“The Work of Mary (Focolare Movement) has been in the Middle East since 1967. It is rooted in the local culture, in deep communion with the universal Church and with the local churches, under the blessing and care of the Patricarchs and of the local Bishops. There are some 15,000 Catholic members and adherents from various rites.

Striving for continual re-evangelization through living contact with the Word of God, members of the Work of Mary strive to face the suffering and challenges of the Middle East in the light of the Word.  Following the teachings of the Church, its members commit themselves to giving witness to the Gospel in the midst of the society in which they live.

The spirituality of communion that is lived in the Work of Mary leads its members to experience the Risen Lord in the midst of His People, instilling courage within them in front of the numberless challenges they face.

Many families, tempted by emigration, strengthened by the support of the community, have decided to remain in their country and, together with others, help to build a better future.

Jesus, crucified and abandoned, inexhaustible font of love and of new life, is the answer, the way, and indispensible means for spreading the culture of the Resurrection.

Numerous Orthodox brothers and sisters share in the spirituality of the Work of Mary with their Catholic brothers and sisters. Inserted within their own churches and powerfully bound by the charity of Christ, they live and work together for the realization of Jesus’ Testament: “that all be one” (John 17:21).

With a few Muslim and Hebrew freinds there is a profound dialogue of life and of religious experience, living and working together for peace and for universal fraternity.”