An important step together in Trastevere

by | Apr 21, 2016

85 days to Munich – the Steering Committee busy with the preparations Trastevere in Rome (Italy) is full of people… tourists, families, children, the elderly, people busy with their daily routines… Stepping away from the crowd, a small group turns towards a humble door, entrance to the seat of the Community of Sant’Egidio in Rome. […]

85 days to Munich – the Steering Committee busy with the preparations

Trastevere in Rome (Italy) is full of people… tourists, families, children, the elderly, people busy with their daily routines… Stepping away from the crowd, a small group turns towards a humble door, entrance to the seat of the Community of Sant’Egidio in Rome. An ancient Carmelite convent – like a bridge between old and new charisms – welcomes the members of the Steering Committee for their two-day work meeting. They have come together to advance the preparations for the next big-scale event of the Together for Europe project, held in Munich (Germany) from 30th June to 2nd July 2016.

Maria Voce (Emmaus), the President of the Focolare Movement, is among the first to arrive. She is welcomed with affection and respect by the members of the community hosting the meeting among whom Marco Impagliazzo, the President of the Community of Saint’Egidio. The joy of being together again only increases as friends from Germany, France and Belgium arrive, all of whom are ready to leave their preoccupations aside and to prove once again what they have experienced many times before: that unity in diversity is possible. Attentiveness, listening, sharing and integrity are all required in the demanding work on the programme, made possible also by the crucial support of the Secretariat and interpreters.

All attend the evening prayers of the hosting community in the basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere, accompanied by the melodic strains of vocal harmony that seem to echo the words of Maria Voce: whatever one Community or Movement do, they all do.

The last few hours are intense, the calendar is full, the challenges of the Munich event have not decreased and soon it is back to the airport again… Everyone leaves even more convinced than before that the lively network of Communities and Movements in Europe will gradually be able to make a greater and greater contribution to the future of our continent.

by Ilona Toth

 

0 Comments

Leave a Reply

Subscribe to Newsletter

Leave this field blank

RELATED ARTICLES

DialogUE and the ecology of relationships

DialogUE and the ecology of relationships

A few months ago a veteran of Together for Europe asked me if our network has any influence on the life of the Continent. The question surprised me, but behind the words I sensed the real question: ‘did my-our work make sense’? Last year, the European Union invited us to participate in a call that “promotes citizens’ participation and involvement in the democratic life of the EU” in these three fields: communication, social policy and ecology The webinar held on 2 March developed the latter.

Our common YES to the protection of creation

Our common YES to the protection of creation

The challenges for the protection of creation and an integral ecology are growing exponentially worldwide. On 2nd March 2024, the Together for Europe network has dedicated an entire day online to this topic. Professionals and activists from various Churches and Movements, from 9 European countries, spoke at the Seminar entitled: ‘Called to Unity – Towards an Ecology of Relationships’. An enthralling ‘journey’, in which the speakers in an atmosphere of increasing convergence presented their research and commitment to environmental protection, and then entered into dialogue with the many persons present in the ‘virtual hall’.

The event in Timisoara in 12 minutes

The event in Timisoara in 12 minutes

In November 2023, the Friends of „Together for Europe“ gathered in this city, one of the European Capitals of Culture. t was the first time the network of Christian movements met in a predominantly Orthodox nation. The 221 Christians from 29 countries representing 51 movements and communities, travelled to the Western Romanian town for three days of prayer and reflection, workshops and sharing, outreach and networking. Its main objective: building friendships across nations, charisms and Churches.
The short film gets you into the atmosphere of the meeting.