Focolare Movement
Encyclopedia
The Focolare Movement is an international organization that promotes the ideals of unity and universal brotherhood. Founded in 1943 in Trento
Trento
Trento is an Italian city located in the Adige River valley in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. It is the capital of Trentino...

, northern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 by Chiara Lubich
Chiara Lubich
Chiara Lubich was an Italian Catholic activist and leader and foundress of the Focolare Movement.- Early life :...

 as a religious movement, the Focolare Movement, though primarily Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

, now has strong links to the major Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...

 denominations
Religious denomination
A religious denomination is a subgroup within a religion that operates under a common name, tradition, and identity.The term describes various Christian denominations...

 and other religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...

s, or in some cases, with the non-religious. It is also called the "Opera di Maria," or "Work of Mary".
The Focolare Movement operates in 182 nations and has over 100,000 adherents. The Movement's name comes from the Italian word for "hearth" or "family fireside".

History

In 1943 in Trent, Italy Chiara Lubich founded the movement during the Second World War. Chiara and her companions, started off working with people in the poorest neighborhoods of the city and bomb shelters. This first group soon became a movement, dedicated to living out the precepts of Christians, Buddhists, Hindus and spread initially in Europe and then worldwide.

Focolare Movement Today

Today the movement, which is now international, considers the following issues as part of its mandate: to cooperate in the consolidation of unity in the Catholic world, with individuals and groups, movements and associations; to contribute to full communion with Christians of different churches; to move towards universal brotherhood with followers of various religions and people of other persuasions, including atheists. The whole movement is divided in 25 branches. Gradually, several projects have sprung up within the movement: the school 'Abba', the 'Economy of Communion' (which is linked more than 800 companies), evangelism within small cities, social work, and publishing magazines. The Focolare Movement is recognized by the Pope and is present in over 182 countries.

Mariapolis

Every year the Movement holds local retreats termed Mariapolises, where members and newcomers come together to discuss the Movement and its spirituality. The first Mariapolis was held in 1949 in Fiera di Primiero, in the heart of Italy's Dolomite mountains. Each year, over 200,000 persons attend a Mariapolis. At Mariapolis it is common for there to be an ecumenic prayer room, or a panel discussion with leaders from multiple faiths. These short retreats are related to the Permanent Mariapolises, 33 settlements that serve as Focolare centers.

Beatification of Chiara Luce Badano

Chiara Badano
Chiara Badano
Chiara Badano, called Chiara “Luce” , was an Italian teenager who has been declared "Blessed" within the Catholic Church. She belonged to the Focolare Movement and died prematurely at eighteen after succumbing to osteosarcoma, an aggressive and painful form of bone cancer...

, a member of the Focolare movement, was beatified on September 25, 2010.

New City Press

New City Press, established in 1964, is an official publishing house for the Focolare movement. Among their publications is the Spirituality of Unity series, featuring the works of founder Chiara Lubich
Chiara Lubich
Chiara Lubich was an Italian Catholic activist and leader and foundress of the Focolare Movement.- Early life :...

, and Understanding the Scriptures, Bible commentaries by scholars such as Daniel Harrington, Dianne Bergant, Robert Karris, and Ronald Witherup.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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