Franco and Anna married since 1991, have three children: Benedetta, Francesca and Federico. In August 2025, Franco suddenly left for Heaven, at the age of 63. This news deeply shook many people, not only in their city, Poggio Mirteto (Italy), but also among many friends of the Focolare Movement who knew him, both when he was a Gen (a young member of the Focolare) and, inflamed by the Ideal of Unity, he had said his “Yes” to the call to live for Jesus and also through his work (he worked for years at the Città Nuova publishing house) which brought him into contact with many people.
Together with Anna, their initial “Yes” to forming a family faithful to the promise “where two or more…”, grew throughout their journey of life together, enriched by their commitment in the local community, in particular in the New Families Movement (branch of the Focolare, composed of families who seek to live the spirituality of unity) and by accompanying couples as they prepared for marriage and for the baptism of their children.
After many years at the publishing house, Franco began a new professional experience as a religious education teacher in a technical institute. He gave himself completely to helping his students grow and flourish, despite the difficulties and personal sorrows that the young people confided in him. What remains most vividly in everyone’s memory are his outdoor lessons, in the shade of the trees in the garden outside the school, his profound ability to listen and his smile. His colleagues too remember that smile along with his commitment to creating a family atmosphere in the school through mountain hikes and social occasions.
In the final period of his life came his “Yes” to the call to become a Deacon at the service of the Church. He carried this out with humility, quietly but always present, ready to help anyone in difficulty. Those who met him remember how, always with his big smile, he was able to transform the hearts of those who crossed his path.
Pictured: Franco with his whole family; a trip to the mountains; whilst serving as a deacon
Their home was always open to everyone and still is. Many friends continue to support Anna and their children, thanks to the love sown over the years.
Even during Franco’s time in hospital, the last week before his death, the doctors were impressed by the continuous stream of young people who came to visit him to say a last goodbye, embrace the family, or simply to be there at their side for a prayer together.
A colleague of his, who described himself an unbeliever, hailed him as “the closest person to the Gospel” he had ever known.
At his funeral in a church packed with people, many young people also gathered in the churchyard: one of their banners read, “You spoke to us of faith but you taught us love”. A large group of priests and deacons stood on the altar around Bishop Ernesto Mandara.
During the homily, Don Mauro Guida, parish priest of the Cathedral of S. Maria Assunta in Poggio Mirteto, quoting Saints Laurence, Claire, Joan, Pontian and Hippolytus, remembered by the Church in the previous days, said: “Every time, every name, every word, every face of holiness, seemed to be the portrait of our dear Franco. Just as once upon a time children showed each other their picture cards, repeating to one another “I have that one, I have it…”, so Franco had suddenly become the image of someone who possessed every quality that could be described or even imagined; “the holiness of the saint next door”, as Pope Francis called it “.
Margaret Karram and Jesus Moran, President and Copresident (in 2025) of the Focolare, said in a letter, “We were deeply moved by the news of Franco’s call to Heaven and fascinated as we followed the story of his life. We assure our prayers and deep gratitude for his beautiful and luminous life. In the certainty that he is has already been welcomed by Jesus, we feel that he is a protector of New Families and of the New Generations. We are united in a very special way to Anna and their children”.
Pictured: the opening of the outdoor classroom at the school where he taught
The school where Franco worked, the IIS Gregorio da Catino di Poggio Mirteto, decided to create an outdoor classroom dedicated to him. This is the post published on the school’s Facebook page: “there are teachers who leave an indelible mark through the way they look at the world: Franco Fortuna was one of them. Today (5th June 2026) in order to remember the love he had for outdoor lesson, we have inaugurated a real outdoor classroom (…). We hope that it can become a place where students can continue to learn, to share ideas and dream, just as Prof. Fortuna would have liked”.
Lorenzo Russo Photos: courtesy of the Fortuna family
My name is Tony and my wife’s name is Walaa. We live in Bethlehem, in the land where the Child Jesus was born. We have been married for sixteen years. God has blessed us with three children: John (14 years old), Maria (11 years old) and Andros (6 years old).
We met the Focolare Movement about ten years ago, when the Bethlehem Focolare community lived beside us. At the time, we could never have imagined that this physical closeness would become a lifelong journey. Since we began taking part in the Movement’s meetings and Mariapolis gatherings—the annual community events dedicated to building dialogue and fraternity—many things have changed within us. The Gospel has become our daily companion, and the spirituality of unity has transformed our marriage, the way we raise our children and the way we look at the world.
Life in the Holy Land is not easy. We live in a place where more walls are built than bridges, and where fear is sown more often than peace. We are part of this reality, and every day we bear its weight.
The Ballout family
I work at the Municipality of Bethlehem, while Walaa is a teacher at a school in Al-Eizariya (Bethany). To get to work, she has to go through a military checkpoint. Very often, after waiting a long time for permission to cross, road closures mean she risks being stranded for hours, sometimes until late at night. We have lived through many painful experiences. When the dignity of a parent is wounded, the children feel it too, and there is an overwhelming sense of helplessness in being unable to fully protect your family. The wall has become part of our everyday landscape.
Added to this is the severe economic crisis affecting Bethlehem: unemployment is high, salaries are often delayed or only partially paid, while our responsibilities and obligations remain unchanged.
Yet in the midst of all this, we have not lost hope.
In the Gospel we have found an answer to every question our children ask and in the Focolare family we have found a genuine space of love, unity, communion and Gospel life. We have experienced the presence of Jesus Forsaken among us and we have discovered that the Gospel is not just a book to be read, but a life to be lived every day; that unity is a choice that begins with a gesture of love towards another person, even in the most difficult circumstances. This is the legacy we want to leave to our children.
As we deepened our understanding of Focolare spirituality, we were invited to take part in LFE 2026 (Loppiano Family Experience), the summer formation school for leaders of New Families, a branch of the Focolare Movement made up of families committed to living the spirituality of unity and spreading within family life the values that promote universal fraternity.
Highlights from the ‘Loppiano Family Experience 2026’
We saw this as an important step in our journey both as a family and as members of the Focolare Movement in the Holy Land. Last year we were unable to attend because our travel documents were not ready, but we thank God that we were able to participate this year.
From the very first days, we felt that we were part of one large family. We met families from different countries, cultures, and languages. Diversity is a gift and love has a language that everyone understands.
Our children experienced things that may seem ordinary to many people, but for them they were extraordinary: walking among trees and mountains without fear, without seeing weapons; playing freely; making friends with children from different countries; and living out love together. For them, all of this was a new discovery of what childhood truly means.
As for us, the meetings and shared experiences with other families became a true school of life. We listened to testimonies filled with challenges but also with hope, and we experienced firsthand that differences in culture, customs, and traditions do not prevent unity—they make it even more beautiful, fulfilling Jesus’ prayer: “That they may all be one.”
The themes explored during the School touched our lives deeply. We came to understand that family difficulties are not the end of the journey but an opportunity to grow in love when they are lived together with Jesus Forsaken. We have experienced this in our own reality in the Holy Land: even suffering can become a space where hope blossoms when it is lived with God.
We will return to Bethlehem more united than before, more convinced that diversity is a richness and that unity is a mission.
This experience has brought us back to the heart of our vocation: to be a family that lives the Gospel and bears witness to love precisely where it seems impossible. Our mission is to bring the light of unity to the land where Jesus was born.
