Oct 24, 2015 | Senza categoria
It was a solemn celebration in the presence of all the synod Fathers, delegations, ambassadors and Pope Francis – who gave one of the most important speeches of his pontificate – on 17 October in the Nervi Hall, to commemorate 50 years since the institution of the Bishops’ Synod by Pope Paul VI. Focolare President, Maria Voce defined it, “a masterpiece”, when asked to comment on the spur of the moment, on the Pope’s speech. “He illustrated that there cannot be a progress of the Church if not as a synodal body. I was struck when he underlined the importance of the sensus fidei, that is, the sense of faith, and the infallibility of the people of God, who together listen to the Holy Spirit, thus expressing the faith of the Church. And this starts always from the base. In this manner, with all the juridical collegiate figures that emerged after the Second Vatican Council – Pope Francis makes us see – that if we don’t live this synodal spirit, starting from the people it addresses, they will not serve to enhance communion. They would all be just masks.” And regarding the primacy of service: “Let us never forget this!” the Pope exclaimed. “For the disciples of Jesus, of the past, today and for always, the only authority is that of service, the sole power is the cross, in the Master’s words: ”’You know that the governors of the nations rule over them and the leaders oppress them. Among you it will not be so; whoever wishes to be great among you, will be your servant and whoever wants to be first among you, will be your slave’ (Mt 20,25-27). Among you it will not be so: in this expression we reach that very heart in which we have been trying for some time now to reflect ourselves, exactly in the sense which he explained: “the top is found below the base. Due to this, those who exert authority are called ‘ministers’ because, according to the original meaning of the word, they are the smallest among all.” What comes out once more in his speech is the same wavelength between Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew I: “The commitment to build a synodal Church – a mission to which we are all called, each in the role the Lord entrusted us with – is burdened by ecumenical implications. Due to this, in speaking to a delegation of the Patriarchate of Costantinople, I recently stressed the conviction that ‘the careful examination of how the principle of synodality is expressed in the life of the church and the service of he who presides it, will offer an important contribution to the progress of relationships between our Churches.” Maria Voce also underlined, “It is a synergy – that not only regards the problems of creation expressed in the encyclical Laudato si’; it is precisely this feeling of synodality of the Church that pushes Pope Francis to open a door to say: we must get together as one. It is a responsibility that urges him to find a way of getting down to concrete steps towards a full communion among Christians, because only in this can the synodal spirit of the Church be seen.” Lastly, Maria Voce continued, “The effort is not to seek compromises, but that which the Holy Spirit wants to say to us, which is a challenge that requires a strong unity of the entire Church. We spoke with various participants of the Synod for Families in the past days, and also with the family of married focolarini from Colombia, María Angélica and Luis Rojas, and all asked us for prayers. So let us intensify our prayers as if we were there, trying to understand how to respond to the anguish and difficulties of the family in the modern world, and regard the family as part of God’s plan.” The motivation and strong words of Paul VI that accompanied the institution of the Synod of Bishops on 15 September 1965 are particularly important for the Focolare Movement, precisely because the institution of the Synod, Maria Voce explained, “brought a new climate within the Church, a turning point: that of collegiality, communion, passing from a manner of conducting the individual and rather hierarchical Church, to a collegial one. As the Focolare Movement, as a movement of unity, we thus could not but take this event into consideration, and with joy I accepted Cardinal Baldisseri’s invitation to participate in the commemoration.” The Synods, in fact, are the concrete prosecution of the Second Vatican Council: «Paul VI, evidently inspired by the Holy Spirit after having made such a beautiful experience of the council, which had stirred up new realities in the Church – just think of the documents Gaudium et Spes, Lumen Gentium, Nostra Aetate – felt that this experience had to continue.» “Synod,” in fact, precisely means “journey together” as Cardinal Schönborn explained in his speech on the birth of the Synod of Bishops and on the various Synods, with the force of the Pope. It thus means that «the Church is walking together, not the Pope by himself, the bishops by themselves, the people of God by themselves, or the laity by themselves: this journey is undertaken by the Church, in which all have something to say and give.” Read more: press release on the participation of the Focolare in the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Synod of Bishops.
Oct 5, 2015 | Focolare Worldwide, Senza categoria
“We worked hard. For three years we listened to thousands of people, especially the young people that we met at home or on tour. We composed music and wrote lyrics, but above all strived to live out the meaning of our words: putting ourselves in the game, taking risks, welcoming both the ugly and beautiful in humanity. We can’t wait to go to Great Britain. The one talking is Sally McAllister, Gen Verde’s manager, Irish by birth and English by adoption: “I’ve lived in London for more than 30 years and learnt to know and love the people. So it is with much joy that we are accepting the invitation to return there.” The Focolare has been in Great Britain since 1963, spread throughout many cities of the United Kingdom, and its members are Roman Catholic, Anglican and faithful of the Free Churches. There are also Muslims and Sikhs who, in their own way, are true witnesses of a living unity that is at times lived out painstakingly in daily life. “Why did they invite us,” Sally asks. “The Focolare communities arranged the entire tour:a group of twenty young people and adults, families that are spread throughout the United Kingdom. We dreamed it up and organised it together. They told us that they wanted to open hearts and hands, to recompose relationships, overcome hatreds and distrust: to encounter the people and share the gift of communion in diversity.” “That took courage, and I must say that these people have a good dose of it! We’ll have 12 engagements with a total of 7 “Start Now” shows, 5 acoustic concerts and several other encounters.” Listening to Sally’s words one realises that they are only the tip of the iceberg and that Gen Verde’s musical tour in the United Kingdom is capable of touching a chord with the people. “We’ll go on stage in complex places like London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Oxford, Liverpool, Portsmouth and Cardiff,” Sally explained, “with a social and cultural fabric that has been defined as post-Christian and disintegrating, but where ecumenical and interreligious dimensions are still strong. Through the music, words and choreography we will describe the life amongst us and many other parts of the world: a life of communion, fraternity, sacrifice and reciprocity. We would like to show the ‘much more’ that is already there but not being spotlighted by British society; what is being done for others but risks remaining hidden behind media titles that often broadcast exclusion, defensiveness and fear.” In London, Gen Verde will also meet young people from the Islamic Centre, invited by Imam Dr. Mohammad Ali Shomali. “Let us focus on the values that unite us and and work together.” Judging by the passion that Sally is putting into this, it is obvious that young people will have the place of honour during this tour: “They are the thermometer of society, they often live in the darkest depths and it is no mystery that even Great Britain, like other European countries, violence and suicides are very much on the rise amongst people under 30. The new show that will go on stage in Great Britain will also include some new pieces “On the Other Side,” their latest released album. “It is geared towards young people and its themes are universal. It presents a journey in four parts: We begin with the challenges, the deep ones, the ones that make you look into yourself. Then comes the question: Is it even possible to overcome them? Finally, there is the invitation to go out and build the present and the future together, and this part is called “No frontiers,” because together we can make the difference.” See official Focolare website for news and events: dev.focolare.org/gb https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llkkHKzywrM
Oct 2, 2015 | Focolare Worldwide, Senza categoria
“Hosting the extraordinary in the ordinary things, training one’s perception to see the growth of the tree: without prophets, life would be a place of pessimism and not of hope which unites us.” In brief, this was what the economist, Luigino Bruni, said at the National Congress of the EoC networks during the 6th edition of LoppianoLab, attended by more than 2,000 participants from all over the country, and also others. Economy of Conmunion as a model to start with. “Only by regenerating relationships can we overcome fear and relaunch the economy: today, while mistrust and pessimism are holding back the relaunching of the economy in Europe and the Western world, we dare to look at the economy with the eyes of the African youth. – Bruni began – If we want to contribute to the rebirth of the economy, we have to regenerate the territories, families, relationships and rediscover and practice the civic virtues”. Not by chance, the title chosen was “Beyond fear. The culture of dialogue, active citizenship, civic economy,” for the 2015 edition of LoppianoLab, promoted by the Città Nuova Publishers, the Polo Lionello Bonfanti-Economy of Communion (EoC), Sophia University Institute (SUI) and the Loppiano International Centre (FI). Obviously there was a pressing call to the economic sector that involves about 200 businesses in Italy and 800 throughout the world, to adhere to and focus on man and his relational dimension in all their economic dealings, by practicing an Economy of Communion. Dreaming of Africa. The workshop often referred to the EoC’s international congress held last May in Nairobi, the vitality of which was discussed by Geneviéve Sanze, an economist from Central Africa. In her continent, as of today, there are about 30 businesses that have joined the project which gave life to a network of support for the youth by the EoC entrepreneurs. People at times think that “Economy is a science of wealth: and believe that you have to go to the big cities to practice it, but with EoC, it has become the science of communion – she affirmed. Exchange of ideas, dialogue, and fraternity: in Nairobi we saw that every person brings a certain wealth within him that is all-inclusiveness and uniqueness, in the same way as the creative entrepreneur tries to enrich his ambience and his territory without catering to standards that are remote and far from the attention of the outskirts in need. And a totally new way of facing the topic of economy at international levels is to start from Africa, but even more so when considering the contribution Africa can give, rather than receive, thus giving trust and new drive to the Africans themselves, to empower their opportunities in their own countries.” Africa is a young continent, as testified to by Gloria and Melchiot, two African students enrolled in the Sophia University Institute in Loppiano: “Allowing the African youth to have their dreams signifies avoiding the phenomenon of immigration: so why don’t we open businesses in Africa, so that they can find jobs there?” Anouk Grevin, Economist (University of Nantes and Sophia University Institute), announced that “Two business projects have started up in Nairobi. The Catholic University Institute of Buea (CUIB) in Cameroon has announced the institution of a Degree in the Economy of Communion, and the start in 2017 of the project incubator, “Siobhan,” to support the birth of new businesses in Africa. The second project dedicated to François Neveux, French pioneer of the EoC, will bring together entrepreneurs from all over the world, and create a network of economic support and project design, addressing especially young entrepreneurs.” Source: Città Nuova
Sep 15, 2015 | Senza categoria
“I don’t feel the exhaustion, but probably just the lack of sleep, since I have slept five hours less than usual over the last five days. I have just returned from a school camp or rather, a work in progress camp for kids, as one of the educators of Teens for Unity of the Focolare. It was a fantastic adventure which, compared to other activities this year, has enlivened my daily routine, making me forget that I have entered that potentially critical post-retirement phase. The proposal to give a hand for those kids was enticing. Well, I thought, I may be retired, but I still have the energy and eagerness to keep going. The appointment was at nine in the morning in Borgo Don Bosco, a venue placed at our disposal by the Salesians. Slowly the kids arrived, 25 boys and girls in all, below 18 years of age. After the initial shyness a friendly atmosphere was immediately created, even if most of them had no idea whatsoever of what would come about or what to expect. The programme was full of surprises, as it should have been for an initiative with young people. But also a surprise was the hard work (so to say!), sweating together under the sun, or drenched with rain, to clear out the site of the camp. For three mornings, I was assigned the task of restoring a remote corner of the garden, abandoned for over 20 years. The grass had grown on that soil transported by wind and rain, concealing an entire asphalted pavement. Locker rooms and showers were still there, and had become the hiding place of spiders and insects so big they seemed like an alien race. Without counting the various objects abandoned in the grass that initially could not even be seen, it was practically a jungle to be razed to the ground. At mid-morning, I thought of telling the kids how I try to consider the work, and particularly that job. I must not have said more than 20-30 words in all. But I ended by confiding the real motive urging me to do this: the thought that “in that place, Baby Jesus would have come to play.” I understood from the silence that had descended on us, that the kids understood the sense of my words and had taken it to heart. And the light I saw shining in their youthful eyes was immediately transformed into concrete action, giving them a new drive in helping one another. This immediacy was a lesson for me, since, unlike these boys and girls I myself am rather slow in letting myself be convinced by what others tell me. At Sunday Mass, I found myself next to a boy who had worked by my side. On exchanging the sign of peace we both spontaneously reached out to one another, to declare that we were ready to give our lives for each other. As an adult this act would never have been so spontaneous towards another adult, but it was not so with him. Staying with these young people gave a new dimension to our future as one humanity, and gave me hope. In fact, I saw that they all had the desire and capacity to give. It is up to us to believe in them. Adolescence is a difficult age, but it is also the age in which one can build great horizons. There is no need for words, just start “doing” positive things with them. Perhaps this is why, on saying goodbye, some of them asked to come with me next Saturday to the district market, to collect the unsold fruit and vegetables for the poor people’s canteen.”
Sep 9, 2015 | Senza categoria
The objectives set by the 4,000 consecrated youth who will meet in Rome from 15-19 September is to achieve a formative experience through the biblical, theological-charismatic and ecclesiological in-depth study on consecrated life, and to have a concrete possibility to share their reality, wishes and expectations, celebrating and testifying to the beauty of their vocation. They will come from all over the world (countries like Iran, the Philippines, Ivory Coast, Zimbabwe) to take part in the World Day of Young Religious. Organized by the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, the event will be held in the context of the Year of Consecrated Life. The calendar is varied and intense. In the morning the youth will meet in the Paul VI Hall in the Vatican to listen and reflect on the themes about vocations, fraternal life and the missions. In the afternoon they will meet in various parts of Rome to hold dialogue and sharing sessions, and in the evening they will have the chance to participate in the itineraries offered: the path of the announcement (missionary night in the centre of Rome), the path of encounter (meetings with social-ecclesiastical organisations: Caritas, St. Egidio community, Talitha Kum), the path of beauty (guided tours of the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel). Some open-air events with the public will be: the prayer vigil in St. Peter’s Square (15 September at 20.30) presided by the Archbishop Secretary of the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life, His Excellency, Bishop José Rodríguez Carballo; the mass in St. Peter’s Basilica (19 September at 11.30) presided by the Prefect of the Congregation, His Excellency, Cardinal João Braz de Aviz; soiree of music and testimonials in St. Peter’s Square (18 September at 20.30). There will also be a meeting with Pope Francis during the general audience on Wednesday, 16 September. On this occasion, all those present will receive as a gift, the book entitled Love means giving all – Testimonials, edited in seven languages. Published by the Vie Consacrée Association and in Italian by Città Nuova, the book, upon its release, was presented to the Holy Father who expressed his deep appreciation for the new, fresh and attractive vision of consecrated life, and encouraged its widespread diffusion. Click here to see the programme of the event Source: New City publishers
Sep 2, 2015 | Focolare Worldwide, Senza categoria
In 1998, Chiara Lubich established the Education for Dialogue Centre in Mariapolis Luminosa, the Focolare’s permanent Mariapolis in the State of New York. For that occasion she wrote: “May all those who take part in the activities of this centre also feel like builders of this new reality, collaborating with love, patience, mutual understanding and solidarity, in order to create an island of peace and a sign of unity for today’s world. . . may it especially be a school where one learns to live out this love, which is the only thing that can make the peoples of the earth a single family.” “These words from Chiara also informed a recent meeting of August 15 and 16 at the North American Mariapolis, titled: Dialogue and the Difficult Questions. It was attended by a hundred people and it focused on how to dialogue and communicate with people who think differently.” 
There were also very valuable contributions by four experts in moral theology and political theories from Fordham University (New York), Providence College (Rhode Island) and Georgetown University (Washington D.C.). They write: “We began with some words from Chiara Lubich on the dialogue that emerges particuarly from the spirituality of unity which, if practiced, helps to transform people’s relationships with eah other.” Charlie Camosy (Fordham) and Amy Uelman (Georgetown), examined the “reasons why USA society is so polarized by opposing positions and how the walls between people could be broken down by listening and being open to others.” Dana Dillon (Providence College) dealt with the delicate relationship between love and truth, based on one of the main points of the spirituality of unity: Jesus forsaken. The theologian presented Him as the true model of dialogue inasmuchh as “He entered into the disunity of that moment in which He felt abandoned by the Father, unifying the greatest division possible, the one between Heaven and earth.” In the afternoon there was an interactive programme offered by Claude Blanc, a leadership coach and team work consultant, who guided the participants in several exrecises in “learning to listen deeply and without pretexts.” A reflection on “Different Ways of Communicating” (imposing, discussing, trying to convince the other, and focusing on the common good), given by Bill Gould (Fordham),brought the session to a perfect conclusion. The roundtable discussion on Sunday, evidenced the need for being prepared to confront some current burning issues as well as the challenges of daily life. Two impressions: “The workshop on listening helped me to see how importnat and fruitful this can be in daily relationships;” “I leave quite enriched by this experience.”
It was a solemn celebration in the presence of all the synod Fathers, delegations, ambassadors and Pope Francis – who gave one of the most important speeches of his pontificate – on 17 October in the Nervi Hall, to commemorate 50 years since the institution of the Bishops’ Synod by Pope Paul VI. Focolare President, Maria Voce defined it, “a masterpiece”, when asked to comment on the spur of the moment, on the Pope’s speech. “He illustrated that there cannot be a progress of the Church if not as a synodal body. I was struck when he underlined the importance of the sensus fidei, that is, the sense of faith, and the infallibility of the people of God, who together listen to the Holy Spirit, thus expressing the faith of the Church. And this starts always from the base. In this manner, with all the juridical collegiate figures that emerged after the Second Vatican Council – Pope Francis makes us see – that if we don’t live this synodal spirit, starting from the people it addresses, they will not serve to enhance communion. They would all be just masks.” And regarding the primacy of service: “Let us never forget this!” the Pope exclaimed. “For the disciples of Jesus, of the past, today and for always, the only authority is that of service, the sole power is the cross, in the Master’s words: ”’You know that the governors of the nations rule over them and the leaders oppress them. Among you it will not be so; whoever wishes to be great among you, will be your servant and whoever wants to be first among you, will be your slave’ (Mt 20,25-27). Among you it will not be so: in this expression we reach that very heart in which we have been trying for some time now to reflect ourselves, exactly in the sense which he explained: “the top is found below the base. Due to this, those who exert authority are called ‘ministers’ because, according to the original meaning of the word, they are the smallest among all.” What comes out once more in his speech is the same wavelength between Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew I: “The commitment to build a synodal Church – a mission to which we are all called, each in the role the Lord entrusted us with – is burdened by ecumenical implications. Due to this, in speaking to a delegation of the Patriarchate of Costantinople, I recently stressed the conviction that ‘the careful examination of how the principle of synodality is expressed in the life of the church and the service of he who presides it, will offer an important contribution to the progress of relationships between our Churches.” Maria Voce also underlined, “It is a synergy – that not only regards the problems of creation expressed in the encyclical Laudato si’; it is precisely this feeling of synodality of the Church that pushes Pope Francis to open a door to say: we must get together as one. It is a responsibility that urges him to find a way of getting down to concrete steps towards a full communion among Christians, because only in this can the synodal spirit of the Church be seen.” Lastly, Maria Voce continued, “The effort is not to seek compromises, but that which the Holy Spirit wants to say to us, which is a challenge that requires a strong unity of the entire Church. We spoke with various participants of the Synod for Families in the past days, and also with the family of married focolarini from Colombia, María Angélica and Luis Rojas, and all asked us for prayers. So let us intensify our prayers as if we were there, trying to understand how to respond to the anguish and difficulties of the family in the modern world, and regard the family as part of God’s plan.” The motivation and strong words of Paul VI that accompanied the institution of the Synod of Bishops on 15 September 1965 are particularly important for the Focolare Movement, precisely because the institution of the Synod, Maria Voce explained, “brought a new climate within the Church, a turning point: that of collegiality, communion, passing from a manner of conducting the individual and rather hierarchical Church, to a collegial one. As the Focolare Movement, as a movement of unity, we thus could not but take this event into consideration, and with joy I accepted Cardinal Baldisseri’s invitation to participate in the commemoration.” The Synods, in fact, are the concrete prosecution of the Second Vatican Council: «Paul VI, evidently inspired by the Holy Spirit after having made such a beautiful experience of the council, which had stirred up new realities in the Church – just think of the documents Gaudium et Spes, Lumen Gentium, Nostra Aetate – felt that this experience had to continue.» “Synod,” in fact, precisely means “journey together” as Cardinal Schönborn explained in his speech on the birth of the Synod of Bishops and on the various Synods, with the force of the Pope. It thus means that «the Church is walking together, not the Pope by himself, the bishops by themselves, the people of God by themselves, or the laity by themselves: this journey is undertaken by the Church, in which all have something to say and give.” Read more: press release on the participation of the Focolare in the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Synod of Bishops.
