ITALY, rd/mda. On Tuesday, January 27th, at 4:00 p.m., in the Frascati Cathedral, Bishop D. Faffaello Martinelli conducted the official opening of the cause of beatification and canonization of Chiara Lubich, founder of the Focolare Movement. The ceremony could be followed online.
Maria Voce – the President of the Focolare Movement made the news public– in a letter addressed to all Focolare members. In the letter, she invites those who live the spirituality of unity to be a “living testimony” of what Chiara lived, announced and shared in the effort of “becoming holy together”.
Chiara Lubich died on March 14, 2008, in Rocca di Papa (Rome), and on December 7, 2013 Maria Voce announced the decision to request the opening of the cause. Since then, the appropriate steps have happened leading to the announcement of the opening of the cause of beatification.
On June 10, 1999: Chiara Lubich visited Schoenstatt
In Schoenstatt the Encounter, which made history, is recalled with considerable gratitude; its particular importance was only discerned with the passing of time: The visit of Chiara Lubich, Founder of the Focolare Movement (also called Obra de Maria) [Mary’s Work] and that of Dr. Andrea Riccardi, Founder of the Comunidad San Egidio [Community of Saint Egidio] was on the June 10, 1999.
Meanwhile, on Pentecost of 1998, Pope John Paul II entrusted the responsibility of the new evangelization with the Spiritual Movements, and he gave them their place within the Church like never before. Schoenstatt was asleep; recently with the visit of both Founders – the Pope entrusted Chiara Lubich with the task of gathering the Movements – “Schoenstatt began to awaken from the sleep of a sleeping beauty” as the article in “Neue Stadt” [New City] , the Focolare Movement’s magazine in Germany, stated some years later. And this with much success! Since that encounter and thanks to the joint work of these Movements, Schoenstatt has manifested its strength in alliances among communities, a strength that comes from the Covenant spirituality and of many years of experience.
Living testimony
This encounter with other spiritual modalities has made Schoenstatt proud once again; it has made it feel proud of its originality, proud of its inclination for Mary, an inclination that at onetime it wanted to hide.
The importance of the founder has also become more evident in these ten years of encounter and of community. “Vitality is only born from the intimate contact with the Founder” was one of the key phrases of that meeting in 1999.
On behalf of the schoenstatt.org editorial team: Best wishes to the Focolare Movement for this momentous step. Now there is something else that unites these two Movements – both have founders in the process of canonization, both are called to give a living testimony of their founders’ sanctity with deeds.
Original: Spanish –Translation: Celina M. Garza, San Antonio, TX USA
