SacredSpace102fm - Focolare Families - 7 July 2013 - a podcast by Come & See Inspirations team

On this weeks programme we are joined by Paula Murphy and her family and friends who share with us what it means to them as a family to be involved with Focolare.

Focolare was founded by Chiara Lubich in Trent, Northern Italy in 1944. During the Second World War, Chiara and a group of her friends, would read the Gospel together as they took refuge in the air-raid shelter each night and started to put the Gospel into action in their lives. The word Focolare means 'hearth' and those involved in the movement came to be known as focolarini, 'people of fire'. This nickname is appropriate because "there, even in the midst of the appalling destruction of the war, there was a joy, a light" (Susan Gately, God's Surprise).

In living the Gospel, especially the call of John 17:21 "Father, may they all be one", the Focolare movement involves a strong inter-faith dimension and follows a communitarian spirituality which places a "deep emphasis on the communitarian dimension of Christian life" (See HERE). You will find more about Chiara HERE and the history of the Focolare movement HERE. 

On this week’s programme we are joined by Paula Murphy, Martina Gorham and Catherine Treacy and their children who shared the support they received from Focolare in nurturing their families’ faith.  At each gathering, the families gather to celebrate the Eucharist and family members go into their own particular group depending on age and gender to receive a little teaching and share how they can apply this to their lives.  The families then have a picnic together and a time for recreation.   

The Focolare meetings are an important way of helping adults and children to live the Gospel in a practical authentic way. For example, the children spoke about the Baby Jesus project where Focolare made little cribs with the Baby Jesus to give to people during Advent as a form of evangelisation. The children also showed us how to roll the Cube of Love and how this helps them to live the Gospel message of love in their everyday lives.

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