Jul 26, 2018 | Focolare Worldwide
“We had a few special days here at Loppiano,” the organizers write, “special days in the first “school” for pastoral care workers. There were 75 of us from different regions of Italy, as well as some groups from Latin America and Rwanda.” The title chosen for the workshop was Local Church: communion and mission – pastoral care in light of “The Joy of the Gospel.” The workshop took place in the Movement’s international town of Loppiano and was promoted by the Evangelii Gaudium (CEG) Center. It was a formation course as well as a research and study project offered by Sophia University Institute. “We were pleasantly surprised by the effect the proposal had on the participants: both in the deep and mature sharing of ecclesial experiences and in how the spirituality of unity responded to their needs, as well for the spiritual presence of “Jesus the Teacher” which seemed to illumine the pastoral care experience.” The presentations were high quality, prepared in close collaboration and in harmony with one another. The interactive afternoon workshops provided us with methods for implementing the content that was presented in the mornings.” The goal of the workshop was to propose theoretical and practical models to people who are working to make the spirituality of the Focolare “visible and experienced” in the Italian Church, since it is a gift from the Holy Spirit that was given to Chiara Lubich for the whole Church of today.” The course opened with an enriching introduction to the Trinitarian method used at the university in Loppiano, by Msgr Piero Coda, Director of the Institute; and a talk by Cardinal Giuseppe Petrocchi, president of the CEG, titled: Protagonists in the life of diocese and parishes. One of the attendees remarked: “How beautiful the analysis of the new cardinal. Every concept raised smiles and emotions. . . I believe I absorbed a certain human mentality, especially regarding the use of words when proclaiming [the Gospel]. With the excuse of respecting the other’s freedom, I hide and deprive the other of the great gift I’ve been given. The cardinal spoke with force and, in his analysis, you could feel his zeal for the Church and humanity, and the secret for contributing to their renewal.” Other important presentations were given by Archbishop Vincenzo Zani, Secretary of the Congregation for Christian Education, and by Dr Vincenzo Buonomo, rector of the Lateran University. One young man remarked: “Archbishop Zani’s presentation illuminated me a lot. You have to have a program: The Word, placing oneself in the school of ‘Jesus the Teacher,’ living new relationships, expressing the communitarian dimension of the Church, the dimension of dialogue which generates a universal brotherhood.” Other comments; “This school was interesting for rediscovering the value of the incarnated Word in renewing the human structures of the Church.” “Our missionary life passes through a living charity and, therefore, seeing it, others wish to be a part of it.” “Theoretical presentations were both beautiful and exhaustive. Today, the third day, I went through a little crisis, following an examination of conscience because of what I always propose to do and never manage to do. So it was a constructive crisis.” “I really feel that we all need this training, so that our actions will be supported by this knowledge.” The workshop will continue with a second part that will take place in early October at the individual parishes. Gustavo Clariá
Jul 25, 2018 | Focolare Worldwide
Dear God, I remember those moments when I was younger, when I used to send you letters. Those letters were bombarded with, questions that I wanted answers immediately. I was 12 years old when I started seeing the world in a different way. I was born in a beautiful family, just like how I saw in the movies. I had a caring mom who wakes up earlier to prepare our breakfast. I had a loving dad. I had two lovely younger sisters that were always happy with the little joys of life. And just like any story in the movies, there was a downfall. One day, I just woke up and my mom wasn’t there anymore. I remember clearly, normally Sunday is Pancake day, my dad would prepare pancakes and my mom would cook bacon and eggs. But that day I just saw my dad drinking coffee by himself. No pancakes. No bacon and eggs. No mom. He explained that she left for good. My sisters were 8 and 6 years old. I pulled them both closer to me and hugged them and whispered to the universe that I will do my very best to take care of them. We were the talk of the town. The parents, teachers and kids were gossiping. There were so many moments I wanted to fight back to protect my sisters or simply just cry and complain to the world, to you. Why? Why us. I am too young to face this. Where are you? And my dad, he was the best person in this world. He did not deserve this. We moved closer to our grandparents. One day at school, I was about to eat with my friends, my sisters were rushing to me and told me that our mom was there. And in my mind, I was thinking, it’s impossible. I saw my mom coming towards us. She had a huge plastic bag filled with gifts for me and my sisters. I did not know what to feel. I ignored that she was there. Why now? Why is she back? After leaving your family? You can just come back? And you expect they will receive you and forgive you with wide open arms? And now she comes back with gifts thinking she can just replace it with all the moments she was not present? NO So I wrote to you, God, let your angels send me the message. I don’t know how, I don’t know when, but I felt in my heart you were listening to me. I remember writing to Mary as well. I told her I needed a mother. And you did answer to me. That day that I spoke with my grandmother, she helped me understand that I have to go beyond the pain my mom caused us; there is Jesus inside her. And despite all the bad things we do in life, his love for us will never change, if we fall, if we make mistakes, he will always love us immensely. It was not easy, I had to empty my heart and let her in, little by little, we began to rebuild a relationship and now my mom is a part of my life again. The love I have for my family is so huge that there will always be space for mistakes and acceptance. I may not have the family like in the movies, but I have a story that is real, and it’s better, because you God, you directed it. You wrote it. Life doesn’t stop there, I still have so many struggles to overcome, there are still so many challenges, but one thing is for sure, I trust in your plans for me. I might not understand right away, but I have this faith in my heart that you will be there for me no matter what. And for that, thank you.
Jul 25, 2018 | Focolare Worldwide
A meeting of bishop members of the Focolare Movement is underway in Seggau, Austria, from July 24th until August 1st. The 64 bishops, including cardinals from the Curia and apostolic nunzios from 31 countries and four continents, will spend several days together in Sytria for an “experience of the Universal Church among bishops,” the Austrian diocese reported. The gathering will be hosted by Bishop Wilhelm Krautwaschl. “The tradition of these bishops meetings was begun decades ago when the foundress of the Focolare Movement, Chiara Lubich (1920-2008), invited several bishops attached to the Movement, to Switzerland during the summer months. It was the deceased bishop of Aquisgrana, Bishop Klaus Hemmerle, to launch and moderate these meetings that were “deliberately private” and held in different places every year. The goal of these gatherings is to “delve more deeply into the charism of unity, to encourage sharing among the bishops on a global level and to spend several days in fraternal communion.” On Saturday, July 28, Bishop Krautwaschl will concelebrate the Mass with his brother bishops at the Basilica of Seckau, “to which all are invited.” In Austria, the Focolare Movement has 1,300 members and more than 20,000 sympathizers. Source: AgenSir
Jul 23, 2018 | Focolare Worldwide
Imagine discovering that a new form can be made from waste material, that is potentially there already, whereby waste is turned into “something” nice, useful and valuable that previously did not exist. Then, think about involving vulnerable individuals into this virtuous process, like women who served time in jail and now are having difficulties reintegrating back into society, finding a job and economic self-sufficiency. This is Project Lia’s mission, a non-profit association and social enterprise established in Indianapolis, Indiana (USA). «Here, these women who are trying to reintegrate back into society, learn how to create home furnishings and furniture, in an educating workplace, which is a space for mutual understanding and respect, where waste material is re-purposed, as well as people’s lives, through relations based on reciprocity and trust,” Project Lia founder and executive director Elizabeth explains. “We also provide learning opportunities about finance, communication, corporate ethics, health and wellbeing, in addition to promoting participation in community and social life.” According to statistics published in their website, taken from Bureau of Justice data, over the last three and a half decades, the female prison population in the US has grown by over 700%. In 1980, there were 12,144 women in State or federal prisons, but their number had risen to more than 100,000 in 2015. If we also add women held in local jails, out on parole or under house arrest, they are more than one million. “When these women get out of prison,” Elizabeth Wallin adds “they need to find a steady job and a home, while they are trying to rebuild their family relations. If we add the stigma that is associated to prison and racial discrimination, then it is very difficult for them to reintegrate into society and avoid recidivism.” For this reason, Project Lia elected to focus on women. By helping women, families and communities are strengthened indirectly: important studies show that these empowered women are “community-minded” and reinvest 90% of their income into their own families. At this point, we wonder what has inspired this project. “During a trip I made to Argentina,” Elizabeth tells us. “I participated in organizing a youth festival called No Te Detengas (“Don’t hold back”). This festival gathered more than 1,000 young people and was about the cages we lock ourselves in, out of fear, social pressure or because of situations of comfort or bias. When I got back to the States, I realized that, there, women who got out of prison were still held back by a bigger and system-wide cage. To me, Project Lia is an answer to the fear, pressure, comfort and bias of a criminal justice system, and a society, which keeps “holding ex-convicts back”, even after they served their sentence, without offering any possibility for real social inclusion.” To sum up, it is an inclusive project that aims to build bridges of true social solidarity. There is one last thing we are curious about: why did you pick Lia for a name? Elizabeth explains to me that: “Lia is the name of a woman who dedicated her entire life to building bridges between people of different race, culture, religion and social background. Her full name was Lia Brunet, she was about thirty years old and was one of Chiara Lubich’s first followers, founder of the Focolare Movement.” In 1961, Lia Brunet traveled to Argentina, where she founded the Focolare little town in O’Higgins, a community in the heart of the Pampas, where Elizabeth too was able to experience the ideal of a united world. Source: United World Project
Jul 19, 2018 | Focolare Worldwide
In the foothills of two small mountains in the heart of Argentina, La Falda is a small provincial town near Cordoba, located on a gentle slope that is part of a well-known tourist circuit in the Punilla Valley. Up until four years ago, this is where the Bongiovanni family – Esteban, Victoria and their two sons – used to live. Then unexpectedly things changed, and they moved to San Marcos Sierras, just to the north. It was their generous way to respond to a request to live at Sierra Dorada Home, a refuge for minors who already carry too many serious problems on their young backs. Many of them have stories of being mistreated, violence, being abandoned or malnourishment. At the moment the refuge hosts 28 children. “Before we arrived, we feared the worst about children’s homes. Like the ones you see in the movies, where the kids and infants are beaten or mistreated. Instead, we found it quite different, more like a large family. We make an effort to improve their situations and remove all the violence they have inside and the conditions they’ve lived through, so that they understand that the normal thing at their age is to live in peace, play and study.” Founded close to 20 years ago by Julio and Patricia Lanciar, and supported by a nonprofit foundation that operates with a true Christian spirit in the province of Cordoba, the goal of the home is to improve the children’s living conditions and help them to reintegrate into their families or foster care. The Lanciars had nothing when they started, other than the hope to be able to improve many children’s situations. Little by little, thanks to the support of many, things grew. Today the Sierra Dorada Foundation manages four “home labs.” There is San Marcos Sierras (where Victoria and Esteban are), Embalse de Río Tercero, Rumipal and Salsipuedes, and a number of programs for host families, scholarships for volunteers, etc. Seated at table in the dining hall, Victoria and Esteban explain that “many people show great solidarity, especially when they build a rapport with the children. There are young people from overseas who undertake internships in social work, as well as Argentinian university students. “Our work begins when we take people in. From the moment they arrive, we try to include them, to give them love, just as a mother or father would. With the help of a staff of psychologists, we try to give their lives a certain order. Starting with using a toothbrush, to bathing every day, putting on clean clothes and teaching them to take responsibility for their school homework.” Smiling, Victoria chooses one of the dozens of stories she could tell. “A few weeks ago, we all went to a hotel where we had been invited for the weekend. I hadn’t made my bed, thinking that we were in a hotel. But then I realized that the children had left their rooms completely in order, and even the bathrooms were impeccable. So I ran back to my room to make my bed, because I realized that I was the only one who hadn’t. “We try to live well our calling to serve. Yet it is certainly not always necessary for everyone to leave everything, their city, their home and go and live in a children’s refuge. Anyone can do this anywhere with whoever you find next to you. It can begin with the smallest things, such as giving an elderly person your seat on a bus, or driving without road rage. It’s the small things that start and spread good deeds.” Esteban adds: “We understood that God would never abandon us if we do things well, without expecting anything in return, with humility and trust. “And the truth is that by doing so… it works.” Source: United World Project
Jul 18, 2018 | Focolare Worldwide
The organising committee of the “Italian Week” regarded Chiara Lubich as one of the most admired and respected women in Italy and, therefore, someone who should be remembered. The ten day Italian “carnival” that took place in the Canadian capital of Ottawa between June 6 – 25 focused on a number of famous people from Italy such as Giacomo Puccini, Sophia Loren, Vittoria de Sica and Alda Merini: it was a great surprise that the committee decided to include Chiara Lubich such names. When the Focolare community hear about this proposal, they asked themselves how best to present the charism of unity in a multicultural and multifaith society that is constantly in search of ways to peacefully respect diversity. The community also reflected upon the challenge of relating to the aboriginal people – a challenge that seems to be on going, marked by contradiction and with social consequences. 
Fernando and Lucie explain, “While we were preparing, we heard that a group of Muslims from Montreal had recently participated in a Congress in Castelgandolfo, organised by the movement. These Muslims are students of Doctor Mohammad Shomali. They were very happy to work together with us and offered to share their experiences.” They continue, “On June 16, the San Marco hall in the centre of Little Italy, Ottawa, began to fill with people of many different origins – from Africa, Asia, the Middle East and, obviously, from Italy and Canada. The Apostolic Nuncio, Luigi Bonazzi, was present as was Minister Fabrizio Nava, representing the Italian ambassador.” A range of experiences illustrated the relevance of the Chiara Lubich’s charism to today’s society. The first to speak was Jacques, a focolarino in Toronto and a “pioneer” in the spreading of unity in Canada. Then there was Anne, the manager of a tour company intriguingly called “Spiritours” who spoke about the economy of communion as a means of putting the gospel into practice at work. She was followed by Maria, a Brazilian focolarina living in Montreal, who recounted an experience of meeting with aboriginal people from Wati in the Gran Nord. Last year, responding to a request by the local Church, she and four other people spent a month with these people. Then there was Edwige who comes from Togo but is now living in Rimouski, in the province of Quebec. She was one of the first students at the Sophia University Institute in Loppiano and now, having completed her course, puts “the person at the centre” of the work she is doing in another university. She recently received a commendation that is normally given only to professors. Then Fatima and Moustafa shared their experience of dialogue between Muslims and Christians and of meeting Chiara’s charism. Fatima said, “One of the most important things I have learned is that unity is a gift from God and that harmony in diversity is an expression of unity.” Lastly, Monsignor Luigi Bonazzi, the nuncio in Canada, spoke. He confided that he had met the foundress of the Focolare movement on several occasions and that, many years ago, in 1975, he had made a pact with her to always “remain up” no matter what difficulties he faced. He said that this pact had sustained him during many years of intense diplomatic activity. The day concluded with the proposal first made by Chiara Lubich in 2000 in Washington, namely, to live the “art of loving.” Through this event – widely publicised by social media – the seed of the spirituality of unity has been scattered in a distant land and promises to bear new fruits.
