“It was a truly profound experience. It made me reflect a great deal on myself and ask myself many questions about my role as a father and husband: am I really giving my best to my children and my wife?”

Alfeo is a nurse, as is his wife, Mary Rose. They have been married since 2015 and have two daughters. Both are Filipino, but live in Canada, where they met.

“Often, in the hectic pace of everyday life, our conversations are little more than ‘instructions’ exchanged at the front door, either at the beginning or the end of our respective shifts. Here, we had the opportunity to stop, to go deeper, and to take care of our family,” Mary Rose gratefully shared during one of the small-group sessions. The Cacho family is just one of the 18 families from different parts of the world who took part in the third edition of the summer school for animators of the New Families Movement, the Loppiano Family Experience, held in the Loppiano citadel from 6 to 24 July.

Three intense weeks of shared life, training—with lessons in Italian and simultaneous translation into English, French, Spanish and Arabic—alongside games, prayer and spiritual moments. It was an intercultural laboratory for families, which also involved the 39 children who attended, with a programme tailored to their different ages. “I thought we children would have to do things that were more boring than what we normally do on holiday. But we actually had a lot of fun!” admits Francesco, 10, from Velletri, Italy. His younger brother Alberto, two years younger, found the four-hour journey to Loppiano a little tiring, but has no doubts when he confidently declares that “it was worth it.” Their parents, too, found the experience deeply positive. Antonia is a midwife and Armando is a Carabiniere, a member of Italy’s national gendarmerie.

“The topics were so relevant and really addressed the realities families are facing today, at least here in Italy. When we came here, our desire was to grow in our formation—not only for ourselves, but also so that we could place ourselves at the service of other families in the New Families Movement in our area and of the local Church.” Looking through the programme, there were indeed many key issues explored in depth: communication within couples, raising children, the relationship with the mass media, safeguarding life, bioethics, physical, emotional and sexual development, and the education of pre-teens and teenagers.

There were also many opportunities to deepen one’s understanding of the spirituality of unity and to discover the approach to care and accompaniment that characterises the New Families Movement: for engaged couples, young couples, families, couples going through difficulties, separated couples and parents of LGBT children.

On Sunday 19 July, participants also attended the Angelus in Castel Gandolfo, where they were greeted by Pope Leo XIV. The pilgrimage continued with a visit to the chapel of the International Centre of the Focolare Movement and to Chiara Lubich’s home. “We saw the invitation to take part as something God Himself was asking of us. We simply couldn’t refuse.” For some, the journey to Loppiano took four hours; for others, four days. This was the case for Tatiana and Landry, who arrived with their children Jean-Baptiste, Joshua and Anne-Elisa from a small island in New Caledonia, in the Pacific Ocean.

“Loppiano is a little paradise on earth,” Tatiana says enthusiastically. “Back home, when you climb a hill, you turn around and see the sea. When I turned around here, it felt strange not to see the sea—but at the same time, I felt at home. It was beautiful to become one big family together with all the other families who had come from every corner of the world.” Landry is equally grateful: “The experiences shared by the other families, including those of the organising team, were truly precious gifts for us—treasures to fill our suitcases with on the journey home.”
Even the major issues shaping today’s international situation found a place at the Loppiano Family Experience.

“What can I do, today, to build peace?” This was the question participants explored together with their children. It was a question that touched families from countries at peace, but also families whose “normality” is marked by conflict, war and the violation of fundamental human rights.

“A family from the Holy Land told us,” recalls one of the fathers on the organising team, “that when their children first arrived, they asked whether there were soldiers and whether people were shooting. When they discovered that there was no war here, they started running up and down the little hills around Loppiano.” Sasan and Sally are a young married couple who courageously travelled from Iraq with their baby daughter, Sera. They met in a Focolare community in the city of Erbil. He is an engineer; she is a dentist. “We decided to take part in this experience because, as new parents, we are facing new challenges. We also came here to find a little peace…”  Sera suddenly starts crying. Sally takes her in her arms and begins breastfeeding her.

Sasan continues: “Two days ago, the airport where we were supposed to land came under attack by Iranian forces because there is an American base there. We live ten minutes from the airport, in Ankawa, the Christian district of Erbil and probably one of the last areas in Iraq where Christians still live. Drones fly over our homes and our workplaces. We live with constant insecurity.”

And yet, even for them, the experience brought hope. “We were deeply struck by the spirit of Loppiano,” Sally explains. “It is stronger than the lessons, stronger than the topics we discussed, stronger even than the time we spent together. “The greatest lesson was given to us by the people of Loppiano, who are so committed to giving. Whenever we asked for something, they immediately came to help. And not only that: they would leave without saying anything, looking for better alternatives. Then they would come back and say, ‘These are the options we have; we can also help you with these things.’ “Through their example, they taught us how concrete love can be. We will never forget that.”

Sasan concludes: “When we go home, we want to try to do what they do, even with people of different ethnic backgrounds or different faiths. Thanks to this experience, Sally and I are no longer the same couple who arrived here three weeks ago.”

https://www.loppiano.it/2026/08/24/la-scoperta-di-una-missione-speciale/
By Tamara Pastorelli