Plenumsveranstaltung der Mitarbeiterkongresses in der Liederhalle in Stuttgart
Über 150 Luftballons stehen für über 150 teilnehmende Gemeinschaften
Musikalische Gestaltung: Andrea Adams-Frey und Albert Frey mit Band
Friedrich Aschoff und Pater Michael Marmann
Lob Gottes in Lied und Gebet
Thomas Römer, CVJM München, predigt zum Thema "Jesus der Hirte - Gottesfurcht und Menschenwürde"
Chiara Lubich spricht zum Thema: Das Miteinander der Bewegungen - ihre Motivation und Hoffnung
Grußwort von Weihbischof Thomas M. Renz, Diözese Rottenburg-Stuttgart
Fotos: POS, Brehm © 2004

EUROPE, MOVEMENTS, mkf. The people of God a a whole will be more charismatic, more family, more dynamic, and more Marian, in the communion of the Spiritual Movements and New Communities, that join the power of their very charismatic vocation entrusted to them - said Chiara Lubich, Foundress and President of the Focolar Movement, at the opening of the Congress "Together discover the riches; representatives of over 200 Movements and Communities  - Catholic, Anglican, Orthodox, Lutheran, Evangelical - are participating. The opening of the congress in the "Liederhalle" in Stuttgart, marked by a definite spiritual atmosphere, was meant to show and make experience the intention, vision and goal of the "Together" Congress.

It is raining, dark grey clouds cover the skies over Stuttgart, and the prognostics don't lift the spirit; but the cold and damp feeling disappears when entering the congress hall, located in the Concert Center of Stuttgart. Many contacts already exist between the different Movements, not only on the level of leaders, but of members. "In the train, I met a young woman from a Franciscan Movement who I remember from a meeting in Freiburg," Hannelore Spannagel says. Approximately 150 members of the Schoenstatt Movement, from Germany, Austria and Portugal, are somewhere among the many people. The meeting and greeting among the Schoenstatt members of the different communities is a "Get-Together", also, someone comments. "We are well prepared for such a meeting with the experiences we have with the different independent communities in Schoenstatt. But we can also learn from the style that is prevalent here."

It is not only about learning from each other and talking with each other - this becomes clear in the  very first minutes. Who sings and prays together, is already in communion of the hearts, in communion before God. It's the "ecumenical communion of the hearts", mentioned by Gerhard Proß, YMCA Esslingen, coordinator of the congress.

Andrea Adams-Frey, and Albert Frey, together with their band, sing one spiritual song after the other, and make the audience join singing. A climate, that marks the whole program: spiritual, religious, testimonial, very personal in the expression of one's relation to God and with each other, faith that expresses itself without the shy apology so often noticed also in encounters of Christians. When we discover what unites us deep down in our hearts, we are already one. This statement is applied to the program - it is about the depth of faith and the depth of hearts.

The Covenant of Love of the Movements

Sister Anna-Maria von der Wiesche (Christusbruderschaft Selbitz, a Lutheran Community),and Gerhard Proß are the moderators of the opening. Four hundred participants from countries other than Germany are specially greeted, then the communities and movements present; 200 white and yellow balloons  are tossed around in the hall, and then attached to a big tree on the stage - a symbol for the participating communities, the fruits of the spirit.

Friedrich Aschoff (Charismatic Renewal), Father Michael Marmann (Schoenstatt), Francis Ruppert Cursillo), and Helmut Nicklas (YMCA Munich), recalled how this Congress came into being. The "Meeting of Responsible Persons" of Lutheran and Evangelical Communities is one of the sources, the other one is Pentecost 1998 in Rome, when Pope John Paul II called the Ecclesial Movements and New Communities to work together for the new evangelization of the world. Both processes aimed at a mature and fruitful "together", not just a peaceful co-existence.

In 1999, the "Meeting of Responsible Persons", met with representantives of Catholic Communities; this was the starting point for a process that lead to the "Together - how else?" meeting December 6, 2001, in Munich, and now, this Congress and the "Together for Europe" event on Saturday.

Father Michael Marmann shared his impressions when "fighting" his way through the crowd on Pentecost 1998, when the Pope said that the charismatic dimension of the Church, the Movements,  and the hierarchical dimension, would be equally essential to the Church.

Friedrich Aschoff spoke about the prophetic hour of Chiara Lubich's visit to the "Meeting of Responsible Persons" in 2000, and of the insight, that the world will return to faith when the Church again will be one. The "Covenant of Love" of the Movements, sealed December 6, 2001, had shown that we belong together in the deepest of the depth of faith.

The Holy Spirit would renew individuals and communities, in order to now express the invitation to gather as people of God, Helmut Nicklas said: "And suddenly this call became more important than anything else."

A time of grace for the Communion

Gerhard Proß, speaking about the intention and vision of this conference, mentioned especially the call to communion; it would be about answering God's call - called "Seeking signs" in the Schoenstatt Movement, Listening to the Word, others. We would live a time of grace of communion, of togetherness, of ecumenical unity of the hearts.

Five moments would be decisive for this congress: to give praise and glory to the Lord; to experience richness not as dividing, but enriching in the joy in the talents of the others; it would be about the word of God to be found in Holy Scripture; about understanding devotion and human dignity as related to each other; to be sent into the world and for the world.

Much time was left then to praise the Lord and for the proclamation of the Word. Thomas Römer spoke about the Good Shepherd who gives his sheep.

All then were invited to exchange special "business cards" prepared ahead, in order to get to know each other; a mime presentation showed, in a humorous way, how the preparation of the workshops, with members of different communities, resulted in a number of  experiences of "strange", "Chinese", "funny" … but how finally the joy in what is common was stronger and helped to understand what is different.

The "Togetherness"  of the Movements - their motivation and hope

Chiaria Lubich, in her statement, that closed the morning program, showed the Movements as tremendous spiritual resource of the church. Since the beginning of Christianity, God had created again and again currents of life and grace, that made people live the gospel in an exemplary and authentic way, thus renewing the church in the Holy Spirit from within. In the "heart" of the church, streams of life and grace would rise to live and guarantee a word, an attitude, of Jesus, and to make it shine more clearly in the church. Today, the call for deeper communion and community  would be dominating -in the movements, as well as in the political world - despite of wars and terrorism still ruling -, and in the church as a whole (ecumenical approaches). The Movements would feel this call especially since 1998.

She expressed her vision: the people of God, thanks to the communion, the togetherness of the  movements, will become richer, more family, more dynamic and more marian.

The process of getting together would not be restricted to the movements of the catholic church - it is the time to reach out to the orders and congregations on the one hand, to the movements in the Protestant, Lutheran, Orthodox, and Anglican Church… In the end, it means to make the "City of God" on earth more alike to the Celestial City, the new Jerusalem.

The morning program closed with welcome speeches of Auxiliary Thomas M. Renz, and the head of the Württemberg Lutheran Church, Prelate Klumpp. In the time afterwards, it was time to meet and greet, to share and discuss. In the afternoon, the richness of the movements was "displayed" in over 30 workshops.