Focolare Movement

March 2012

‘Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.’ Peter had understood that the words of his Teacher were different from those of other teachers. Their words came from the earth and returned to the earth; they belonged to and had the destiny of the earth. Jesus’ words are spirit and life because they come from heaven: a light that comes down from Above and has the power of Above. His words have a quality and a depth that other words do not have, whether they be philosophical, political, or poetic. They are ‘words of eternal life’ (Jn 6:68), because they contain, express, communicate the fullness of the life that never ends since it is the very life of God. Jesus is risen and lives, and his words, although spoken in the past, are not merely a memory, but words he addresses today to all of us and to each person in every time and culture: they are universal, eternal words. The words of Jesus! They must have been his greatest art, as it were. The Word who speaks in human words: what content, what intensity, what expression, what a voice! Basil the Great[1] tells, for example, how ‘once upon a time, like a man roused from deep sleep, I turned my eyes to the marvellous light of the truth of the Gospel, and I perceived the uselessness of “the wisdom of the princes of this world.”’[2] Thérèse of Lisieux in a letter of 9 May 1897 wrote: ‘Sometimes, when I read books in which perfection is put before us … my poor little head is quickly fatigued. I  close the learned treatise, which tires my brain and dries up my heart, and I turn to the Sacred Scriptures. Then all becomes clear and light – a single word opens out infinite vistas, perfection appears easy’.[3] Yes, divine words satisfy the spirit which is made for the infinite; they give inner light not only to the mind, but to the whole of our being, because they are light, love and life. They give peace – the kind Jesus calls his own: ‘my peace’ – also in moments of anxiety and anguish. They give complete joy, even in the midst of the pain that at times torments the soul. They give strength, especially in the face of dismay and discouragement. They set us free, because they open the path to Truth. ‘Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.’ The Word of Life this month reminds us that the only Teacher we want to follow is Jesus, even when his words may seem hard or too demanding. This means to be honest at work, to forgive, to be at the service of others rather than think selfishly of ourselves, to remain faithful in our family life, to help a terminally ill person without yielding to the idea of euthanasia… There are many ‘teachers’ who invite us to adopt easy solutions, to make compromises. We want to listen to the one Teacher and follow him, who alone speaks the truth and who has ‘words of eternal life’. Like this we too can repeat these words of Peter. In this Lenten season, as we prepare for the great celebration of the resurrection, we must truly join the school of the one Teacher and become his disciples. A passionate love for the word of God must come to life in us too. Let’s be ready to welcome it when it is proclaimed in church, let’s read it, study it, meditate on it… But above all we are called to live it, as scripture itself teaches: ‘Be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves’ (Jas 1:22). That is why each month we focus on one word in particular, letting it penetrate us, mould us, ‘live us’. By living one word of Jesus we live the entire Gospel, because in each word of his he gives the whole of himself, he himself comes to live in us. It is like a drop of the divine wisdom that belongs to him, the Risen One, which slowly sinks into the depths of us and replaces our way of thinking, wanting and acting in all the circumstances of life.  Chiara Lubich


[1]              Basil (330-379), Bishop of Caesaria, one of the Fathers of the Church. [2]              Epistle CCXXIII, 2 [3]              <http://www.pathsoflove.com/pdf/ThereseLetters.pdf> (trans. revised)

In the Family, Accepting One Another Always

In the Family, Accepting One Another Always

Maria and John have lived in Italy for many years. “Even though we know that we were made for each other, we asked ourselves,” they recount, when they offered their testimony at the anniversary of  Renata Borlone, “if we could also be witnesses of unity in our own family – me an American and Maria an Austrian – in immersed in an Italian society.” They are very different from one another. They are from the old European world and the world of America. They do not speak German or English with each other, but Italian. They come from different cultures, different families and different origins, different professional and intellectual formation, and different ages (thirteen years difference). And then, John recounts, “I’m simply a man and she’s a woman, with characters, needs and sensibilities quite diverse.” “One episode involving this diversity, which is emblematic, occured during the honeymoon in Sicily,” he conitinues. Everything beautiful and wonderful . . . we reached Selinunte and Maria enthusiastically exclaimed: “What beautiful temples, they tell of a wonderful past.” And me: “What are these old stones and broken columngs doing here? It would be better to knock them down and build a nice skyscraper.” Where did our common point lie? Certain of God’s plan of love for us, we intuited that it would be found neither in temples (history), nor in skyscrapers (young new lands), but in accepting each other.” “And this acceptance was taught to us by Renata with her life. She had an artful talent for listening to people, always giving first place to the other, it was an absolute for her. I felt completely welcomed, understood and loved.” Maria was recounting, touching on a few difficult moments the went through in their marriage. “I didn’t understand my husband. His way of being and of thinking put me in crisis, but we already had four children. One night I couldn’t do it anymore and I ran to Renata. I cast my huge doubt onto her. I had made a mistake in marrying John! As always, Renata welcomed me, taking my suffering upon herself. Then, with unwavering certainty, she reminded me that when I married, I had been certain that John was the right person for me, beyond our differences. That night I gained a new strength. Yes, we’d manage to love one another until the end!” “Still today, after forty years of living together,” John concludes, “we experience how true it is that when we accept each other’s differences in a positive way, as something that can enrich and complete us, then a new harmony is born between us.”

In the Family, Accepting One Another Always

Innovation, Market and Society

Professor Bruni, in your an article published in Nuova Umanità you offer a very unique description of the entrepreneur. Can you explain where the figures of the investor, manager and speculator have become confused with that of the entrepreneur innovator? Much has to do with the financial revolution that has affected the economy (praxis and theory) over the past twenty years . . . due to globalisation. The West has slowed its growth, but has not wanted to reduce its consumption. With new technical instruments, creative finance then promised a growth phase in consumption without growth in revenue. The result was that many entrepreneurs were transformed into speculators, thinking of making profit through speculation, stepping outside of their traditional sector and calling. A second reason was the standardization of business cultures on the trail of a strong force in Anglo Saxon culture. The European and Italian tradition of business administration were characterized by a strong attention to the communitarian and social dimension, because of the presence of a Catholic-communitarian paradigm. This, along with the primary causes of the financial revolution, caused managers to assume an ever more central role in the big corporations, at the expense of traditional entrepreneurs. Nowadays there is an enormous need to launch a new season of entrepreneurship, if we want to come out of this crisis, and reduce the burden of speculators. Beginning with Schumpter’s theory of economic development, you describe the market as a “righteous relay” between innovation and imitation (. . .) but the profit, for the innovator, is essentially limited to the amount of time that elapses between the innovation and the imitation. What can be done to avoid that such a “righteous relay” will generate reciprocal damage between businesses?     Here politics plays an important role and, in general, the institutions, which, through appropriate regulations to protect  competition and the proper functioning of the markets, see to it that the relay is virtuous and not vicious. But a co-essential role is carried out by civil society, the citizen-consumers who with their buying choices must reward those businesses that have acted ethically, and “punish” (by changing businesses) those with predatory and aggressive attitudes. The market functions and produces fruits for society when it has a proper relationship with the institutions and with civil society. Finally you outline the characteristics of “civil competition” in which competition is not played out, Company A against Company B to avoid Client C, but on the basis of Company A for Client C and Company B for Client C. Could you explain the positive effects that this different way of seeing competition produces? What examples of “civil competition” can you give us? In the first place it helps to give a different tone to market trading. Our reading and descriptions of the world are very important for the behaviors. If I read the market to be a battle that must be won, when I go to trade on the market, or also at work, I tend to approach it with a mental and spiritual attitude that very much influences the results that I obtain and the happiness (or unhappiness) that I experience. If instead I see the market as a grand network of cooperative relations, I promotes creation of relational goods even during “economic” moments of my life, and individual and collective happiness grows. Moreover, reading the market as cooperation is closer to the vision of the great classical figures of economic history (Smith, Mill, Einaudi and, nowadays, Sen or Hirschman) and it is closer to what millions of people experience every day, working and exchanging not only in the field of social economy.

In the Family, Accepting One Another Always

USA: A Land Made for the Spirituality of Unity

The Union of fifty states known as the United States of America extends across a vast area from the extreme northwest of Alaska to southeast Florida. The first focolarini arrived from Italy in 1961. During those years the first centers of the Movement were opened in Manhattan, Chicago and Boston. Toward the end of the 1970’s focolares were also opened in San Antonio and Los Angeles, followed by Washington D. C., Columbus and Atlanta. Mariapolis Luminosa, located in Hyde Park (New York), was inaugurated in 1986 and is the heart of the Movement in North America. During her first visit to New York city, in 1964, Chiara Lubich wrote the following: “(. . .) It seems particularly adapted for the spirit of the Focolare. There is not an atmosphere of ethnic superiority, but a clear feeling of internationality. There is simplicity. At Mass I prayed for the Movement on this continent and I hope that God listens to my prayer, because I’m praying for the spreading of His reign.” Her prayer was heard. In fact, over the years, communities began to appear throughout the country. As the Focolare Movement grew, so did its interreligious dialogue. With Jews who come into contact with the spirituality of unity, this dialogue is expressed in daily living, professional collaboration and theological study. In many parts of the country a fraternal “dialogue of life” has began and grew with Muslim followers of Imam W. D. Mohammed. Chiara visited the United States seven times. In 1990 she stressed that she had “captured various signs of a united world” in this land. In May 1977, as the guest of Imam W. D. Mohammed she spoke about the Spirituality of Unity to nearly 3000 Muslims gathered at the Malcom Shabazz Mosque in Harlem, New York. Then, at the United Nations “Glass Palace,” at a symposium organized in her honor by the WCRP (World Conference of Religions for Peace), she spoke about the unity of all peoples. Lastly, she was awarded an honorary doctorate by Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut. In 2000, Imam Mohammed invited her to return again to the United States: “America needs your message” he said on 2 November 2000 to a crowd of 5000 Muslims and Christians gathered in Washington D.C. for a meeting entitled: “Faith Communities Together”which had been organized by the two communities. Gatherings of this type multiplied in several other cities with annual events that seemed more like family reunions than meetings for dialogue. In her last visit to the US, in 2000, Chiara received the honoris causa degree in Education from the Catholic University of America, in Washington D.C. 3.000 people gathered there: Jews, Buddhists and lots of Afroamerican Muslims, to underline the specific contribution of Focolare Movement to the interreligious dialogue. Meanwhile, the Economy of Communion project began to spread its roots within nineteen businesses which operate in different fields, such as environmental engineering, the arts, education, agriculture, free time and business consulting. The recent visit, in 2011, of the president of the Focolare Movement, Maria Voce and of the Co-President, Giancarlo Faletti, for the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the Movement in North America, gathered together 1,300 people from many communities in Canada, the United States and the Caribbean, including Jews and Muslims. On this occasion, the book “Focolare – Living a Spirituality of Unity in the United States” was released. It responds to the questions people have about the Movement today, through compelling stories of many Americans (children, youths, married couples, elderly, singles, nuns, priests and bishops who belong to the Focolare) whose lives have been transformed by the encounter with Jesus. Readers discover the spiritual values and practices of the Focolare, the various vocational paths of its members and how it helps in supporting the values of American culture, such as freedom, happiness, community and the commitment to the common good in public life.

Mariapolis Luminosa

New York – Youth Meeting

New York – 50th celebrations

Fordham Uni – St Patrick’s Cathedral

St Patrick’s Cathedral

Focolarini

Washington DC

Chicago – Youth Gathering

Chicago – Interreligious Meeting

In the Family, Accepting One Another Always

USA: One City That Cares

In 1979, our family moved to the Village of North Riverside, a suburb of about 6,000 people near Chicago. During this time, we found we had to do an intense physical therapy program for our severely disabled son David.  Our neighbors, even the firemen helped us every day for six years, so that David would one day be able to walk and talk.  I remember asking God for a way to give back to our town and its people. It was not long after this that our former mayor wrote asking for ideas for a Neighborhood Services program where there would be neighborhood captains for each block. I wrote back sharing my experience in the neighborhood. After some time, he asked me to coordinate the program. There were 72 block captains, each responsible for one block of North Riverside.  I thought that the block captains should try to make each block like a family, where no one would feel alone. We adapted Chiara Lubich’s points of the art of loving into four points which I called the ‘Art of Caring’. During each captains meeting, I would take one of the points and illustrate it using an experience shared with me by one of the block captains. At first, I had to use stories based on my own family or quotations from famous persons. After a couple of years, however, some of the block captains themselves starting sharing what they had done to live the points of caring. One of the first experiences shared by a captain was about a new resident of the block whose dogs were left outside barking from early morning until late evening. Instead of complaining to the police, the captain and the neighbors tried to “love their enemies” by reaching out to dog owner, baking cookies for her and even helping her catch her dogs when they escaped the yard. Only then did they approach her with their concerns about how the constant barking was affecting the newborn baby on the block. Not only did the mayor encourage these individual acts of caring, but he also tried to make the village itself, through the block captains, an active force for caring.  For example, the block captains give welcome bags to new residents. They take interest in people, especially those experiencing personal suffering. They send cards, bring food, listen to people’s troubles. We use our emails to communicate these needs like in a family so we are all aware of who needs help. On a regular basis, some captains even do extra by volunteering to drive people in town to doctors, or shopping for groceries for the homebound. Just recently, we published our twenty years of experiences, also ideas for helping anyone live the Golden Rule. It was circulated among doctors, social workers, teachers and politicians as well as individuals who want to make a difference in their corner of the world. The art of caring has even been extended by North Riverside to other towns. At one of the town meetings, the publisher of the newsletter stood up and announced, “When I tell people in my town about North Riverside, they say such a town cannot exist. And I say come and see.” (For more experiences, please go to http://www.northriverside-il.org/departments/recreation/neighborhoodservices.html)

In the Family, Accepting One Another Always

No fear of diversity

Christians from a Catholic parish in Basel went to visit the community in an Islamic neighbourhood. After the Muslims had prayed they had lunch together. ‘In the afternoon, there was a football competition: teams of children, young people, grown ups and also “imams versus priests”!’ said imam Mohammed Tas from Kleinbasel. ‘We parish priests lost, but our friendship grew,’ observed the Fr Ruedi Beck with a smile. The imam carried on, ‘We had the joy of meeting together. Many things unite us. We live in the same city, we are human beings, we all have a lot of work and many worries. We pray for one another and help one another where we can.’ This was one of the examples during the day of Muslims and Christians in Dialogue, last 12 February in Baar,  that showed how it is possible to build up family-like relations between different religious communities. There were 80 participants, from the three largest linguistic regions of Switzerland, 40 Christians and 40 Muslims, originally from 17 nations, among which were Kosovo, Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Macedonia, the Ivory Coast and North Africa. Well-known personalities from Switzerland also participated, such as Dr Taner Hatipoglu, president of the league of Muslim organizations in Zurich and four imams. At the basis of the dialogue was the theme: Hearing and Living the Word of God. Ali Cetin, an imam from Baar, introduced people to the Muslim understanding of who God is and of his word for Muslims: ‘The one who is truly loved and recognizes it reads emails, text messages or letters from his friend word by word and more than once. He values what is written, every word, every sentence. It is like that that the Muslim honours the Koran, as a letter God has sent to humanity. Its verses are cited with love, learnt by heart and put into practice.’ In Christian thought the love of God who is one and three is central. The importance of this came into strong relief in a passage from a talk given by Chiara Lubich, at an international congress with Muslim friends in Rome, 1998. She said, ‘We believe that God loves us immensely… and in the Koran it is written: “Believers do not love in a different way from how they love God.” This is the strongest thing that can unite us. Like this we are no longer only Muslims and Christians but brothers and sisters, persons who put God in the first place.’ Imam Mustapha Baztami from Teramo in Italy, one of the speakers, who knew Chiara Lubich personally, affirmed, ‘Chiara Lubich is the first Christian, the first woman who spoke in a Mosque in Halem (1997). She managed to build a bridge between religions. She was not afraid to meet the differences between the various religions, because she made her faith in God’s Love a way of living and not an empty slogan.’ A committed Muslim woman echoed his words, saying, ‘Today we have met on the same level, as in a family, and everyone was accepted. We are a building bridge, a ‘neutral zone’ that binds everyone together.’ To conclude the meeting, Marianne Rentsch and Franco Galli, co-ordinators of the Movement in Switzerland, recalled the Golden Rule: ‘No one of you is a believer if he does desire for his brother what he desires for himself’ (The Forty Hadith of Al-Nawawi, 13); ‘Do to others as you would have them do to you’ (Luke 6:31). It was printed, in both its Christian and in its Islamic form, in the three main traditional languages of Switzerland, on a card the shape of a credit card, and given to everyone to take away as a reminder. Beatrix Ledergerber-Baumer

St. Louis, MO

Please note: The geolocalization feature on this website – which displays cities and towns where Focolare centers 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.   Avvertenza: tutte le informazioni geocodificate presenti in questo sito sono puramente  indicative. Gli oggetti rappresentati (ad es. luoghi d’incontro e quant’altro) e i servizi di localizzazione o navigazione, possono essere imprecisi o errati nello stabilire indirizzi, posizioni, prossimità, distanze, indicazioni e orientamento.   (more…)

Los Angeles, CA

Please note: The geolocalization feature on this website – which displays cities and towns where Focolare centers 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.   Avvertenza: tutte le informazioni geocodificate presenti in questo sito sono puramente  indicative. Gli oggetti rappresentati (ad es. luoghi d’incontro e quant’altro) e i servizi di localizzazione o navigazione, possono essere imprecisi o errati nello stabilire indirizzi, posizioni, prossimità, distanze, indicazioni e orientamento.   (more…)

Santiago, Dominican Republic

Please note: The geolocalization feature on this website – which displays cities and towns where Focolare centers 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.   Avvertenza: tutte le informazioni geocodificate presenti in questo sito sono puramente  indicative. Gli oggetti rappresentati (ad es. luoghi d’incontro e quant’altro) e i servizi di localizzazione o navigazione, possono essere imprecisi o errati nello stabilire indirizzi, posizioni, prossimità, distanze, indicazioni e orientamento.   (more…)

New York City, NY

Please note: The geolocalization feature on this website – which displays cities and towns where Focolare centers 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.   Avvertenza: tutte le informazioni geocodificate presenti in questo sito sono puramente  indicative. Gli oggetti rappresentati (ad es. luoghi d’incontro e quant’altro) e i servizi di localizzazione o navigazione, possono essere imprecisi o errati nello stabilire indirizzi, posizioni, prossimità, distanze, indicazioni e orientamento. (more…)

Bethesda, MD

Please note: The geolocalization feature on this website – which displays cities and towns where Focolare centers 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.   Avvertenza: tutte le informazioni geocodificate presenti in questo sito sono puramente  indicative. Gli oggetti rappresentati (ad es. luoghi d’incontro e quant’altro) e i servizi di localizzazione o navigazione, possono essere imprecisi o errati nello stabilire indirizzi, posizioni, prossimità, distanze, indicazioni e orientamento.   (more…)

Mobile, AL

Please note: The geolocalization feature on this website – which displays cities and towns where Focolare centers 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.   Avvertenza: tutte le informazioni geocodificate presenti in questo sito sono puramente  indicative. Gli oggetti rappresentati (ad es. luoghi d’incontro e quant’altro) e i servizi di localizzazione o navigazione, possono essere imprecisi o errati nello stabilire indirizzi, posizioni, prossimità, distanze, indicazioni e orientamento.   (more…)

Pensacola, FL

Please note: The geolocalization feature on this website – which displays cities and towns where Focolare centers 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.   Avvertenza: tutte le informazioni geocodificate presenti in questo sito sono puramente  indicative. Gli oggetti rappresentati (ad es. luoghi d’incontro e quant’altro) e i servizi di localizzazione o navigazione, possono essere imprecisi o errati nello stabilire indirizzi, posizioni, prossimità, distanze, indicazioni e orientamento.   (more…)

Pheonix, AZ

Please note: The geolocalization feature on this website – which displays cities and towns where Focolare centers 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.   Avvertenza: tutte le informazioni geocodificate presenti in questo sito sono puramente  indicative. Gli oggetti rappresentati (ad es. luoghi d’incontro e quant’altro) e i servizi di localizzazione o navigazione, possono essere imprecisi o errati nello stabilire indirizzi, posizioni, prossimità, distanze, indicazioni e orientamento.   (more…)

El Paso, TX

Please note: The geolocalization feature on this website – which displays cities and towns where Focolare centers 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.   Avvertenza: tutte le informazioni geocodificate presenti in questo sito sono puramente  indicative. Gli oggetti rappresentati (ad es. luoghi d’incontro e quant’altro) e i servizi di localizzazione o navigazione, possono essere imprecisi o errati nello stabilire indirizzi, posizioni, prossimità, distanze, indicazioni e orientamento.   (more…)

Gen 3 Congress: ‘The Word Creates’

Know, Live, Share, Act. These were the four topics for thought and action at the root of the Gen 3 Congress from 17th to 21st February at the Mariapolis Centre of Castelgandolfo. There were 410 boys from 17 different nations, some from outside Europe: Brazil, Panama, Chile, Costa Rica and Venezuela. There was even one representative from Iraq. The theme of the meeting was: ‘The Word Creates’ and the boys looked at it in various ways in an integrated programme that went from moments in the hall, group work, moments of dialogue and space to speak ‘one to one with God’. The gen 3 did not let the grass grow under their feet. They took responsibility for the meeting and threw themselves with enthusiasm into a series of workshops. Here they were able to experiment with the theme of the ‘Word’ in various fields of communication. They split into small groups and explored the secrets of publicity, the techniques of television journalism and of the Web. They visited the centres for the gen 3 magazine, focolare.org, the Focolare Information Service (aka SIF, servizio informazione focolare). They also tested out Teens TV, Teens Radio, Città Nuova, the St Clare Audiovisual Centre and the Information Section. Some of them had some hands-on experience and went to interview the mayor of Grottaferrata (Rome), Grabiele Mori. They asked him nine questions about Chiara Lubich, the Focolare Movement, his life as a politician, how to live the Gospel and the role of young people in the life of a town. A large group of gen 3 worked side by side with the members of the international band Gen Rosso to sort out the details of a show called ‘Street Light’. The mayor of Genzano (Rome) gave the Sports Palace for it to be performed. Entrance was free. The show dealt with bullying among gangs in Chicago in the 60s and told in a creative way how bullying can be overcome by peace, forgiveness and a sense of solidarity with one another. An opponent is not an enemy. The gen 3 also have stories lit up by the Gospel in their own daily lives. Boys from Africa, Europe, South America spoke about overcoming vendettas with forgiveness and about the best approach which to is go against the current. Andrea told his story: ‘I play in a volleyball team. Some time ago, during a match, I fouled a boy and he fell over. I went to help him get up. My coach on the bench was angry because I’d helped an someone on the other side. In his way of seeing things I should not have done that. I thought, though, that I had to be concerned for that boy but also for my coach and help him see that it is possible to win even while respecting our opponent, by not thinking of him as an enemy.’
In the Family, Accepting One Another Always

Work and the rediscovery of a social awareness

PLAY VIDEO (Italian soundtrack)

“In the name of God who created them, human beings must be aware of their sociality, of their social nature, otherwise they are not completely human. In fact, another of their characteristics, according to the Bible, besides communion with God, besides being required to support themselves and dedicate themselves to work, is sociality – the interweaving of human relationships. We know what sociality means for God. It means to love others as ourselves. As ourselves, not less. Indeed, to love them with a love which, since it comes from more than one person, becomes reciprocal; and, because it is inspired by Christ, generates unity. Herein lies the meaning of what we stressed, namely that we walk through life together being one heart and one soul. Our collective spirituality, derived from the Gospel, not only can contribute to, but can be of vital importance in finding solutions to the present problems of the working world. In this spirituality, every person in the working world (from the owner to the administrator, from the director to the technicians, from office workers to laborers) in order to build solidarity with others, must love everyone in such a way that he or she becomes “one” with the others. In this spirituality, mutual love leads to reciprocal understanding, to sharing the fatigue of the others, to making our own the problems of the others and to seeking solutions together. It leads us to find common agreements for new forms of organizations in the working world. All come to share and participate together in the means of production, and in the fruits and profits. With what consequences? If, previously, for example, for individual laborers, industrialized work was synonymous with being crushed and deprived of their personality, with being unable to see the fruits of their intelligence and efforts, now because they consider their own all that regards the others as well, work cannot help but take on meaning, indeed a stimulating meaning. What is needed, therefore, is a new … vast social awareness. Indeed, since the economy of each country is so linked to that of other nations, the situation requires a “global” social awareness as the Pope has also affirmed. Who is capable of helping individuals to fully achieve this and to regard themselves as members of one great human family… “without denying man’s origins and the membership of his family, his people and his nation, or the obligations arising there from…”?[1] Who can accomplish this after human beings have shattered their union with God through sin, thus seriously compromising over and over again, communion with other brothers and sisters and therefore human solidarity? Who can do it? Only Christ can – he who is so often relegated to our private life. Only his supernatural and universal love – so often considered as something limited to people’s prayer life and is instead the indispensable leaven for the whole of human existence in all its expressions. It is only with his love that we can build confidently a world of lasting justice and peace. As far as work is concerned, it is only with his love that selfishness and hatred – often considered the law of social life – can be eliminated. It is with his love that working communities will witness how unity rather than conflict can truly improve work. With his love the life of society itself will not be conceived as a struggle against someone but as a commitment to grow together. Therefore only a new civilization based on love will be capable of offering a solution to the complex problems of the world of work.” Chiara Lubich, Rome, 3 June 1984


[1] John Paul II, Address to the International Labor Organization in Geneva. June 15, 1982, n. 10.

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Vero Beach, FL

Please note: The geolocalization feature on this website – which displays cities and towns where Focolare centers 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.   Avvertenza: tutte le informazioni geocodificate presenti in questo sito sono puramente  indicative. Gli oggetti rappresentati (ad es. luoghi d’incontro e quant’altro) e i servizi di localizzazione o navigazione, possono essere imprecisi o errati nello stabilire indirizzi, posizioni, prossimità, distanze, indicazioni e orientamento.

Orlando, FL

Please note: The geolocalization feature on this website – which displays cities and towns where Focolare centers 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.   Avvertenza: tutte le informazioni geocodificate presenti in questo sito sono puramente  indicative. Gli oggetti rappresentati (ad es. luoghi d’incontro e quant’altro) e i servizi di localizzazione o navigazione, possono essere imprecisi o errati nello stabilire indirizzi, posizioni, prossimità, distanze, indicazioni e orientamento.

Miami, FL

Please note: The geolocalization feature on this website – which displays cities and towns where Focolare centers 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.   Avvertenza: tutte le informazioni geocodificate presenti in questo sito sono puramente  indicative. Gli oggetti rappresentati (ad es. luoghi d’incontro e quant’altro) e i servizi di localizzazione o navigazione, possono essere imprecisi o errati nello stabilire indirizzi, posizioni, prossimità, distanze, indicazioni e orientamento.  

Boston, MA

Please note: The geolocalization feature on this website – which displays cities and towns where Focolare centers 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.   Avvertenza: tutte le informazioni geocodificate presenti in questo sito sono puramente  indicative. Gli oggetti rappresentati (ad es. luoghi d’incontro e quant’altro) e i servizi di localizzazione o navigazione, possono essere imprecisi o errati nello stabilire indirizzi, posizioni, prossimità, distanze, indicazioni e orientamento.

New Haven, CT

Please note: The geolocalization feature on this website – which displays cities and towns where Focolare centers 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.   Avvertenza: tutte le informazioni geocodificate presenti in questo sito sono puramente  indicative. Gli oggetti rappresentati (ad es. luoghi d’incontro e quant’altro) e i servizi di localizzazione o navigazione, possono essere imprecisi o errati nello stabilire indirizzi, posizioni, prossimità, distanze, indicazioni e orientamento.

Philadelphia, PA

Please note: The geolocalization feature on this website – which displays cities and towns where Focolare centers 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.   Avvertenza: tutte le informazioni geocodificate presenti in questo sito sono puramente  indicative. Gli oggetti rappresentati (ad es. luoghi d’incontro e quant’altro) e i servizi di localizzazione o navigazione, possono essere imprecisi o errati nello stabilire indirizzi, posizioni, prossimità, distanze, indicazioni e orientamento.

San Antonio, TX

Please note: The geolocalization feature on this website – which displays cities and towns where Focolare centers 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.   Avvertenza: tutte le informazioni geocodificate presenti in questo sito sono puramente  indicative. Gli oggetti rappresentati (ad es. luoghi d’incontro e quant’altro) e i servizi di localizzazione o navigazione, possono essere imprecisi o errati nello stabilire indirizzi, posizioni, prossimità, distanze, indicazioni e orientamento.

Albuquerque, NM

Please note: The geolocalization feature on this website – which displays cities and towns where Focolare centers 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.   Avvertenza: tutte le informazioni geocodificate presenti in questo sito sono puramente  indicative. Gli oggetti rappresentati (ad es. luoghi d’incontro e quant’altro) e i servizi di localizzazione o navigazione, possono essere imprecisi o errati nello stabilire indirizzi, posizioni, prossimità, distanze, indicazioni e orientamento.

Seattle, WA

Please note: The geolocalization feature on this website – which displays cities and towns where Focolare centers 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.   Avvertenza: tutte le informazioni geocodificate presenti in questo sito sono puramente  indicative. Gli oggetti rappresentati (ad es. luoghi d’incontro e quant’altro) e i servizi di localizzazione o navigazione, possono essere imprecisi o errati nello stabilire indirizzi, posizioni, prossimità, distanze, indicazioni e orientamento.   (more…)

Anchorage, AK

Please note: The geolocalization feature on this website – which displays cities and towns where Focolare centers 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.   Avvertenza: tutte le informazioni geocodificate presenti in questo sito sono puramente  indicative. Gli oggetti rappresentati (ad es. luoghi d’incontro e quant’altro) e i servizi di localizzazione o navigazione, possono essere imprecisi o errati nello stabilire indirizzi, posizioni, prossimità, distanze, indicazioni e orientamento.   (more…)

Baltimore, MD

Please note: The geolocalization feature on this website – which displays cities and towns where Focolare centers 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.   Avvertenza: tutte le informazioni geocodificate presenti in questo sito sono puramente  indicative. Gli oggetti rappresentati (ad es. luoghi d’incontro e quant’altro) e i servizi di localizzazione o navigazione, possono essere imprecisi o errati nello stabilire indirizzi, posizioni, prossimità, distanze, indicazioni e orientamento.   (more…)

Long Island, NY

Please note: The geolocalization feature on this website – which displays cities and towns where Focolare centers 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.   Avvertenza: tutte le informazioni geocodificate presenti in questo sito sono puramente  indicative. Gli oggetti rappresentati (ad es. luoghi d’incontro e quant’altro) e i servizi di localizzazione o navigazione, possono essere imprecisi o errati nello stabilire indirizzi, posizioni, prossimità, distanze, indicazioni e orientamento. (more…)