Family and Society: a time for work and a time for celebration

Jun 5, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

“My name is Jay. I’m Jamaican and work as an accountant. This is my wife, Anna and she’s a special education teacher. And these are our six children, ranging in age from two to twelve.”

This is how the Rerrie family introduced itself to Pope Benedict XVI during the Festival of Testimonies that was broadcast over live TV from Milan on 2 June 2012.

For Jay and Anna Rerrie the spirituality of unity has helped them to maintain a solid relationship with each other, and it has united their family in times of difficulty.

In early 2006, when the labour market had entered into a severe crisis, Jay had to find a new job. In spite of the many obstacles, they agreed that they wanted to keep their mutual love alive, facing the moment with courage, even though Anna was expecting their fourth child and wondering how they would support the family when Jay was jobless.

They decided together that even though she was pregnant, she could return to teaching, and they moved to another city where a school was prepared to hire her.

Jay also found a job there, in  an office where he spent many hours trying to finish the four months of work that was left undone when no one was working there. His efforts gained him the esteem of his new boss.

But it wasn’t the same at home. “My wife and small children in school: a recipe for disaster!,” Jay explained. “There wasn’t enough time to be together.” Anna found it difficult to accept, having grown up in a home where the family was always together for supper. Now Jay would often return home when the children were already in bed sleeping.

Meanwhile, the company he was now working for began to have problems and, once again, he found himself jobless. Anna’s overall reaction to this sorrowful news was comforting for Jay. It resulted in a deeper experience of unity with each other. “The next  two months,” Anna recalls, “were enjoyable and unnerving at the same time. But it was fantastic to have Jay at home!”

In a few months their savings began to dwindle, but they never stopped believing. Then there was a telephone call. It was an offer of a better job, one closer to home, with hours that were compatible with the family schedule.

“I think I understand this dilemma, “ the Holy Father told them, “So I would like to invite employers to think of the family, so that the two priorities can be reconciled.  It seems to me that you naturally must be creative but, at least each day, bring some joy into the family, some attention, some giving up of your own will in order to be family together. And then there is Sunday, the feast day, the Lord’s Day, also the “human person’s day” because we are free. This comes from the Creation story, the original intention of the Creator  that one day, everyone would be free. In this liberty of being one for the other, for yourselves, you are free for God. I think that this is the way for us to defend human freedom, by defending Sunday and other feast days as days of the Lord God and therefore days for the human person. Good luck to you! Thank you!”

See THE HOLY FATHER CELEBRATES WITH THE FAMILIES OF THE WORLD

Earthquake in Italy: a river of solidarity

May 31, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

“Mostly people felt very afraid and needed support to stay calm. We are all shocked. Closeness and sharing are the things we most want”. Maria Palladini and Franco Monaco, who are responsible for the focolare community in the Emilia region of Italy:  the site of the earthquake. In the space of a week a series of quakes resulted in 17 deaths, over 350 wounded and 15000 displaced persons. The situation continues to unfold with strong aftershocks. The worst hit regions are the area between Modena and Ferrara. The earthquakes caused major damage to historic buildings, factories and many churches have been destroyed or are beyond repair. Lots of remarkable stories have come to light. For example, someone couldn’t get out of their house but this saved them as a large block of the building fell outside and could have harmed them. Another person was deeply affected, suffering by the death of fellow workers in a collapsed warehouse. Someone else was evacuated from hospital. Each one experienced “the power of how everything can change in a split second” and straight after the fist shock “a network of phone calls started to find out how everyone was”. To help us understand the situation from the aspect of humanitarian help are Adriana Magnani and Stefano Masini of the New Humanity Movement. They tell us “The Civil Protection organisation is up and running now in all the towns and villages affected and has instigated accommodation in a variety of ways (reception areas, undercover shelters, some hotels) providing some 9,000 places”. Volunteers from the Civil Protection organisation have come from all parts of Italy. Adriana and Stefano outline the greatest needs: “Some psychological support, because everyone has been really traumatised; any campervans or caravans for sleeping in rather than sleeping in the street, we’re working on this in this region; there is an urgent need to check the viability of large and small companies as there is the possibility of 15,000 people being out of work…” “The priority is to have technicians who can help”. We need psychologists, doctors and engineers: however, all those who want to come and help should deal directly with the local Civil Protection agencies as they are the one co-ordinating all offers of support.” Together with a small group, it is Adriana and Stefano who are the reference point for the collection of requests and availability of help “we try to match all the needs match as much as possible with the appropriate help and co-ordinate; awareness of who, in the political or social field can help to resolve the bureaucracy that can block the start of actions”. Alongside the devastation, wounds and terrible trials the people of the Emilia region have endured through this earthquake there runs a river of solidarity. Maria Palladini and Franco Monanco confirm this: “Many people have flung open their doors to welcome the homeless. Each area has a kind of competition of fraternity and solidarity which itself is spreading like oil on water. We really understand the experience of Chiara Lubich and the first focolarine during the destruction of the Second World War: everything crumbles, only God remains, only Love.” Donations/Bank details: BANK ACCOUNT: Associazione Solidarietà BANK NAME: Cariparma Crédit Agricole IBAN: IT34F0623012717000056512688 Title: Terremoto in Emilia Romagna For payment via Credit Card or PayPal visit www.solidarietaonlus.org)

Milan 2012: 7th World Meeting of Families

May 30, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

The Family: work and celebration”. This is the theme of 7th World meeting of Families which will take place from the 30^th May to the 3^rd June 2012 in Milan, Italy. Promoted by the Holy See through the Pontifical Council for the Family and the Archdiocese of Milan, the organization of this event mobilizes quite a number of associations, groups and movements that contribute towards the well-being of the family.

Work began on 30 May with a Congress on Pastoral Theology, with opening words from Prof. Luigino Bruni of Bicocca University of Milian. On the evening of 1 June, there was a concert at the Scala with Maestro D. Barenboim.

For Benedict XVI, this edition of the World Meeting of Families is “an opportunity to reflect about work and rest as aspects of a united family, open to life, well inserted in society and in the Church, attentive to the quality of relationtionships besides that of the household economy”.

Since the very beginning, the families of the Focolare Movement have been contributing towards the organization of this event, both as members of the Pontifical Council for the Family and also because of a longstanding presence in religious and civil institutions that contribute towards the well-being of families in Lombardy. The appointment given for Saturday morning 2nd June at Carroponte di Sesto San Giovanni will be in preparation for the evening meeting with Benedict XVI. From there they will proceed together to Bresso Airport to greet the Pope. “Relating about families while waiting for the Pope” is the programme intended for this session. Maria Voce and the couple Anna Maria and Danilo Zanzucchi, who are among those who began the New Families Movement, are expected to participate and give talks.

Spain, a meeting ground for peoples and cultures

May 27, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

Spain has a long history. In 218 BC the Roman Empire set the stage for a cultural and territorial link between the Celtic and Iberian peoples who had already been settled there for centuries. The Basque people, however, who settled in the north-west of the country were not subjected to this influence. The Latin language evolved into Castilian – the official language – Catalan and Galician. Together with Basque these are the co-official languages of the country. In later centuries, Islam conquered most of the peninsula. The coexistence of Muslim, Christian and Jewish cultures created the necessaray conditions for the transmission of the scientific and cultural heritage of antiquity and Arabic science to the Christian West.

Today, Spain appears as a society that wants to take into account the diversity of these cultures that are contained in the Constitution, but that still have many challenges to resolve, such as the tensions between the autonomous communities and the State. It is a society that in the past has had great economic and social development, but now suffers the consequences of the social and economic crisis.

Una delle prime Mariapoli a Seo d’Urgell

The Focolare Movement arrived in Barcellona in 1959 through Piero Pasolini, an Italian focolarino. “There is a lot of God in this nation,” he would say, “and it seems to me that He has a very special love for this place.” Subsequently, people of all ages were drawn into the spirituality of unity. Mariapolises were held in Solsona, Seo d’Urgell, Avila. . . A few of the pioneers left a deep mark on this land. We remember the Italians Nunziatina Cilento and Gino Bonadimani, and the Argentinians Margarita Bavosi and Carlos Clariá.

The Focolare’s Gospel lifestyle became incarnated over the years in many social and cultural environments, giving rise to the Political Movement for Unity and to businesses that belong to the Economy of Communion. With the publication of Chiara Lubich’s first book, “Meditazioni,” publishing work was begun in 1964 with two magazines: Ciutat Nova (in Catalano) and Ciudad Nueva (in Castigliano), and several book series dealing with topics of spiriuality, theology, patristics and testimony.

There are currently some 25,000 people in Spain who live the Spirituality of Unity.

Chiara Lubich’s two visits (1989 and 2002) were fundamental for the life and development of the Focolare Movement in Spain. The first visit was to Santiago de Compostela for WYD, where she gave one of the catecheses before an audience of thousands of youths. In the second visit she went to several cities where some of the great mystics who influenced her had lived: Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross (Segovia) and Ignatius of Loyola (Manresa). At the Monastery of Montserrat she was moved to say: “The movements can be living examples of the Gospel’s charismatic freshness. And the movements can learn much from the witness of the consecrated religious life that preserves so many treasures of experience and wisdom.” During the same visit Chiara offered a challenge to all the members of the Focolare: “In Spain you need to stress Unity, because the distinction is already there” (referring to the variety of languages and cultures).

Two permanent Mariapolises were begun: one named Loreto in Castell d’Aro (Girona) and another named Exterior Castle in Madrid. Exterior Castle quickly became a meeting place for all, where a visible witness is given of unity in diversity and multiplicity, which is characteristic of the sprituality of unity.

In 2011, during a visit of the president of the Focolare Maria Voce and co-president Giancarlo Faletti, she will reiterate how “each of these peoples that make up Spain has something to offer to all the others,” encouraging everyone to be a gift one for the other, precisely because of the unique identity of each individual.

Visit: Spain in Focolare Worldwide!

‘The Mine’, an Economy of Communion (EoC) project in Spain

May 27, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

“‘The Mine’ was set up in 2003 adhering to the principles of the Economy of Communion which Chiara Lubich launched in 1991. She was the one who called it ‘The Gold Mine’, in reference to the value of the people who would use it: the elderly. How it works is described by Elena Bravo and Jose Alonso, respectively director and administrator of the day centre of which, together with Miguel Monoz and Ana Vera, they are the founders: “We try to act so that at the heart of what we do is not profits but people. We do all we can so that everyone who comes feels welcomed and valued no matter what their physical or psychological state.”

This focus on the care for the older person is lived out practically in lots of ways: “One time”, says Jose Alonso, “one of our workers told us that two of our elderly visitors should be in residential care. We knew this would mean a financial loss to us if two left, but we said: ‘We must think of their needs and not ours’, and we began looking for a new residence for them’.

“We have been through difficult moments “ continues Elena Bravo, “ from illnesses to family problems, but mutual love has helped us to keep going ahead, and when necessary doing each other’s jobs”. In fact, you can feel the atmosphere of sharing and joy among the 18 staff at The Mine.

This atmosphere touches the 50 elderly at the Centre and all those who come to visit: “Recently, Elena says, various youth groups have been here with their economics teachers”. “Some of them, explains Jose, are moved by the happiness of the elderly people, by the family atmosphere and the enthusiasm of the staff. These are the very things that are important to us.”

The existence and development of The Mine is in a great part due to its ‘secret Partner’, who ensures they lack nothing. Divine providence, in fact, always comes when there is greatest need through: office equipment, fabric, linen, sewing machines to use for teaching needlework…and other more specialised apparatus. “We needed a hoist for lifting our elderly but we didn’t have enough money to buy one. We decided to buy one anyway, thinking of the discomfort of the elderly and their helpers. On the Friday a hoist was delivered for a trial period. On the Sunday we got a phone call from the director of a centre for people with physical disabilities. He who knows how we work and offered to give us an electric hoist. I went to collect it and, with surprise, saw it was exactly the same as the one we had for a trial”

After almost 10 years of faithfulness to the principles of the Economy of Communion and to the “culture of rights”, always putting the person in the centre of our actions even in difficult moments, Elena and Jose can confirm that  “In spite of all the difficulties and sharing the profit with those in need, the EdC project grows and stays in the market, even in moments of crisis.”

A net of hope spread across Europe

May 25, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

“We have had the experience that our differences are not a reason to divide, but represent a multiplicity of gifts and a resource”. This is an extract from the Manifesto which was read in the Square Meeting Centre in Brussels, at the conclusion of the day meeting Together for Europe 2012.

More than a thousand people came together in Brussels from every part of Europe. Tens of thousands linked via satellite in 22 countries, all shared the message of hope, unity and peace for Europe.

“Together for Europe”: the underlying characteristic of this event set it apart from all other events for Europe: it was the complimented by  a fine-mesh net of events simultaneous meetings held in 144 cities throughout Europe.

A mix of events, some small scale others large held in places of symbolic high profile in places. They brought collaboration between movements and ecclesial communities. These relationships show a glimpse of hope for future moves to act together for the common good of local communities: from Breslavai in Poland to Belfast in Northern Ireland, Oslo in Norway to Valletta in Malta. There were lots of initiatives involving people of all ages, walks of life and creeds.

In Augsburg, in Germany, the programme started with a ‘flashmob’ in the central square: seven giant balloons were released each displaying one of the seven yeses which mark up to today the commitment of the movements and communities for families, life, peace and a more balanced economy.

In Breslavaia, Poland the aim was to highlight the delicate process of meeting and reconciliation between the people of Poland and Germany (to heal the hurts lingering after the Second World War) with an event called “Christians of Germany and Poland Together for Europe”.

In Ischia, Italy, a human chain ‘encircled’ the perimeter of the island as a symbolic gesture defending the environment and of welcome. Still in Italy in Florence, at the Sala dei Cinquecento, in the Old Palace, the event had a direct live link with the main event in the Square Meeting Centre in Brussels.

And if, for some of the Movements and Christian Communities the way of brotherhood of “Together for Europe” has been an experience over a number of years, for others the events in 2012 were the chance of experiencing at first hand  working together and getting to know one another better. A couple from Laudau in Germany explain: “Brussels 2012 has been an excuse to get to know one another better, to take an interest in Movements we had never heard of. We are very enthusiastic and want to concentrate our strength to bolster the Christian soul of Europe starting in our own city”.

These stories of collaboration and fraternity give credence to the possibility of giving Europe the hope that Andrea Riccardi, founder of the Sant’Egidio Community, spoke of in his talk in Brussels: “The greatest European mystery is the lack of hope” Because of this “we need to generate a climate of sympathy and solidarity, a sense of a common destiny has to rise up, a social network has to be born’.

“Together for Europe – Maria Voce underlined in her talk – is a fascinating undertaking: we have the possibility, also through events such as this one today, to give witness to the men and women of our times that live on the earth in a spirit of sharing opens a future of fraternity and peace for the individual, peoples, to our continent and the whole of humanity”.

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Flickr photostream: www.flickr.com/photos/together-for-europe/

Palermo: Remembering the Mafia assassinations, 20 years on. Young people in the frontlines.

May 23, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

May 23, 1992: Italian magistrate Giovanni Falcone was killed in a Mafia bombing together with his wife and bodyguards. 57 days later, on July 19, another prosecuting magistrate, Paolo Borsellino, who was also investigating the Mafia, died in a second attack. Those sad events marked a civil re-awakening, starting from the new generations, which today is living in a new phase.

On the occasion of the 20^th anniversary of the massacre, ships carrying 2000 students will arrive in Palermo. Various activities have been organised involving the local citizens, including one by the Focolare’s “Youth for Unity” who will promote the “Golden Rule” as the basis for a culture of justice  in the public squares of Palermo as well at the site of the “Falcone Tree” (a magnolia tree planted in front of the magistrate’s house which has become a focal point for the anti-Mafia movement) during the solemn commemoration.

Their manifesto reads: “Our motto is the Golden Rule found in all the sacred books of the great world religions and the basis for Natural Law”.

In the Gospel it says: “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. “ (Mt 7:12)

In the Old Testament: “What is hateful to you do not do to others. This is the whole Law” (31st Sabbath, Babylonian Talmud)

In the Qur’an: “None of you is truly a believer until he he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself.”  (Prophet Mohammed, 13th of the 40 Hadith Nawawi)

In the Buddhist holy book: “Treat not others in ways that yourself would find hurtful.” (Udana-Varga 5.18)

“Living the Golden Rule in our cities also means abiding by the law,” continues the appeal of the Youth for Unity. It means rejecting all forms of bribery and not giving in to bullying ; it means becoming involved in civic life and refusing Mafia dealings and corruption.

The young people’s aspiration is that there be lawfulness in the city “where the underprivileged, the least in our community are looked after,” “keeping in mind the blood of the martyrs which has been shed over the years in our lands”. Their desire is that this message can reach the Youth for Unity throughout Italy and as many young people as possible so that together they can be “the answer and the fruit of the bloodshed of martyrs in order to build a better future for our country and the world”.

At the conclusion of this initiative aimed at peace and justice, the Youth for Unity will invite all the young people in the various towns and cities of Palermo and Sicily to meet on June 2^nd in a symbolic place: the Brancaccio neighbourhood. This is where the Fr Pino Puglisi was killed by the Mafia. He was a priest who gave his life for his people through his mission of re-education. School materials and supplies collected on the day will be donated to the “Puglisi” high school.

The Economy of Giving Knocks at the Doors of Europe

May 22, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

“Together for Europe” could not be missing a session on the economy.  In fact, in the prestigious headquarters of the European Parliament, at Pace de Luxembourg –  in the hall after Alcide De Gasperi, the noble father and co-founder of what would become the European Union, – a group of experts, politicians, business people, youth and citizens met for a conference on:  “The Economy: a Matter of Gift.” Certainly the stakes are high: the current crazy course of the financially ill market has lost its direction for the Common Good.

Hendrik Opdebeeck, professor of philospohy and economy at the University of Anwar and a member of the Ethics Center, in opening the session, described in seven points the concept of responsibility and connected it to freedom, alterity, encounter with others, the responsibility of global institutions,the  limits of the market economy  and to globalization.

The recent French and Greek elections, with their different societal tensions, according to the professor, pose a question: Is it the case to give merit-based salaries, according to the vision of liberalism, or to give everyone their part in conformity to their needs, according to the socialistic model? In our current European society, the economic, social, legal and financial aspects risk being shaped by egocentrical and irresponsible organized structures, at the national, international and global levels. From this point of view, Europe in crisis should look to another important  future paradigm: that of responsibility.

Luigino Bruni, associate professor of Economy at the University of Milan- Bicocca and the Sophia University Institute of Loppiano, offered a clear analysis, without mercy for the current crisis, but also with a proposal: the Economy of Communion. He highlighted that right from its birth, the economy found strength and inspiration  in charism, from Monastic Communities that knew how to create living laboratories from which emerged the initial categories and the first institutions to give life to a market economy. « And it is undeniable that also Christian humanisms,” he continued, “with their charitas and charis, played a decisive role.»  But more than  putting the economy on trial, it is the increasingly speculative finance sector that should be on the guilty bench. According to Bruni, we need  «to do something» and bring back from the margins to the public square those charisms that encourage reciprocity, gratuity-gift and the common good. How? By bringing the finance sector and the economy into the  public debate because «it’s too risky to leave them only in the hands of those who work in those sectors.» To begin again from the poor and to relaunch the idea of a new social pact, and to trust that the epochal changes can be a fruit also of a prophetic minority, as has already happened in the past. Finally, the young people: they are the ones who can bring a new turn to the economic and financial sector.

In the presence of the Vice President of Europe, Laslo Surjan from Hungary, responsible for dialogue with the Churches, “best practices” for the economic sector were delineated: three businesses (one in Belgium and two in Croatia) shared how to convert these principles of gift into a commercial exchange where “investors”, share holders and workers, even though having different roles, have equal value.  Jan De Volder, from the Community of Saint Egidio in Belgium, shared on the”revolt by gratuity,” while  Claude Matz, from the Association for a United World (AMU) of Luxemburg, demonstrated the development projects sponsored and implemented throughout  these years.

Austria/3: 50 years of unity

May 21, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

Finally, in the afternoon of Saturday, 19^th, the much awaited meeting was held with Maria Voce and Giancarlo Faletti, to celebrate the big feast for all. The event was held, a few kilometres away from the capital, at the Multiversum of Schwechat, a modern multi-functional structure that hosts concerts, cultural and sports events, and fairs. Around 700 persons attended from the nine regions of Austria.

In their initial greeting, Maria Magerl and Andreas Amann, who are responsible on a national level for the Focolare Movement, expressed their joy, and most of all, their gratitude to God for Chiara Lubich and the spirituality of unity that have given to many a new profoundness and fullness in their lives. They expressed gratitude also to all those who during these fifty years have contributed, each one in his own place, to the development of the Movement. They were particularly glad that after, in some cases, years of absence, there were present at the celebration many “persons who had built and accompanied them on the journey in the past”.

During the first part of the meeting, the fundamental stages of the story of the Focolare Movement in Austria were reviewed, through historical photos and filmed witness, as though going through a family album. Up to the point, in 2001, when Chiara had passed 10 days in Austria, and had given important indications on the fields of action that the focolari community had to be committed. A video film with extracts from her speech at the Mayors Congress “1000 cities for Europe” (Innsbruck) revived memories of this special event in many of those present. This flash back was concluded with the memory, full of gratitude, of many members of the Movement, of different age and vocation, who have already reached the heavenly homeland.

The Focolare Movement in Austria “today” then followed, beginning with a presentation on the permanent Mariapolis “Giosi” and the Mariapolis Centre Am Spiegeln. From the “family treasures”, the experience of Reinhard Domig was presented, who in August 2008, was a victim of a violent robbery in his postal office, and who forgave his aggressor. There were various experiences of “dialogue” within the Catholic Church, and contacts with Christians of other Churches, and also with faithful of other faiths (mostly Muslims) and with persons without religious convictions, as the several years’ contacts with members of the Communist party. It is mostly a dialogue of life, sharing and participating in common action, such as projects for the integration of those in need, and pedagogy. Other initiatives at a more cultural level are those in the realms of economy, ecology, sport, and communication.

The young people presented the Social day for the homeless, aged, and children of refugees, the worldwide relay race for peace Run4unity, and the actions to allow ten Indonesian youths to participate at the coming Genfest in Budapest. All this is done to contribute to fraternity in Austria, a Country that is always becoming more pluralistic.

At this point, many wished to know Maria Voce personally, and she therefore gave a brief greeting. The feast then continued on stage with songs, games and artistic numbers; followed by a rich buffet.

On the 20^th, Sunday morning, a new appointment was held at the Multiversum, with the more committed members of the community. The programme included  a Mass animated by songs from the gen, followed by a dialogue meeting with Maria Voce and Giancarlo Faletti. The replies to the questions were simple, illuminating, encouraging. The questions were made by youths and adults on themes regarding the witness to offer in today’s challenges so as to have more effective impact in the various spheres of society.

The joy of all exploded in a great applause, and the president of the Focolare concluded with this prospect: “The notion that ours is a life and not an organisation has over the years always accompanied me, and made me understand what it means to be children of God. I do not know whether I am being bold, but I would like to wish you liberty which means: be free also from the desire to be efficient, from the need to do things well, from the memory of things that did not happen as you would have wished, from the historical situation. Be free, to have the happiness of being able to say yes to God, and know that He awaits your collaboration, to make of the “ideal” Austria and example of true, profound liberty; it is a freedom that comes from recognising and accepting our limitations, from thinking that in spite of these limitations we can do good (this is more difficult!), believing that God works beyond them and with them. God acts if we say yes to him. He brings fire, that which is mentioned in the Word of Life of this month, which is drawing to a close, but we still have a few days to continue the blaze. This is my wish for you: that you are free to ignite the fire!”

By our correspondent Oreste Paliotti

The Philippines: a “wellspring of spiritual fuel”

May 21, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

With 93 million inhabitants speaking in 70 dialects, spread over an archipelago of over 7 thousand islands, the Philippines- the only catholic country in south-east Asia- is amongst the most populated in the world. In spite of the human richness and natural resources, the majority of the population lives in poverty. The social structure can be compared to a pyramid: 80% of the wealth is in the hands of 5% of the population, and the middle class is almost non-existent. The Filipinos are a very hospitable, joyful, and generous people, who know how to bear and give value to suffering, thanks to their Christian roots. As far back as 1966, they welcomed the spirit of the Focolare Movement that gradually penetrated in many sectors, both religious and civil. Today there are around 5000 close members, and over 100,000 adherents and sympathizers. Chiara Lubich visited the Philippines twice: in 1982, she underlined what “a wellspring of spiritual fuel” the Philippines were for the rest of Asia; and in 1997, she received from the University of Saint Thomas in Manila, the  Honoris Causa degree in Theology. She was the first lady and lay person to receive such an honour. This facilitated the establishment of relationships of collaboration, particularly in the field of the Economy of Communion. The centres of the Focolare Movement are present in Manila, Cebu, and Davao and the many communities of the Movement are scattered in many of the thousands of islands, and they are linked by the same way of life, in spite of the distances, and experience a real family spirit, so much in conformity with the local character. The Mariapolis Peace of Tagaytay, one of the little towns around the world, founded by Chiara Lubich in 1982, bears witness to concrete and reciprocal love also among Muslim friends, Hindus and Buddhists. It is the seat of the School for Oriental Religions where courses are held periodically to learn to dialogue in mutual respect.  Not less is the lively communion of life with brothers of other Christian churches and communities. One must underscore the participation of many priests and seminarians in the life of the Focolare, and also that of several bishops, friends of the movement, thanks to the school for priests at Tagaytay. The spirit of the Focolari is also seen as a possible solution to the many social problems. One notes the experience of 6 centres of Bukas Palad, that reach thousands of the poor, the Pag-asa Social Centre at Tagaytay, Sulyap ng Pad-asa, the Focolare carpentry shop, in Cainta, one of the major projects developed by Action for a United World in the Philippines, that has trained hundreds of youths. And also the Solidarity at a Distance project, in collaboration with the New Families Movement, that brings help more than 1800 children. The concrete actions in the towns and villages are numerous, such as help after natural disasters- as for example that after the Ondoy typhoon of 2010-and interventions to promote more just laws. This is the case in the community of Antipolo, a city of around half a million inhabitants, at the far end of the capital, where a sensitization campaign is underway to protect the family and life, in response to the decree on so called “reproductive health”.

Tagaytay, 1997

Visit the Philippines in Focolare Worldwide! From the archives:

Guido Mirti (second from left) and Gio' Vernuccio (far right) with the first Focolare community of the Philippines

Philippines: The Tender Notes of Plas’ Children

May 20, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

Tacloban City is located on the island of Leyte, in the North East of the Philippines. In this city lives Placido Maga, known by everyone with the name of “Plas”, who, since 1991, has lived the ideal of unity, striving to put into action this commitment in everyday life.

In 1996, Plas started working as a guitar teacher, giving instruction to children in different primary schools. Teaching became for him an opportunity to love and to serve others through his musical talent.

In the year 2000, as he was walking along the streets of Ormoc, a city in the province, Plas noticed some children sleeping on the sidewalk using cardboards and newspapers for warmth and shelter. There were other children who lacked warm clothing. He decided to approach them and learnt that they didn’t even have anything to eat, and, almost always, went to sleep with an empty stomach.

Plas was quite troubled by this situation and he took the children some food. They felt his love and opened up their hearts to him. They, the most forgotten and the most defenseless in the city, had found a true friend, and were abuzz with happiness.

Plash remembered the words that Chiara Lubich had said in a meeting: “When we give something of ourselves, putting love into every action, life grows within us”. And the happiness he experienced that evening, because of the contact he’d had with those children, was the proof.

The day after Plas was back on the scene, keeping his promise to spend some “quality time” with his little friends. At the same time he felt he had to do something more, to take care of them and to look for somewhere for them to stay.

The ideal of unity that for years he had been trying live, was giving him the opportunity to do something concrete for those on the margins of the society,  those who become the “last” of the city, but who in effect needed to become the most privileged.

Plash presented the issue to the local council; he contacted the Non-Governmental Organizations operating in the area, to draw their attention to the problem. Without any fear of being laughed at or misunderstood, ready to face all negative consequences that his actions would bring, he continued to seek a solution in the interest of others, in this case the children.

He succeeded in his plan to involve other people, who, like him, lived for the same purpose. He realized that when Gospel love becomes the “rule” of our lives, we all become more creative, more courageous and sometimes even heroic.

Plas was not satisfied in having an emergency situation fixed up; he felt compelled to place the children in a position so that they themselves could give something, to have them experience the same joy he had felt when he had opened his heart to his neighbour. He started to teach the children how to play the ukulele, creating a small repertoire which the young ones performed in two shows, receiving applause from the people.

Now the children live in Lingap Centre, a former rehabilitation house converted into a dormitory by the Department of Social Health. Plas continues to visit and to support the children, teaching them not only to play, but also to pray.

Source: www.umanitanuova.org

Mandaue City

May 19, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

Please note: The geolocalisation feature on this website – which displays cities and towns where Focolare centres are present – is only meant to be a guide. The markers on the map do not necessarily point to a specific address and they must not be relied on for navigational purposes.

Austria/2: The Abbot, the Cardinal, the Youth

May 19, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

On 17^th May, three appointments, very diverse, but of great significance marked the stay of the president and co-president of the Focolare Movement in Austria. One of them was the visit, including Mass and lunch at the Cistercian abbey of Heiligenkreuz, mystical centre of the Viennese forest. This was followed by the meeting with Cardinal Christoph Schőnborn at the archbishopric of Vienna. Finally, at the Am Spiegeln Mariapolis Centre, an evening activity was held with a large group of “Youth for a United World” who came from various localities of the country. The activity was entitled “Let’s bridge Austria”, one of the introductory stages towards the coming Genfest in Budapest (31^st August-2^nd September 2012).

The co-president, Giancarlo Faletti, reviewed the day and confided with us “the profound impression made on him by the visit to the Heiligenkreuz, that is a thousand years old abbey, linked to the Benedictine charisma. Its vitality is expressed through its walls, its liturgy, and the very fraternal welcome by the Abbot and those primarily responsible for the Cistercian community.”

The president, Maria Voce told us about the very free and cordial conversation with the primate of Vienna: “The Cardinal has a great respect for the Movement, for what it is doing in Austria, and for the witness given by the Mariapoli Centre. He thanked the male and female focolarini of Vienna for immediately responding and putting into practice his appeal for a course of formation for disciples of Christ. On my part, I thanked him for giving our priests the possibility of forming a focolare in the new citadel. Living together by priests is a topic about which the cardinal appeared to be particularly touched, as he is very concerned that they often live in solitude. He also remembered Chiara Lubich, whom he saw for the first time at the Synod on the twentieth anniversary of Vatican Council 11, to which she had been invited together with Mother Theresa of Calcutta. At the time, he was a young theologian and he did not dare approach these two figures, whom he admired for their charismatic force.”

Both of them spoke about the effervescent evening spent at the Mariapolis centre – more than two hours of experiences, music and dialogue between generations – they agreed: “ It was very beautiful, a real immersion in vitality and enthusiasm. In being open and free from restrictions, the young people resemble all those from every part of the world. It is interesting to look at their eyes, their faces, feel them projected towards the future but also attentive to us, who have more experience behind us. When the Cardinal go to know about them and the Genfest, he was pleased: he observed that youths need these mass manifestations so as not to feel that they are alone and few, but together they are encouraged to witness their faith in Christ.”

By our correspondent Oreste Paliotti

Austria/1: Visit to the Mariapolis Centre and little town of the Focolare

May 18, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

The program for the 15^th May included a visit to the Mariapolis Centre Seminarzentrum Am Spiegeln and the Focolare little town called “Giosi“, both of them in the whereabouts of the Schonbrunn, a summer residence of the Ausburgs, in the south of Vienna.

As it is very near the capital, the Mariapolis Centre is a meeting place for all the members of the Movement. It is also the preferred place for conferences and congresses, and not less as a place for holidays and tourism. “A privileged route for the new evangelisation to which the Church calls us this year” is how Maria Voce defined this modern structure immersed in greenery.

In the afternoon, they visited the citadel named after Giosi Guella, one of the first focolarine: around a hundred inhabitants live there permanently (families, a community of priests, men and women focolarini and young people), amongst whom Gerda and Hans Schwinger. These last two are more than seventy years old, but always young in spirit. They transferred to the little town to participate actively in its construction. They left behind them their house and habits, to start a new adventure as real pioneers. They told us about it during an evening feast dedicated to the presentation of the life that is lived there and to the outreach carried out from it.

“While preparing to transfer ourselves,” they told us, “we realised that we had accumulated many things over the years. Now we had to choose which to keep and which to donate, as in the new apartment there was not enough space for all these things. It was not easy to really detach ourselves from these things (we thought that on a spiritual level we always had this detachment) and this required that we find a solution each time together. But this had the effect of giving us a new freedom. Now we have been citizens of the Mariapolis Giosi for three years, and from the very beginning we felt at home. This life of sharing, that involves us in diverse activities and moments, is a continuous growth. We often take in persons who pass by for a short time. We are also in contact with some couples who are attracted by our style of life. We wish to donate our time, most of all, towards building authentic personal relationships.”

by our correspondent Oreste Paliotti   

The Gen Verde in Spain perform “Mary”

May 15, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

Burgos, Jerez de la Frontera, Granada, Jaen, Madrid, Talaveira de la Reina, Vigo and Canarie. These are the cities from one end of Spain to the other, where the show of the Gen Verde was held. It is a new spectacle, centred on the figure of Mary. from whom the show takes its title. “In the very first chords” –writes Javier Rubio in Ciudad Nueva, the Spanish magazine, “The thread is announced that weaves a sequence of songs inspired by her. But rather than an expression of devotion, the spectator perceives a continuous passage between the figure of Mary and the experience of each person, in such a way that the story of the Mother of Jesus touches each one, and the episodes of her life throw light on the vicissitudes of the present time.”  

After a poetic opening that defines Mary as the star that steers the darkness, the various stages of her life follow, and the Mother is presented with notes and feelings from diverse cultures. Brazilian, Korean, African and Celtic rhythms compose a unique invocation, as though to underscore that fraternity is the link that unites persons.

At the end, the director of the Spanish magazine notes,  “it is surprising that there is an intense link between the experience of some of today’s mothers, and the moment lived by Mary at the foot of the cross, where she was able to overcome the most acute and absurd suffering. The last word is the Resurrection of the Son that transforms Mary for ever into Mother of all.”

A surprising aspect is the work carried out by the Gen Verde beyond the show. These are a series of workshops, according to the various artistic forms, that already demonstrate the image a united world, besides the integration of various cultures that the group demonstrates by its being international. During their stay in each city, the group offers a panorama of multidisciplinary activities: liturgical singing, dialogue with students, or in prisons, and meetings to examine in depth universal values. The objective is to propose, through music and art, fraternity as a model of living together. And even in Spain, the echoes from thousands of persons who attended the shows and hundreds of students in the workshops, demonstrate that this objective is near.

Austria: Between East And West

May 13, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

Austria, just a small country (84,000 km²) in the heart of Europe, has a long great history. Most of its more than 8 million inhabitants speak German, but there are also other officially recognized linguistic groups. Austria has always played an important role as a bridge between East and West, especially during difficult historic periods, such as at the time of the Iron Curtain.

The territory of Austria presents great topographical variety: flat plains to the east, high Alpine regions to the west, woods, hills, lakes and rivers. It is known for its great cultural richness, especially its music, theatre and much more.

It is a land with a rich history. The first document to mention Ostarichi goes back to the year 996. Austria has had its ups and downs, from the splendour of the Austro-Hungarian empire in the 19th century (which included not only Austria, but also the current Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and part of Italy, Serbia, Montenegro, Romania, Poland and Ukraine) to the collapse of monarchy, and its inclusion, during the period of the Nazis, in the German area of Ostmark. It became one of the poorest countries of Europe after the Second World War, but saw much development in successive years, which led it to becoming one of the richest countries in the world. It has belonged to the European Union since 1995.

The beginnings of the Focolare Movement in Austria date back to 1952 with the temporary stay of a few focolarini at Innsbruck, and the first focolare was opened in Vienna in 1962. The 50th anniversary of the Focolare in this Central European country is being celebrated during these days and Maria Voce, president of the Focolare is on a week-long visit to the country.

The spirituality quickly spread among priests, families and youths and, in 1963, a first Mariapolis was held in Wattens (Tirolo) for the German speaking regions. This typical Focolare event has become a mainstay in the life of many (1000 people each year). The Mariapolis is a highlight event for the Movement in Austria, with programmes for people of all ages. The spirituality of unity has led to the development of many local communities where teenagers, children and adults, people from every professional background and religious affiliation feel at home. They make a small contribution to universal brotherhood on a local level. Currently there are sixty local communities in Austria. The focolares in Austria have been involved in the ecumenical dialogue for decades, maintaining intense contacts with members of several churches, such as with the Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Michael Staikos. There are also Evangelical Christians belonging to the Movement. Through the project “Together for Europe” Catholic, Evangelical Christian and members of the free churches have had the opportunity to join together. A vibrant relationship has begun with some Muslims, which first began with members of the Mosque of Linz. One exemplary pilot project has been the so-called “Women’s Breakfast” in Hall. In 2010 a Christian-Muslim study meeting was held in cooperation with the University of Innsbruck, and another one is planned. A dialogue has also begun with people of non-religious convictions. Among these, there are the leaders of the Austrian Communist Party, since the 1990’s. Cooperation was begun with the European and World Social Forum.

The newlborn permanent Mariapolis in Austria, “Mariapolis Giosi” is located to the south of Vienna. Its inhabitants include families, a community of priests, focolares and youths. The Am Spiegeln Mariapolis Centre is a place of encounter for the members of the Movement, as well as for local groups who hold seminars on local economy. ARGE-Education was begun to give special attention to the new generations, with European Education conferences that have already been held. In the field of sport, a Sports4peace  has been created with rules of fair play, which is being used in schools and several associations in different countries (teamtime.net). Several activities and gatherings have been held for teens and young adults: Social Day, Run4Unity, peace work, summer camps, musicals and end-of-the-year celebrations.  

Chiara Lubich visited Austria twice. In 1997 she was one of the keynote speakers at the European Ecumenical Assembly in Graz where she spoke about the spirituality of reconciliation. In 2001, she was invited by the Mayor of Innsbruck van Staa, where she spoke about Fraternity in Politics, at the 1000 Cities for Europe Conference. Shortly before, Chiara had met with 6000 youths at the main Cathedral of Vienna, together with Cardinal Schönborn, during the “Rufzeichen” event.

“Run for Unity” – running to build unity

May 12, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

Flickr photo gallery:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/run4unity

During the day, from 3.00-4.00 pm (in the different time zones), thousands of young people of different cultures and religions will be organising sports competitions together with actions for peace and solidarity. Many of them will be holding meetings with civic and religious dignitaries.

The “Run for Unity” started off in New Zealand followed by Australia, and after hour, it will continue throughout the countries of Asia and the Middle East, Europe and Africa, South and North America and the last leg will be run by young people in Vancouver, Canada.

Runners in the relay teams have chosen places that are a sign of peace and unity: the peace bell in Bicentennial Park in Sydney (Australia); Schengen (Luxembourg) famous for the signing of treaties regarding European borders; in Berlin (Germany) past the Brandenburg Gate, symbol of the unity of Germany; in Belfast the Parliament Buildings and the Stormont Estate will host the Irish stage of the worldwide event.

The relay race will include Christians from different denominations and in many countries there will be youth belonging to different faiths, cultures and ethnic groups running together to show their commitment to peace and unity: In New Delhi (India) the “Run for Unity” event will involve Sikh, Muslim, Hindu and Christian shrines; in Karachi (Pakistan), the team will be composed of Christians, Muslims and Hindus; in Caesarea Maritima (Holy Land), the event will gather Jewish, Muslim and Christian youth; in New York (USA) Christians and Muslims will come together at Malcolm Shabazz Mosque in Harlem.

The “Run for Unity” website, Facebook and YouTube channel will publish real-time updates of scheduled events with information, photos and video. On Saturday, 12 May, three brief transmissions will be shown (at 10.00 am, 2.00 pm and 8.00 pm Italian time) with news from various cities in all five continents, reported by the young people themselves.

These activities, organised on 12 May, form part of a bigger project entitled “Let’s Colour Our Cities” whereby young people carry out actions of solidarity in places where there is a prevalence of poverty and situations of conflict (more information can be found at www.teens4unity.net).

To follow the Run for Unity event: www.run4unity.net/2012

“Together for Europe” in 130 cities

May 12, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

The organisation of the meeting to be held on 12 May, which is the 2012 edition of “Together for Europe”,  is almost finalised. Young people and adults from over 300 movements and Christian communities are expected to attend the event. The meeting aims to give visibility to the dynamism of fraternity that runs through the continent which will be expressed through experiences and proposals that touch on economy and work, justice and peace, integration, family and other themes. The central point will be the event at Square Meeting Centre in Brussels that, together with the representatives of movements and Christian communities from all of Europe, will gather dignitaries from the European political, institutional and cultural panorama. Integral part of the event will be the 130 gatherings hat will happen simultaneously in as many number of cities throughout the continent, which will be linked by satellite and internet with the main event in Brussels. (more)

Official site – http://www.together4europe.org

REPLAY LIVE STREAMING EVENT: http://media.focolare.org/Ipe2012/

Programme 12 May in Brussels –http://www.together4europe.org/en/together-for-europe-2012/156-program-may-12-2012.html Press Area Read articles published on focolare.org

Vigaun

May 11, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

New York: Focolare and Malcolm X Mosque aim towards universal brotherhood

May 10, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

Sharry Silvi (right) with Chiara Lubich as they leave the mosque on May 18, 1997

“A bright moment in the relationship between Christians and Muslims.” This is the title of an article reported in a New York newspaper in announcing the forthcoming event on 20th May entitled  “Our Journey Towards the Excellence of the Human Family” to be held at the Malcolm Shabbaz Mosque in Harlem. It will commemorate the unprecedented pact made between the two leaders – Imam W. D. Mohammed and Chiara Lubich – to work together to promote unity in the human family. In this article, Sharry Silvi gives her eyewitness account of that historic meeting.

‘May 18, 1997. That unforgettable day will remain etched in my soul forever. I was next to Chiara when we walked together into the Malcolm Shabazz Mosque, both wearing our chadors. There was a very big crowd.

Chiara had prepared herself with great care, and I sensed she felt we were about to live a very important moment. While she was talking, the atmosphere in the hall was unbelievable. It was as if she were speaking to a group of people she had known for years.

At the end of the program we walked out of the hall together, and suddenly she took me by my arm. “Come,” she said, “I need you to translate for me.” I followed her into Imam Izak-El M. Pasha’s office, which Imam W. D. Mohammed had just entered.

“Imam Mohammed,” she said, “Let’s make a pact, in the name of the one God, to work unceasingly for peace and for unity.”

Imam Mohammed responded immediately. “This pact is made forever,” he said. “May God be my witness that you are my sister. I am your friend and I will help you always.”

It was such a powerful moment that I could hardly find the words to translate what was being said. A translation, in fact, almost wasn’t needed. They understood one another. They were two great leaders who answered God’s call to bring about a world of peace and love, and they understood that working together would help this to come true.

Imam Mohammed and Chiara Lubich came from two very different cultures and two different religions. They both already knew of each other, but that day they were meeting in person for the first time. The Imam had made a great act of trust in inviting Chiara, but he was certain that she could help his people. And Chiara came with the certainty that together they could further the unity of the world.

When we left that room I attempted to escort Chiara to the small elevator that could bring us down from the third floor of the mosque where we were. But Chiara declined the offer. “Let me walk among these people,” she said. She already loved the followers of Imam W.D.

I have been with Chiara many times on different occasions, yet this time stands out in my soul more than in my mind because of the joy she had in her heart that day. A group of us was with her driving back to Mariapolis Luminosa, and we all commented on this extraordinary event.

Chiara suddenly asked for a pen and paper. She wanted to write to the rest of the Focolare Movement all over the world that something important had taken place that day. She was looking for the right words, and what came to her mind were some of the expressions used by the Gen 3, the young people of the movement, to describe their recent congress: “It was super … it was mega!” It had been a moment of God.

Imam Pasha had done an incredible job in preparing everything for this particular encounter, making the environment that would host it very welcoming; and he has continued to keep this moment alive in the community. Soon the whole group following Imam Mohammed came to know Chiara, whom they called the “blessed lady.”

I remember that whenever I visited the mosque from that day on I had the impression that everyone I met on the street knew about Chiara, knew about what had happened and saw us as her followers. They always asked us how she was, what she was doing, where she was going.

A moment of God. In fact a great moment of God. It doesn’t happen every day, and I feel that we need to do everything possible to continue it through our lives, in order to bring forward the fruits of unity that this encounter has brought about.

Many years have passed and I feel more than ever that the followers of Imam Mohammed are truly my brothers and sisters, and I’m sure that for them we followers of Chiara are also their brothers and sisters.’

By Sharry Silvi

In 1997, Sharry Silvi, former Living City editor, was then Focolare co-director of the U.S. East Coast region. She currently heads the worldwide center for women focolarini in Rome.

Costa Rica: “Cultural Alterity”

May 8, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

“The Technological Institute of Costa Rica is the only university in our country that specializes in the teaching of technology. In 2003 I was asked to prepare a course for training our students in the liberal arts. I entitled the course: “Cultural Alterity: A Hope For Today’s World”.

The methodology used in this course envisions education as a process of transformation in the way we live together with one another. Alterity produces freedom, which opens the possibility of always beginning again. It gives a sense of life, of inter-relatedness and of solidarity. It is based on the ability of a human being to develop an “intelligence of love” that helps to understand and promote concrete actions in favour of others: taking care of someone, tenderness, sympathy, understanding, service.

This objective is achieved through the use of traditional techniques such as lecture, theatre, film clubs, and guided reading groups where students can carry out positive actions in favour of others.

To achieve this we use traditional techniques such as lecture, theatre, film clubs, guided reading group, where young people reflect on current and how they can make positive actions for others. The course consists of 4 modules of 3 hours per week. The course is comprised of four three-hour long modules each week. More than a thousand students have already attended. Outside the classroom, the students put into practice what they are learning and, at during the next class they share report how it went.

One student began to practice a culture of alterity by dedicating time to her younger sister who has been affected by Down Syndrome: they spoke, went to the cinema together, to a dance, to eat at a restaurant; and she found her sister to be an intelligent person, whose tastes were similar to her own, someone who it was nice to be with.

Another reports: “I was on the bus, sitting, when a woman mounted the bus, carring many bundles. At first I didn’t want to give her my seat because I was tired, but then I recalled that I had decided to put into practice what I had learned in class, and I let her have my seat. We dismounted the bus at the same place and, since it was raining, I accompanied her home with my umbrella, helping her with her bags. I was happy and so was she, even inviting me in and offering me a cup of coffee. From then on, we have been friends.”

One group went to a hospice. There was one boy who had this to say one week after the experience: “I didn’t want to go because I feel  uncomfortable around the elderly, but I went in order to accept the challenge of living a culture of alterity, there where it cost me the most. At first it was difficult, but watching my classmates gave me courage. It was so beautiful and I felt a fullness and happiness that was so great that the same day I didn’t need to take any drugs to get high, as I sometimes do.”

This educational proposal also seeks to give an answer to the many dimensions of the current crisis that our country is passing through: economic, political, social, cultural and environmental. And so we are examining the Economy of Communion Project, the experience of Politics of Unity, Art in Communion and the protection of the environment.”

(Testimony given at an international Symposium on Fraternity,  4 April 2012, at l’Università Manuela Beltrán di Bogotá.  Giancarlo Faletti , co-president of the Focolare Movement, was present).

Paulina Segura graduated in Anthropology and has a doctorate degree in Pedagogical Mediation. She is trained in different areas of tourism and Education, has done many projects in Social Research. She teaches at the Catholic diocesan seminaries and in other universities in Costa Rica. 

From Russia with love

May 6, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

Sweet-smelling bread and salt are what Russians give to those who arrive in this seemingly endless country stretching all the way from Europe to Asia, from the Arctic’s frozen seas to the Pacific Ocean. The wounds left by the history of the Soviet republic still sting: vivid memories of a socialism that attempted to cancel God, memories of the blood spilt by Christians faithful to their convictions. And yet, despite the apparently impenetrable and dark curtain surrounding this land, tourism by several focolarini, the arrival of a Hungarian family and meeting some priests in the West, helped Chiara Lubich’s spirituality spread silently through it. Today communities set alive by the spirituality exist beyond the Urals, in Siberia, at Chelyabinsk, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Divnogorsk and Krasnoyarsk.

Going again over the steps of this story, starting from the first contacts in the 70s of focolarini present in Eastern Germany with people from the then Soviet Union, we come to recent times. In May 2011, the whole of the community of the Movement gathered together from every corner of the land to welcome for the first time Focolare President Voce and Co-President Faletti to Moscow. There were 200 at the meeting. They came from places as far apart as St Petersburg and Krasnoyarsk, some even having travelled by train for 42 hours though 3,500 km of steppe and forest like those who came from Chelyabinsk.

‘When I arrived in Russia I found myself immersed in a deeper union with God and I remembered the expression “Holy Russia” that I heard when studying Russian literature. I felt carried along by this life of holiness that is in the air here in Russia as well as in its history of Christianity. And I understood that Russia’s gift to me and to the whole of humanity can be this holiness – thanks also to its martyrs of all denominations.”

What happened to the pioneers fascinates us even today. There were intriguing details to be learnt about secret rendezvous, but also memories of persecution. They were recounted by Oleg, a follower of Father Alexander Men. Men, who was assassinated by the regime in 1990, had founded a small Bible study communities that had tremendous ecumenical openness. They came into contact with the Focolare. At the meeting with Maria Voce and Giancarlo Faletti, others spoke of their discovery of a Gospel-based spirituality that goes beyond difference and diffidence between churches. Father Vladimir, a Russian Orthodox priest from St Petersburg, recalled how his ‘prejudices about Catholicism were cancelled by the beauty to be found in the spiritual life of the Focolare which knows no denominational boundaries and which incarnates Christianity and love for one another in daily life.’

Among the pioneers, there have been others who came from other lands to spend their strength, enthusiasm and intelligence here – like Eduardo Guedes, a Portuguese focolarino who passed away in January 2011. He was remembered by many with great affection. He was someone who, without preaching, gave humble witness to a God who does not abandon us or forget us, but who always welcomes both the disadvantaged and the powerful and who, in ‘Holy Russia’, deepens the desire for a modern kind of holiness, open to everyone. Regina Betz, a German focolarina, who lived in Moscow from 1990 until 2008, was also remembered tenderly for establishing true and lasting relationships with many people.

After the fall of the Soviet Regime, Russian society was in search of an identity. In this journey, the Movement’s way of acting was always appreciated, especially in the relationship with the Russian Orthodox Church. At times, official representatives of the Patriarchate of Moscow took part in Focolare gatherings. Focolare co-president Giancarlo Faletti’s presence at the enthronement of Patriarch Kirill, in February 2009 was significant for the community of the Movement. Some members of Orthodox associations watched the ‘Together for Europe’ project with great interest, and have attended the event since 2004.

The majority of the Movement’s members in Moscow are Orthodox. There are many families, in a society where the institution of the family has suffered a great deal, and many young people, who know how to put their lives on the line for sake of the Gospel. One of them, Nina Vyazovetskaya, spoke in Rome, at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, at the celebration commemorating the third anniversary of Chiara Lubich’s death. She said: ‘I come from Moscow, and I belong to the Russian Orthodox Church. I am a doctor and I trained at the Moscow Hospital. I grew up in a family of unbelievers, as many people are in Russia. In 1990 they baptized me a bit “by accident” because, with the fall of Communism, there came a time of change and everyone was searching for something new. But after that day, I never went to church. Meeting the Focolare Movement was a turning point in my life. I met God and my life changed. In order to get to know Him, I turned to the focolarine, who are Catholics, and they brought me to my Orthodox church. This was how I began to discover the beauty and richness of the church, of the Christian life, of living for God. And now I have decided to follow God along the way of Chiara in the focolare.’

Visita the page dedicated to Russia in Focolare Worldwide

Africa: 120 Children Discovering the Gospel

May 5, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

It happened in Kenya, at Mariapolis Piero in Nairobi during the Easter holidays. It was the first international congress for the children of the Focolare, the Gen 4 girls who came from Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya.

How was it possible to bring children together from countries which, just a short time earlier, were at war with one another? How would it be possible to overcome the great physical distances where there were no connections? How would they find the money to pay for the expenses?

There was only one great motivation that enabled them to overcome all the obstacles: the discovery that these children had made of the Gospel, their desire to get together and share their experiences of putting it into practice and the joy that it brings.

For the little ones -> click to expand

“The Gospel is the nicest book. . .” was the main focus of the congress that was based on the experience already had before arriving at the meeting. The Gen4 are already in the habit of living the “art of loving” that can be found in all the sentences of the Scriptures that speak about love: Love your neighbor as you love yourself, love one another, love even your enemy. . .

Many of the young girls wrote personal letters to Jesus: “It was all a great success!”; “I’m very happy because of this congress. Jesus, help me to know what you want from me now”; “Dear Jesus, thank you for all that you did for me”; “I give you all  my acts of love. I want to be like you, so help me to do as you do”; Dear Jesus, I’ve learned that we should love others as we love ourselves, that we should share our things with those who have not”; “I helped my sister to fold her clothes. Then my Kenyan friend helped me to fold my clothes. So, I thank you”; “Thanks for giving us life. I love you as I have never loved anyone before. . .”

This Holy Week immersed in such intense mutual love was truly an encounter with Jesus, from Good Friday when they tried to have an attitude of consoling those who are suffer, the poor, the marginalized. . . until Easter when they held a great feast, together with the citizens of Mariapolis Piero and some of the parents from Nairobi. In a glowing atmosphere of joy, the Gen4 expressed through their songs and dances, the immense happiness that the presence of the Risen Lord in their midst had brought to all.

Maria Voce, president of the Focolare Movement had written to them: “These will certainly be very beautiful days during which you will be able to know Jesus better, along with some important moments in His life. Open your hearts to Him, Gen4, and say to him: ‘I love you, Jesus. Thank you for all that you do for me and for everyone. Teach me to always love more and more, like You do.’ He’ll certainly help you and you’ll return home happy and ready to take his love and his joy everywhere.” And so they did.

A Light in the Illness

May 4, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

«When, about four years ago, Fernando was diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) a shiver went down my spine.- Maria said – I was overwhelmed and full of fear. He guessed what I was feeling and whispered to me: “I’m up for it. You’ll see God’ll give us the grace for this really important moment.” I felt myself reborn. I too wanted to stick to God’s plan of love for us. Like this we began the adventure we’re on.

‘After a while Fernando was taken into intensive care because of a respiratory problem, but our calm way of facing the illness and Fernando’s attitude of love for the doctors and nurses changed all the rigidly professional attitudes into something more warm and friendly.

‘The whole Focolare family and the people we’ve met throughout our lives stood by us. We found a real competition of love going on around us: I never had to use public transport, people it take in turns to get me to the hospital and to help with filling in the forms needed to access home care.

‘When we returned home I had to face the problems of daily life caring for Fernando day and night, and I learnt to use the various kinds of life-saving equipment. At night I always have an ear open and often my sleep is broken. But, although I may be a bit tense sometimes, the look of love on  Fernando’s face always keeps me going.

‘In the last four years I’ve always felt God as a Father and he touches my life everyday in the most unexpected ways above all through other people. One morning a visiting doctor found me ill in bed and so, after she’d done what she’d come to do, she cooked some soup, put on a wash and fed Fernando.

‘Little things like that happen all the time. One Sunday I ran out of medical gloves and, in that very moment, a neighbour who knew nothing about it turned up with a box of a hundred. The little daily chores get done too, because things happen like someone turns up at the door and says something like: ‘Do you need any bills paying?’

‘Fernando never plays the sick person. He is 87 and what you see in him is joy and openness to  everyone. He keeps himself informed and is especially interested in politics and above all in the school of the Political Movement for Unity. He was the mayor of Ghilarza (Oristano) for three terms, the director of the Sardinian Regional Statistical Study Centre, and he is concerned in a special way about young people who he encourages to get involved with politics, saying: “We need to purify our way of thinking.”

‘The illness progresses and takes away the most simple and basic abilities, but he lives this out in a heavenly way, trying to do God’s will with simplicity,  just as he did when he was well, and his faith supports all of us around him. If anyone calls to see him and commiserates with him, he says to me later: “They speak about death, but I feel I’m overflowing with life!” and he doesn’t hesitate to tell believers and non-believers alike of his experience and philosophy of life: “I hand myself over completely to God as Jesus did. When I’m scared, I’m not afraid. Fear destroys life”».

In Colombia: “Project Innocence”

May 2, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

One leading initiative in Latin America called “Project Innocence” is being promoted by the Faculty of Law at the Manuela Beltran University of Bogota. The project aims at re-opening court cases of people who have been wrongfully convicted and lack the financial resources to pay for their defense. Project Innocence offers its legal services for free.

The project began in 2007. Project director, Juan Carlos Cardenas C. explains: “Most of the cases we deal with have to do with negligence or wrongful identification of the perpetrators of crimes. They are cases in which judiciary officials fail to carry out their duties because of negligence, lack of training, lack of evidence or false testimony, but also because of corruption, and they make wrong decisions that unjustly convict a person.”

Project Innocence is composed of an interdisciplinary work group, with psychologists, lawyers, detectives and, naturally, students in this field.

Divided into working groups, representatives of Project Innocence visit penitentiaries for both, men and women, twice a week. The detainees of these penitentiaries sign to be accepted into the project. Requests are often made on their behalf by relatives and friends. And claims of innocence are often submitted through electronic post via the website.

A professional lawyer, a monitor, and a student in the field of psychology or law are usually present at the interview. The project director stresses: “We never lose sight of the fact that this could be the only opportunity for this person to be heard.”

“Usually,” explains Lawyer Cardenas, “the inmates claim that there was a mistake in the trial and sentencing. For this reason it is important to have someone with deep and serious training. We start with the respect and belief that all the judgements issued by the courts are based on the principle of law and righteousness. It is even more difficult, therefore, to demonstrate to the administrator of justice that it has made a mistake, after it has made a final ruling. In principle, therefore, our efforts are not to identify the official who has made a mistake, but rather to show where and what the mistake was in the process that led to the conviction of an innocent person.”

The cases that arrive at Project Innocence include things such as kidnapping, murder, sexual offenses, extortion, money laundering, but the people behind these cases are innocent and have been unjustly accused and deprived of their liberty. Like the case of Manuel Mena, who was sentenced to seventeen years in prison for a murder he did not commit. After three and a half years in prison and the rigorous work carried out by the team at the University, analyzing the facts and evidence in the case, the Constitutional Court annulled the sentence of conviction and ordered his immediate release.

The professor concludes: “Detainees are among the most needy in the population, in need of help and solidarity; not only the innocent, but also those who are going through the process of rehabilitation and are in need of a friend’s hand, some counsel, a listening ear. The world of criminal justice is also in need of a transformation by the Gospel and by the truth. And this little project we are involved in is, for us, a tiny seed of this renewal.”

(Experience shared at the International Symposium on Fraternity, 4 April 2012, at Manuela Beltran University)

Juan Carlos Cárdenas is the director of “Project Innocence”. He teaches Law at Manuela Beltran University of Bogota, Colombia and has been actively involved in the Focolare Movement from when he was young having embraced the spirituality of Chiara Lubich.

To read more experiences in this field visit: http://comunionediritto.org/en/

“Let’s Bridge” Youth Meeting in Loppiano

Apr 30, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

REPLAY 1st May youth meeting in Loppiano LIVE STREAMING EVENT

Read article: http://www.genfest.org/newnews/Lets-bridge-VOLUME-ZERO-has-started

Photo gallery on Flickr

Germany – at the heart of Europe

Apr 29, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

10 November 1989: the day after the fall of the Berlin Wall

Today, after its reunification in 1990, with its 81 million in habitants, Germany is the most populous country of the European Union of which it was one of the founder members. Its GNP makes it one of the richest countries in the world and, in the wake of the Second World, it has developed a solid Parliamentary democracy.

Both its dramatic experience of nazi dictatorship and its forty-year East-West division have deeply effected its people. Since Germany is also one of the lands of the Reformation, with a strong presence of Protestant Churches together with the Roman Catholic Church and Orthodox Churches, Germans have lived the pain of the division of the Churches. They are now discovering the richness of diversity and see the unfolding of a more effective witness to Christian life.

There are about 30,000 people who say they are friends of the Focolare Movement in Germany. About 5000 thousand of them, adults, young people and children, meet regularly either according to  age or vocation or linked to common interests or specific topics. The first contacts with Germany go back to 1955. A little later, the Catholic bishop of Meißen, Otto Spülbeck, and Cardinal Alfred Bengsch of Berlin asked the founder of the Focolare, Chiara Lubich, to send focolarini to East Germany. The lack of doctors in the DDR make it easier for foreigners with a medical background to enter the country and so 8 focolarini who were doctors, German and Italian, went to Berlin and Leipzig. With them came Natalia Dallapiccola, a focolarina who had been with Chiara Lubich from the beginning of the Focolare in Trent, Northern Italy. From Germany Focolare spirituality spread also in other countries in Eastern Europe, especially Poland, Czechoslovakia and Hungary.

In a country so much involved with the beginnings of the Reformation, it is natural for ecumenical dialogue to be of primary importance for the Focolare.

A characteristic of the Focolare in Germany is that right from the start there were meetings with Evangelical Christians (the bruderschäfte [fraternities], the nuns of Mary from Darmstadt). In the 60s there were numerous meetings with important people and members of various Churches. From that time to today, Christians of different Churches have found their place in different groups within the Focolare. They find there an inspiration for their lives, and an encouragement to work for and to  deepen unity among Christians.

On the basis of these relationships between Christians of different Churches, common initiatives have taken place and there has been real development at a community level. Among these there is the Centre for Ecumenical Life at Ottmaring, near Augsburg. Its founders and leaders are members of the Evangelical Lutheran Brethren of the Common Life and Focolare members. Ottmaring has become one the Focolare’s ‘little towns’ with a profoundly ecumenical character. It has had the blessing of both Lutheran and Catholic authorities and it now has 120 people permanently committed to it and linked to it in a variety of ways.

In the summer months, European young people take the opportunity to share for a time in the life of the little town. In 1999 the ecumenical experience of Ottmaring led to the initiative ‘Together for Europe’, a network of movements and Christian communities that includes Evangelicals, Catholics, Orthodox, Anglicans and Free Church members.

There are other meeting centres of the Focolare in Germany in Solingen and Zwochau.

A further point of commitment for Focolare members is dialogue with believers of different religions and with people of no religious faith. Shared efforts for peace, justice and in social initiatives have provided common platforms for this dialogue.

In the history of the Focolare other people, together with Chiara Lubich, have given an important contribution to the Movement’s development. One of these was the German bishop of Aachen, Klaus Hemmerle (1929-1994).

He gave a decisive boost for the development of a theology developed from Chiara Lubich’s charism and he regularly took part in meetings of the interdisciplinary research centre called the ‘Abba School’. He also gave life to an ongoing ecumenical spiritual development involving bishops of different nationalities and Churches who take their inspiration from the spirituality of unity.

On the tenth anniversary of Klaus Hemmerle’s death, the Focolare in Germany set up a prize for persons who display a spirit similar to his. It is given every two years to those who have been ‘bridge-builders’ in dialogue among the Churches, among religions and among people of other kinds of convictions. The first to receive the prize was Patriarch Bartholomew I.

New website for Alberto Michelotti and Carlo Grisolia

Apr 27, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

Alberto and Carlo are two young people from Genoa whose cause for beatification was started in 2008. The case is original because they are protagonists together. Their friendship and the friendship they showed to others is one of the salient points of their life: it is precisely in this human sentiment, lived in a Christian way, that the Church has seen an element of sanctity, mostly in their wish to help each other in bringing to all the evangelical ideal of a united world, of universal brotherhood. On the new site, that is dedicated to them, one can view and download for free, the documentary, in Italian “Together we can”, directed by Mario Ponta: A group of youths today, following in the footsteps and ways of Alberto and Carlo, and meeting the friends of that time, discover the authenticity of their experience, and that it can be lived also today. A version of the documentary with subtitles in various languages is being prepared. The Alberto Michelotti and Carlo Grisolia committee invite all to visit the site and leave their impressions: www.albertocarlo.it

Beppe Porqueddu: “A revolution within the revolution”

Apr 24, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide

“Ciao Chiara! What a joy it is to live this afternoon with you.

Do you remember the phrase I wrote to you on that 16th December, a few hours after the motorcycle accident which, at 18 years of age, brought me so close to death? “I never thought it to be so wonderful to be completely touched by the love of God …”.

There the mystery of my life was not only revealed but fulfilled. Those words expressed my amazement at experiencing peace through the grace of God’s love for me. And it’s this amazement that, in all these years, has nourished my creativity, my way of expressing myself and also my new physical situation. It was such an unexpected development!

One morning as I was combing my hair in front of the mirror, I felt a sudden surge of happiness. I asked myself which was more true: that three quarters of my body couldn’t move or that my arms could still do acts of generosity. Both of these things were true and they had the same value. Therefore, in me there was unity and with it the perception of complete psycho-physical integrity. And even though I lived in flesh and blood every limitation dependent on my condition, my identity was intact. I was One in myself! That day I said to myself: “Every fibre of every muscle which is still functioning must be used to love.”

Later on, bewildered and astonished as to why I experienced joy despite the innumerable difficulties, I understood Jesus in his cry: “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?” This is what attracted me when I first got to know the ideal of unity some years before the accident. It seemed as though Jesus was giving me proof of this paradox. In virtue of living reciprocal love in a dynamic way, it was possible to harness limitations and abilities in a positive and constructive way, as in “a game of love”.

Through wisdom, the condition of a person with a physical disability is seen in a new light. While many might see in it only suffering, a tragic circumstance to be pitied, a social welfare case, copious tears, it actually becomes not only liveable and saintly, but also a real opportunity to transform society. Every disability, looked at from a new perspective, is an opportunity to embrace that cry of Jesus.

Modern scientific theory considers “disability” as something that represents the socialisation of problems and needs. Since this is known and accepted, it must be loved by society by altering its structures to accommodate Jesus present in every person. This brings about the necessity for town planning and architecture – which I like to describe as mother sciences – to bring back Jesus in “his city,” the place where personal relationships exist.

The “handicap” – which is always a social discomfort born from the fateful relationship between the person’s disability and society’s refusal of that disability, the “non-love” – is longer there since the disability is accepted by those who bear it and it is loved and accepted by society which is thus not only renewed but is all-embracing of the suffering of the humanity of Jesus.

So the suffering of a disability loved by those who bear it, and loved by society, in a way eliminates the handicap and this reciprocal relationship transforms suffering into a gentle and light yoke, but it is also a source of light and a spark of true social transformation.

You know, Chiara, over the past 42 years, in every suffering, I have never found a cross that was empty; Jesus was always there – my Jesus, your Jesus. The revolutionary is God himself. Goodbye, Chiara!”

Beppe Porqueddu is a rehabilitation technologist. He conducts Peer Counselling training courses for doctors, rehabilitation personnel, architects and town planning engineers, and for people with disabilities. He is a consultant/project manager for government initiatives on issues of accessibility in cities and parks. He is a coordinator of SIVA (Aid Assessment and Information Services) of the Don Carlo Gnocchi Foundation of Rome. He is also co-founder and current president of “Centro Studi Prisma” in Belluno, in the area of interdisciplinary study of technical and social integration of people with disabilities.

A Cagliari, “Via Chiara Lubich”

Apr 23, 2012 | Focolare Worldwide