«An extraordinary story, a divine one, which you know well. So many years of faithfulness and commitment from many of you that made that seed grow –sown first in Cameroon. From that seed pieces of humanity renewed by love have blossomed, striving towards the realization of God’s project for the whole large African continent, and beyond». These are some excerpts from the message sent by Maria Voce (Emmaus), the President of the Focolare Movement, to the members of the movement in Africa, who are celebrating this year the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the Charism of unityin their continent.

There were 2000 persons gathered close to Fontem on the 9th February, at Shisong, in the Bamenda Region (North-West of Cameroon) the same place that welcomed the first focolarini who reached on the 12thFebruary 1963. There were all those who consider themselves as “Chiara’s children”. They had celebrated the Cry Die (the end of mourning) for the founder of the Focolare in January 2009, in that same place. With that event Chiara was solemnly counted among the ancestors, and therefore worthy to be remembered and invoked, because “her ideal of solidarity, spirituality, sharing, and love cannot die”. There were also those who in these years have taken part in the “New Evangelization” action, an integral project started in 2000 by Chiara and the Fon (King) of Fontem, who was the first one to take the commitment, in front of his people, to living the spirit of love and unity that comes from the Gospel. It’s the Fon himself who later on got the other chiefs and noblemen involved.

Last Saturday’s event at Shisong started with the Time Out for peace, and continued with the ‘Jubilee celebration prayer’, asking God to strengthen their Faith in Him, keeping in mind the ‘pioneers’ of this adventure (Chiara Lubich, Bishop Julius Peeters and the Fon Defang); to know how to start again with humility to love every neighbour, to walk towards universal fraternity, to increase the fire of charity in every community, in order to be apostles of Jesus’ Testament “That all may be one” (Jn 17,21).

Two of the first focolarini who gave so much of themselves in Africa, Bruna Tomasi and Lucio Dal Soglio, were present through their messages. The reading of their letters and those of others among the protagonists of the beginnings of the focolare (Rosa Calò, Rita Azarian) introduced the documentary: “Focolare, 50 years in Africa”, retracing this journey, interwoven with the experience of Piero Pasolini and Marilen Holzhauser. For the occasion, a special issue of the African edition of New City was entirely dedicated to cover this topic. Since the beginning, the Word of God was not merely an object of contemplation, but was instead immediately translated into real choices, in daily life. When the different communities were born, that special atmosphere of family was experienced, a spirit in which it was possible to share even one’s needs.

Then many actions were initiated in the continent, including social programmes, schools, and health centres: from the College in Fontem, to nursery schools, primary schools and tuitions programs in Cameroon, Nigeria, Tanzania, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Kenya; a hospital in Fontem, medical centres in Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Ivory Coast; actions against malnutrition; carpentry workshops for the youth in South Africa, Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Kenya; an agricultural project in Nigeria. From the beginning of the ’70s, many African youth discovered “Chiara’s way” and therefore a new lifestyle. Like her, Anne Nyimi Pemba (Congo) and Venant Mbonimpaye (Burundi) left everything to follow Jesus, embarking themselves on this new way of consecrated life in Africa. They were among the first ones, like Teresina Tumhiriwe, from Uganda, Benedict Menjo and Dominic Nyuyilim from Cameroon. Dominic was present at the Shisong celebration, sharing his own experience. Many have followed them in their footsteps.

Mafua Christina, Queen of the Bangwa, and Prof. Martin Nkafu, born in Fontem and lecturer of Philosophy and traditional cultures at the Pontifical Lateran University, were also present. They shared their personal experiences, followed with a array by the new generations – children, teenagers and youth– that showed how much today’s experience is in continuity with the Ideal of brotherhood that took roots 50 years ago.

“A people born from the Gospel, capable of witnessing of being family beyond their belonging to different tribes, ethnic groups and peoples,” Maria Voce wrote in her message, with the wish of restarting together from this milestone –that will last for the whole year, with a celebration in Kenya at the Mariapolis Piero on the 19th May, during the Pan-African congress of the Volunteers of God, and other events in various African countries.

Maria Voce launched the Time Out to the 350 Focolare youth who had gathered from several countries at Castel Gandolfo, Rome, to become the bearers of peace in the world. Encouraged by the news that was arriving from several members of the Focolare in the Middle East, Maria Voce told the audience of her idea.
In the face of “these absurd wars it is only God who can meet the longing for peace that is found in humankind. It would take a truly strong and powerful prayer,” “with a renewed faith that God could do it, that if we were to ask Him in unity, God would come to meet us in our need.”
The proposal: “Why not re-establish the midday Time Out? Chiara Lubich had launched this prayer,” Maria Voce went on to explain, “during the Gulf War in 1991 and, back then God listened to that prayer that came from everyone.”
Let us again take up the practice of the Time Out, with young people on the front lines. “Jesus is called the Prince of Peace,” Maria Voce concluded as she asked Him to give to humankind “that true peace, which would allow everyone – from whatever faith, social condition or country, to live their lives in serenity; that they would share this gift of Peace with all people.”
Young people have already begun to spread the news through the social networks, and have created the Time Out for Peace page on Facebook.
The appointment is for noontime, in each of our cities, asking in unity for the gift of peace.

Some of the sections which will be found in the site are:

Emma us to the Gen movement and to the youth

News and experiences: for the communion and information among all the gen of the world

Letters: in an archive letters sent by the gen center to the zones

Multimedia library: written audio and visual materials for the Gen 2 formation

Yellow menu which will contain program of the year and program of formation with the weekly program designed by the Gen center for the Gen units.

Mirta Zanella, a native of Argentina, from Mendoza, is married and has three children. She has known the spirituality of unity for quite some time now and has experienced that living the Word of God transforms us and also changes the reality around us.
One day her house keys disappeared, along with her husband’s salary and other valuable items. Who could it have been? The theft had to be necessarily carried out by someone close to the family. This caused Mirta great suffering, so much so that she was unable even to pray. Then, remembering that Jesus invites us to forgive, she does so, even for the person who stole from her.

A few days later she learnt that a lady in difficulty who begged for alms in the neighbourhood, and with whom she’d had a friendly relationship, had stolen from a neighbour’s house. While she threatened this neighbour with a gun, her husband stole the goods. Subsequently, even Mirta received serious threats from her and so she called the police to defend herself.
The woman was arrested. After the trial that found her guilty of various crimes, she was sentenced to 17 years in prison.
In the following months Mirta’s husband suggested that she go visit her in prison, but this was not part of her plans. “No way,” she answered, also overtaken by fear. Sometime later there was a new request. This time it was the parish priest who invited her to accompany a group of ladies to the women’s prison where, for that matter, the woman who robbed her was also imprisoned. Somewhat confused, Mirta accepted the invitation, remembering the Word of Life: “Go and learn the meaning of the words, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice’” (Mt. 9,13).

Thus she went with the group to the prison and saw the woman at the end of Mass. In a flash she decided to greet her with a hug. “She started to cry and asked for forgiveness,” narrates Mirta. “I replied that the Lord had already forgiven her and me too. She asked me to pray for her children and I promised to do so”.

From that day onwards, Mirta continued to visit the prison with the priest and others, until she was asked to coordinate the Prison Ministry group. The prison inmates were touched by their concrete love and changed their attitude by making themselves available. They tidied up the chapel by restoring the crucifix and polishing the benches, so much so that Mass can now be regularly celebrated there.

Some impressions of the prisoners confirm the changed atmosphere brought about: “I didn’t know how to dialogue with my children. Now I’m able to understand them”; “I was selfish. I only saw my pain, but I’m trying to be also sensitive to that of the other”; “The place doesn’t matter. Here I’ve discovered God”.

On Christmas Eve, Mirta and her friends organised a gala dinner in the prison and the Bishop went to celebrate Mass. On the one hand it meant forgoing to celebrate the feast with their families, while on the other it gave them a strong awareness of building an even larger family.

The controls at checkpoints are precise; we encounter more than one of them between the border and the outskirts of the capital, before reaching the neighbourhood wherein lives a family that will host us for the next few days, until the small accommodation generously accorded to us by the local Church will be ready. Though we haven’t reached yet, our mobile phones are already ringing or receiving messages from our friends from Aleppo, Hama, and Damascus who wanted to “welcome us” back! The joy is deep, contained, and tinged with anxiety due to an uncertain future. From the outskirts, the sounds of mortar and cannon shots are rare.

The news on TV was not very encouraging. Speaking with one of our friends we understood the magnitude of the game being played at the people’s expense.

A game being prepared since years, which intends to distort the structure of the Middle East and in front of which one feels small and powerless. The international and regional politics seem miles away from the people’s suffering, as if it were not considered. And the people were tired. From Aleppo they described in a few sentences via telephone (that miraculously worked! ), the continuing hardships, the biting cold, the lacking water and electricity, the bread that is rare or at an exorbitant price, the blackmails and kidnappings for money in a city that was the country’s industrial and commercial centre. They speak of death that is always at the doorstep and of God’s providential aid. They were exhausted”.

And again: “We’re back from mass and behold the terrible news of the massacre at the university of architecture in Aleppo, due to two missiles that hit it and adjoining places, where besides many refugees were residing. We immediately tried to get in touch with our friends living there: a teacher and two students. Their voices were deeply moved. They recounted of unspeakable scenes. One of them who threw herself behind a car, saw bodies flying in the air and heard the cries of mothers in search of their children.

The teacher narrated: “Today was the first day of exams, the bell had already rung and we were collecting the answer sheets. A pupil begged us to give him a few more minutes. He had arrived late due to the blocked roads. My colleagues were reluctant, but in the end I managed to convince them. At least five minutes elapsed before the student handed in his exam answer sheet. We went down to the courtyard and headed towards the exit. I saw the two missiles passing one after the other above me. I would have been exactly in the place they hit. I found the car with a caved in roof and shattered windows. But we were saved thanks to an act of love towards a student.”

Source: Città Nuova – Diary from Syria/1 – Diary from Syria /2 – Diary from Syria /3

For an ideal as vast as unity, the request from Jesus to his Father “May they all be one” (Jn 17, 21), the boundaries could be nothing other than the furthest corners of the earth. Right from the outset the embryonic Movement was far sighted. No-one at that time could have imagined that the dream of reaching the ends of the earth would be accomplished so quickly. There was no specific plan or blueprint for spreading the Movement but they followed the way lead by ‘Someone’.

Chiara explained what this meant during the XIX National Eucharistic Conference in Pescara 1977, “The Movement grew and unfolded in line with the precise plan God has for us. It was always there unseen and then it was revealed little by little… just as a pen does not know what it will write, a brush doesn’t know what it will paint, the chisel what it will sculpt. So it was when God takes someone by the hand to found his work, that person does not know what they should do. The person is only and instrument for God’s work. So it was in Trent. I had no plan, I knew nothing. The idea for the Opera (the Movement) was in God, the plan was in heaven. It was like that at the start and has been during all these years as the Focolare Movement has developed.”

The first group of girls were clearly destined to never remain a closed group. After a few months of living their Ideal of unity they had a following of some 500 people around them in Trent. It wasn’t long before the Ideal spread further afield. When, after the end of the Second World War, the first focolarine (women) moved to various cities in Italy to study or work, they were never short of invitations from people who wanted to hear their experiences.

Rome was reached in 1948 followed by Florence, Milan, Siracuse… In 1956 it spread into Europe, in 1958 South America and in 1961 North America. In 1963 it was the turn of Africa, in 1966 Asia and 1967 Australia.

Today the Movement is present in 182 countries. It has approximately 2 million adherents and people who are sympathetic to its goals – the majority being Roman Catholic. There is a growing number of non- Catholics from 350 churches and ecclesial communities. The Movement also includes many from other world Faiths for example Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and Sikhs. Then there are also those in the Movement who do not adhere to any particular religious faith.

The core of the Movement consists of more than 140 thousand animators across all the expressions of the Movement.

This is the story so far of a people born through the Gospel.

In 2000 Chiara wrote, “Right at the beginning we asked with faith. The Movement really has reached the furthest corners of the earth. Within these people are representatives of all the people of the whole earth.”