessed the life of Chiara Luce. They felt as if they were having a truly personal rendezvous with her. Meeting Chiara Luce’s parents, Ruggero and Maria Teresa Badano was a powerful moment. They spoke of many details from Chiara Luce’s life right up to the last period of her life when she began her intense journey towards Heaven. Immediately after that there was a time of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, where readings from some things written by Chiara Luce were interspersed between pauses for thought, and then a visit to the cemetery, to ‘get together’ with Chiara Luce in a moment’s intimate conversation. Chiara Luce’s young people, however, with find it easy to go from moments of profound reflection to moments of joyful recreation, all lived with the same intensity and a spirit aiming at the highest values, as was seen at the party at the end of the day run by a young DJ.

At Mass on Sunday more than 700 people crowded into the church. In the homily the parish priest of Sassello invited the young people to have courage and trust in God, following the example of Chiara Luce who one day encouraged her mother saying, ‘Trust in God and you have done everything.’ In the afternoon the programme carried on and the small parish hall was unable to contain all those present, and so the show about the Chiara Luce’s life, put on by the theatrical company Passi di Luce (Steps of Light) from Castelfiorentino (near Florence), had be done in two sittings.

By now Chiara Luce and the example of her life have gone irrepressibly beyond the confines of the region of Liguria where Sassello is located. This can be seen both in the fact that in Sassello there were young people from 33 different nations and in a Skype call to Mexico where in the little town called El Diamante (The Diamond) there is a chapel dedicated to Blessed Chiara Luce. There in Mexico 1,700 people had held three days of celebrations at which a musical about Chiara Luce’s life had been a great hit. There was tremendous joy also in Isernia, in Italy, celebrating Chiara Luce’s life in a musical show called ‘Be happy, because I am’. It was put on by artists from Azioni Musicali from Loppiano (near Florence) for more than 700 people.

The general impression is that in these few days the ‘torch’ of Chiara Luce has been handed on  to many, many young people, just as she wanted.

Reformation Day

Oct 31, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

On 31 October German Evangelical Christians and Protestants throughout the world celebrate ‘Reformation Day’. It recalls the beginning of the Luther’s reform when in 1517, according to tradition, he nailed his 95 theses to the door of the castle church in Wittenberg. There will be many liturgical celebrations, Bible readings and concerts to mark the day. In Switzerland, however, the day is celebrated on the first Sunday of November.

On 27 October 2002 Chiara Lubich was invited to speak in the Reformed Cathedral of St Pierre in Geneva, the Calvin’s Reformation. She was introduced by Pastor Joël Stroudinsk who at the time was the Moderator of the Reformed Church in Geneva. He said, ‘In a few days Protestantism in its diversity will celebrate the Reformation. Beyond the specific characteristic of Protestantism, it is shared now by other Christian confessions, represented here, this morning in their diversity. The specific characteristic is the passion for the Gospel. It is the will to register the power of a word that transforms the world in its existence and in everyday life, in its many expressions, social, economic, political. This is the challenge that Chiara Lubich … has highlighted. It is with a spirit of gratitude and fellowship that we welcome her this morning to this place.’

Chiara Lubich on 27 October 2002 in Reformed Cathedral of St Pierre in Geneva

In a Cathedral filled to capacity with more than 1500 persons, Chiara started her talk with these words. ‘On the next 3 November here in Geneva there will be a celebration of the anniversary of the Reformation, a religious festival that I hope will be rich with the best spiritual gifts for all Christians from Churches of the Reform, my beloved brothers and sisters. In that day the word ‘Reform’ will ring out. ‘Reform’, a term that expresses the desire for renewal, for change, almost for rebirth. It is a special, attractive word that means life, more life. It is a word that can stimulate a question: are the noun Reform and the adjective Reformed relevant only for the Church that has its centre in Geneva? Or are they not words that can be applied in some way to all of the Churches? Indeed, were they not always typical of the Church?

Chiara went on to say, ‘The Second Vatican Council in its decree on ecumenism, says “Christ summons the Church to continual reformation as she sojourns here on earth. The Church is always in need of this, in so far as she is an institution of men here on earth.”[1] If we observe the history of the Church, and in particular the years when Christians were still united, we see that Jesus, with the Holy Spirit, has always thought, willed, directed his Bride towards a continuous reformation, bringing about in it a constant renewal. For this reason he sends on earth, from time to time, gifts, charisms of the Holy Spirit who has given rise to new spiritual currents and new religious families. And with these he has presented again the vision, in men and women, of a life that is evangelical, totally dedicated and radical.’

And she concludes, ‘Dearest bothers and sisters, this is what we have understood: the present time demands love from each one of us, demands unity, communion, solidarity. And it also calls the Churches to build up again the unity rent by the centuries. And this the reform of the reforms that heaven requires. It is the first and necessary step towards universal brotherhood with all other people, all men and women in the world. Indeed, the world will believe if we are united. Jesus said it: ‘May they all be one … that the world may believe (see Jn 17:21). God wants this! Believe me! And he repeats it and shouts it in the current circumstances that he allows to exist. May he give us the grace, if not to see this come to fruition, at least to prepare for it.’[2]

Family and Buddhism

Oct 28, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

A visit to the families in Loppiano

The Rev. Saito from the Buddhist Association Rissho Kosei-kai together with his wife Hiroyo and Mrs Eriko were in Italy this year for a trip full of events and meetings, which began at the Focolare Movement’s New Families’ Centre.

Rissho Kosei-kai’s commitment in the field of family life is in deep harmony with the aims of New Families, and they have been working together for many years: ‘I am a member of Rissho Kosei-kai. One of the teachings inspiring it is that we should be committed to building peace in the world, the State, society and the family. I remember that also Chiara Lubich said that society begins with the family, so it is vital to practise love, living it first of all in the family, which is the thing closest to us, and then in society which is made up of many families, and then in the State, and then in the whole world. Like this we can build peace. We can say that the family contributes love to the world.’

A particularly important moment on this trip was the audience with Pope Benedict XVI. Rev. Saito recalled it like this: ‘In Japan there have been huge disasters, like the tsunami last March, and large numbers of people have died, have lost their families, homes and work. The Pope made an appeal for prayer for Japan and I believe that that has deeply touched the hearts of many people in the world. I was able to tell him that the Japanese people never forget his words and I expressed my personal, profound gratitude. Benedict XVI smiled and he shook my hand with great warmth. This made me understand how much love he has in his heart.’

In Assisi

The visit to Assisi was also important for Rev. Saito: ‘The words of God-Buddha are becoming fact because people have put them into practice. This is true of the words of Jesus: “Love one another as I have loved you”, “Whatever you have done to the least, you have done to me.” These words of Jesus have become concrete teachings for us to live as a result of our seeing the life and witness of St Francis.”

Having met Chiara Lubich personally and his tremendous respect for her drew Rev. Saito to go in the end to visit Chiara’s house: ‘When we went into the room where she lived the last moments of her life, in front of her bed, the focolarina who was our guide us said that in that last period Chiara had read the gospels again in order to check if she had put into practice all of Jesus’ words. Having had the confirmation that this was so, Chiara left for heaven. I would like to live faith in the same way Chiara did, following her example.’

‘Terre di Loppiano’: 200 products, 1000 flavours

Oct 25, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

A website that does all the right things, with attractive graphics, but above all with integrity – a combination of three things that have made Terre di Loppiano’s fortune. It was set up to promote and to sell (www.terrediloppiano.com) the products of several agricultural businesses. Its 200 products of high quality, certified, from known sources, guaranteed and tested, come from different parts of the world. The entrepreneur Giorgio Balduzzi had the initial idea and started it up. We asked him for a few thoughts on the project.

Why use the name Terre di Loppiano?

‘The brand “Terre di Loppiano” (literally “Lands of Loppiano”) does not express so much a link with a particular territory as the value of the “land” which, if it is respected, can yield produce of the highest quality. “Loppiano” refers to our way of doing things grounded in the spirituality of unity which the little town of Loppiano expresses in its daily life.’

Do all the businesses that are part of Terre di Loppiano participate in the Economy of Communion (EoC)?

‘Of the 15 businesses that are part of it only a few are participate in the EoC. Others have been chosen because their professional and ethical values are similar to ours. But also these businesses have now asked to be part of the EoC.’

What added value has the relationship with these businesses given to your work?

‘The relationship with some of these business has given rise to the idea of promoting some of the social projects they are involved in. It is important to publicize these things and, especially, to bring them into a network, so that not only can they get beyond simply knowing one another but, above all, so as to ensure that each one serves the common good.’

Synergies, relationships, networks, team building: it all seems like part of a single mission that you have …

‘Yes. We have experienced that with mutual help and all the seeking the common good together, businesses can even find a way out of crisis. In 2010, for instance, Terre di Loppiano found itself involved with a honey producing firm that was at risk of closing down. Meeting us gave them new energy. We guaranteed the annual purchase of a quantity of honey and, thanks to our network, we were able to put it on the market, so the firm did not fail.’

Have you managed to spread outside Italy?

‘We have opened eight shops with our brand in Korea, thanks to a chance meeting with a Korean businessman who has taken on board the same challenge as we have. And now he is working to make this kind of economic activity known in Korea.’

Great commitment and responsibility are required then…

‘It’s true, things need to be done well, and if they are done also with love for the people round about us, who perhaps are in difficult situations, you can’t avoid good results. Our experiences are always similar. For instance, the people running a food shop selling some of our products once said that they understood the spirit behind this kind of business by looking at the relationship among us. Some of our suppliers have now asked to join in an educational programme for this new economic culture. We try to sow the seed and do our part, then if the sowing has been good, a harvest is inevitable.’

Edited by Paolo Balduzzi

Rowan Williams at Bishops’ Synod in Rome

Oct 22, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

Dr Rowan Williams at the Synod of Bishops in Rome

Lambeth Palace, September 2011. Archbishop Rowan Williams receives Focolare President, Maria Voce, together with Cardinal M. Vlk,and Msgr A. Bortolaso