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ALBANIA
Tirana and Mamurras
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On February 11, 2004, the World Day of the Sick and
feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, the Albanian communities of Communion
and Liberation in
Tirana and the small town of Mamurras, located north of Tirana in the
direction of Scutari, gathered together to celebrate the happening
of the anniversary of the Fraternity’s pontifical recognition.
Father Ignazio Buffa, a Jesuit of Tirana, celebrated Mass with this
brother Jesuit, Father Bertrand, also from Tirana. About fifteen members
of the CL community were present at the Mass, held in the church of
the Sacred Heart in Tirana.
Father Ignazio Buffa, before the beginning of the Mass, drew everyone’s
attention to the fact that it was the World Day of the Sick, the feast
of Our Lady of Lourdes, and said that we would read Fr Giussani’s
intention for the XXII anniversary of the pontifical recognition of
the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation. In addition, he added that
CL is very important in Italy and present in many countries throughout
the world, including Albania, and he invited all the faithful to pray
for Fr Giussani. After the anointing of the sick and the Liturgy of
the Word, Fr Giussani’s intention was read in Albanian. |
ARGENTINA
Buenos Aires
Last February 11 about one hundred people gathered in
the San Luca parish in Buenos Aires to celebrate Mass for Fr Giussani’s
intention for the XXII anniversary of the recognition of the Fraternity
of Communion
and Liberation. The Mass was celebrated by Fr Pierpaolo Pasini. |
BRAZIL
Copacabana
In Brazil, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, the Mass for the twenty-second
anniversary of the pontifical recognition of the Fraternity was celebrated
in the parish of Santa Cruz de Copacabana on January 6, 2004, by Bishop
Filippo Santoro (Auxiliary Bishop of Rio de Janeiro) and Bishop Giuliano
Frigeni (Bishop of Parintins). About two hundred people were present,
and after the Mass the entire community gathered for a party.
In his homily, Bishop Santoro said, among other things, “The
experience of the Fraternity is the experience of a path recognized
by the Holy See, by the Holy Father, as an authentic path that leads
us to holiness, to living the ideals of our Christian experience. For
this reason what we are celebrating today is a public and solemn moment,
thanking God for the inestimable gift that we have received. First
of all, the gift of our faith, and then the gift of a company that
helps us, day after day, in our walk towards holiness”. |
IRELAND
Dublin
Wednesday, February 11, united with all the Fraternity groups throughout
the world, the twenty-second anniversary of the pontifical recognition
of the Fraternity was celebrated with a Mass presided by His Excellency
Giuseppe Lazzarotto, the papal nuncio in Ireland, for the intentions
of Fr Giussani. For the Irish CL community it was very meaningful to
be able to celebrate this anniversary with the reality of the local
Church, which for years has shown affection and support to CL, in particular
the papal nuncio and the Handmaidens of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of
San Raffaele, in whose convent the Mass was held. This year the Carmelite
sisters also participated in the celebration. The Mass was followed
by a party with an Italian buffet, singing and dancing. |
ISRAEL
Jerusalem
The small
community of Jerusalem celebrated Holy Mass on Saturday, February 14,
to mark the XXII anniversary of the pontifical recognition
of the Fraternity. Since this was the Movement’s first public
gesture in Jerusalem, the nuncio of the Holy See in Israel, Msgr Sambi,
and the exarch of the Maronite rite of the Catholic Church, Msgr Paul
Sayah, were invited. Unfortunately, a heavy snowfall prevented the
nuncio’s presence, and so the Mass was celebrated by Fr Lirio
together with Msgr Sayah. The gesture was meaningful because it showed
the local church that there is a new seed of Christian presence here.
At the end of the celebration, the Bishop (who had already met the
Movement in Italy) expressed his joy at the presence of the Communion
and Liberation community in the Holy Land, and invited those present
to continue this walk with courage and to grow, in numbers as well. |
KENYA
Mutuati, Nairobi
This year the XXII anniversary of the recognition of the Fraternity
of Communion and Liberation was celebrated in two different places
in Kenya where the Fraternity is present. 1) In the village of Mutuati,
in the Meru region, about 250 km north of Nairobi, Fr Valerio Valeri
celebrated Mass on February 14 at the parish of the Most Holy Trinity
for the intentions of Fr Giussani. Twenty-five people were present,
most of whom were members of the Fraternity, while the rest were guests.
During the homily Fr Valerio highlighted in particular the important
coincidence between Fr Giussani’s intention and the fact that
this day marked the feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius.
2) On February 5, at the church of the Little Sisters of the Poor,
the Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Nairobi, Mons. David Kamau,
celebrated Mass for the anniversary of the pontifical recognition of
the Fraternity. Over eighty people were present. |
MEXICO
Campeche
Wednesday,
February 11, at 7:30 p.m. in the church of San Juan de Dios in Campeche,
His Excellency José Maria Amescua Melgoza, Bishop
of the city, celebrated Mass for the anniversary of the pontifical
recognition of the Fraternity of CL, in the presence of about two hundred
people. During the homily the Bishop asked the leader of the Movement
in Campeche, Rodrigo León, to briefly present the experience
of the Movement, and then highlighted how the main characteristic of
CL is simply and solely to follow Christ.
At the end of the Mass the Bishop received six members of the Campeche
diaconia, to whom he expressed his wish that the Movement would grow
in faith and in numbers, and who he also invited to contribute to the
newspapers so that they could print judgments on reality that have
come to maturity from a foundation in the Catholic faith. |
NIGERIA
Maryland
Saturday, February 15, 2004, at the Maryland sanctuary
in Lagos, Nigeria, the local community celebrated the anniversary of
the Fraternity with
recitation of the holy rosary and celebration of Mass. About sixty
friends of the Movement participated. During the rosary we reflected
on fundamental passages of Fr Giussani’s letter to the Fraternity.
The Mass was celebrated by the Maryland pastor, Rev. Fr Adebayo. A
few days earlier a group of community members had visited Cardinal
A.O. Okogie, presenting him with Fr Giussani’s letter to the
Fraternity and his intention for the Mass on the occasion of the XXII
anniversary of the pontifical recognition. The Cardinal blessed those
present and all the community of Communion and Liberation. |
PARAGUAY
Asunción, San Lorenzo
In Paraguay, the members of the Asunción fraternity, together
with a large group of friends and parishioners, celebrated the XXII
anniversary of the pontifical recognition of the Fraternity with a
Mass in the parish of San Rafael, celebrated by Fr Paulino and Fr Aldo,
for Fr Giussani’s intention. Another Mass was celebrated by Fr
Danilo in the city of San Lorenzo. |
PUERTO RICO
San Juan, Ponce
Wednesday, February 11, two masses were celebrated on the occasion
of the XXII anniversary of the pontifical recognition of the Fraternity,
one in San Juan, celebrated by Fr Mario Mesa of the parish of San Juan
de la Cruz in the presence of about ten people, and another in Ponce,
celebrated by Fr Diego Di Modugno with another ten or so people. |
RUSSIA
Novosibirsk
Thursday, February 12, in the Cathedral of Novosibirsk, His
Eminence Josef Werth presided at the celebration of Mass on the occasion
of the XXII anniversary of the pontifical recognition of the Fraternity
of CL. Concelebrating with him were the priests of the San Carlo Fraternity
present in Novosibirsk, Fr Ubaldo, Fr Giampiero and Fr Francesco. About
fifty people were present, between members of the CL Fraternity, the
community of the Movement and the faithful of the Cathedral.
At the beginning of the Mass the Bishop noted the presence of many
different movements in the diocese and affirmed that only the Pope’s
recognition assures their truth as gift of God for the entire Church.
He read the intention for the Mass expressed by Fr Luigi Giussani and
prayed that the members of the Fraternity be worthy of the Pope’s
faith. The Bishop then entrusted the homily to Fr Giampiero, leader
of the Movement in Novosibirsk. After the Mass those present remained
for a brief reception with refreshments.
Saint Petersburg
The Holy Mass for the anniversary of the recognition of the Fraternity
was celebrated on February 11 in the Church of the Assumption of the
Virgin Mary in Saint Petersburg. At the Mass, concelebrated by four
priests, about fifteen people, between members of the Movement and
guests, participated. In addition, about twenty parishioners were present.
The main celebrant was Fr Pietro Scalini, who also gave the homily.
Fr Paolo Pezzi read Fr Giussani’s intention. Two priest friends,
Fr Georgij Fridman, a Russian, and Fr Jakubov Viktor, a Slovakian,
were also present. |
SPAIN
Madrid, Avila, Murcia and Gijon
The Mass for the XXII anniversary of the Fraternity in Spain was celebrated
by Javier Prades and five other priests of the Movement on February
5 at 8:45 p.m. at the parish of the Assumption of Our Lady of Madrid,
in the presence of about five hundred people. Masses were also celebrated
in Avila, Murcia and Gijon at scheduled parish Mass times. |
SWITZERLAND
Canton Ticino - Lugano
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On February 11, in the church of Saint Peter in Pambio
Noranco (near Lugano), the Mass for the XXII anniversary of the pontifical
recognition
of the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation was celebrated, with
the participation of the members of the Movement in Italian Switzerland.
The Mass was celebrated by Fr Patrizio Foletti and Fr William Volonté,
and concelebrated by Fr Luigi Pessina, Fr Giorgio Paximadi, Fr Nicola
Di Tordaro and Fr Waldema Przyklenk. The homily included the reflection
that, “The prayer intention for this holy Mass also shows us
the task tied to our vocation to holiness, that is, to be instruments
for the unity of the Church, in particular for a re-found unity between
Orthodoxy and Catholicism, that Fr Giussani does not hesitate to call
the supreme “dream” of the man Jesus of Nazareth. Certainly,
today this unity seems instead a dream, given how far it is from the
reality of the facts. And yet we pray every day for the unity of the
Church and of all Christians, so that this same Church can be a more
transparent sign of the mercy of God in the world.” There were
about one hundred fifty people present, including a good-sized group
of university students. |
TUNISIA
Tunisi
On the occasion of the XXII anniversary of the recognition
of the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation, the community of Tunisi
asked Bishop Fouad
Twal, of Tunisi, to celebrate the Holy Mass for the intention of Fr
Giussani. Since the Bishop had another commitment on February 11 for
the World Day of the Sick, the celebration was set for Friday, February
13. The Mass was celebrated in the crypt of the Cathedral of Tunisi
at 6:30 p.m., the time of the parish mass. In addition to some friends
who participate in School of Community, there were some religious and
some lay faithful. The chapel was decorated with flowers from the garden
of the Diocesan Clinic (including some branches of almond flowers!)
and a song sheet had been prepared (Tu es le Dieu fidèle; Jesu
dulcis; Je vous salue, Marie). The Bishop introduced the Mass explaining
the occasion and citing the prayer intention and, in the homily, noted
that this anniversary is a motive for gratitude for the work the Lord
has done among the members of the community over the course of these
years, and is a call to responsibility. Since the Gospel of the day
was the episode of the paralytic, Bishop Twal also invited us to allow
ourselves to be carried to Jesus and to bring him those we meet every
day. |
HUNGARY
Budapest
The Mass celebrating the XXII anniversary of the Fraternity
of Communion and Liberation was said by Cardinal Péter Erdö on
February 11 in the Cappucini Church, in the center of Budapest. About
thirty
people were present.
In his brief homily the Cardinal referred to the liturgical feast of
Our Lady of Lourdes (which falls on the same day as the anniversary)
and meditated in particular on the relationship between suffering man
and Mary. In addition, with specific reference to the Movement, he
focused on the mystery of Communion, possible also among men thanks
to that movement of love among the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
After the Mass the Cardinal remained to have dinner with the members
of the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation. |
URUGUAY
Montevideo
On February 11, in a sanctuary in the center of Montevideo,
Uruguay, the community of the Movement celebrated a Mass for the XXII
anniversary
of the pontifical recognition of the Fraternity of CL, for Fr Giussani’s
intention. The occasion was ideal for inviting friends from other movements.
About forty people were present, among them a large group of Focolare
members. The Mass was celebrated by Fr Sergio Carrion. During the homily
he cited and commented on some passages of Pope John Paul II’s
2002 message to Fr Giussani. In particular, he dwelt on the point that
the Movement indicates the road to reach the solution of man’s
existential drama. The text of the message and the recent letter of
the Holy Father to Fr Giussani, were given at the end of Mass to all
the participants, as were some copies of Hellas. |
USA
Washington, Minnesota, Dallas, Plano, Texas, New York, Kansas,
Indiana, Missouri
Last February 11, to celebrate the XXII anniversary of the pontifical
recognition of the Fraternity, some moments of prayer were organized
in the various communities of CL in the States.
The community of Washington joined together to celebrate a Holy Mass
in the Church of the Holy Cross in Kensington MD. Father Lee, during
the homily, recalled the words of Carrón in Minneapolis, “We
are a new people, and just as the water was transformed into wine by
Jesus at the wedding of Cana, so we find rebirth in a living friendship”.
The Holy Mass was concelebrated by Fr Antonio Lopez and Father Jose.
It was followed by a dinner, attended by eight Orthodox Russian friends
who Olga, a professor of Russian Literature at Georgetown University,
had met some time before. Some passages of Dostoevskij were read, leading
to an interesting discussion of freedom, and some songs from the Russian
tradition were sung. This new friendship was begun in the desire to
see realized, in Washington as well, Fr Giussani’s intention
for unity between the Church of Rome and that of Russia.
The community of Minnesota joined in prayer at the celebration of a
Holy Mass in the Church of Saint Anthony in the city of Saint Cloud.
The celebrant was Fr Bill. The Mass was followed by a celebratory gathering
of the community.
The friends of Dallas and Plano, of the Texas community, recited a
rosary in the Prince of Peace Chapel. Every decade was accompanied
by songs from the tradition of the Movement and by the reading of some
passages of the Holy Father’s letter to the Fraternity on the
occasion of the XX anniversary.
The community of New York united to celebrate a Holy Mass in Our Lady
Chapel of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. Father Rich, during the
homily, spoke of unity. Christ is the unity among us and all those
he calls. When we live unity we literally meet Christ.
The community of Kansas, Indiana and Missouri, in unity with all the
friends of the Fraternity in the world, celebrated a Holy Mass praying
for Fr Giussani’s intention. |
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