by Beatriz Lauenroth | 15 Jun 2022 | News
Empowering Europe
On the weekend of 10-12 June 2022, Empowering Europe (https://empoweringeurope.org) organized a long-awaited in presence meeting for its members after the Corona pandemic.
For this meeting, the young Movement (founded in 2018) chose the Conference Centre of the Focolare Movement in the Netherlands (https://www.focolare.org/nederland/).
The days were marked by a deep encounter with God and with each other. The friendship of the two Movements, which are both involved in together4europe, also left its mark on the meeting.
“We were able to look into the heart of Jesus”, said one of the participants at the end. And another one: “It was an immersion in the Spirit of God. We go back to our everyday lives strengthened and refreshed.”
Beatriz Lauenroth
by Beatriz Lauenroth | 25 May 2022 | 2022 Europe Day, Austria, News
May 9, 2022: a European expression
Once again, this year many original initiatives were organized to mark May 9, Europe Day. The following are just glimpses of some of them.
A trans-borders meeting was held in France and Germany. From Strasbourg (France) the one-hour walk under the banner ‘For a peaceful Europe’ ended at the Church of Peace in Kehl (Germany). At the end of the event, one of the 200 participants stated: “This day will be remembered for a long time. Together we offered a sign of unity and celebrated hope for all Europe”.
The EU declared 2022 as the European Year of Youth. Thus, Together for Europe in Italy focused on “Education” to mark May 9. The online sharing of experiences between young and old persons clearly showed that there exists a mutual dependence between the two for a happy and successful life. The meeting was followed by about 1,800 persons.
About 300 persons from Austria, Hungary, Croatia and Switzerland met in Graz (Austria). Friends from Slovakia, Slovenia and Italy sent their greetings. The meeting reach its climax in the afternoons with a common prayer for peace. The participants then responded generously to the appeal for donations in favour of a project to support Ukrainian refugees near the border with Hungary.
In Munich (Bavaria), Together for Europe went up a panoramic wheel. The gondolas performed numerous rotations, always with eight persons on board – who held a conversation and a meeting at high altitude!
Beatriz Lauenroth
by Beatriz Lauenroth | 4 May 2022 | Experiences, reflections and interviews, News
The Steering Committee of Together for Europe (TfE) met in Munich
The Munich YMCA hosted the annual gathering of the TfE Steering Committee which was attended by 20 members and several invited guests, from 27 to 29 April 2022.
The participants experienced a wave of fresh air that was brought about by the young adults belonging to the European Network of Communities (ENC), the YMCA, the Focolare and the Schönstatt Movements: they wanted to reflect with the first generation of the network upon the future of ‘Together’. The guests carried out their task with delicacy and respect. Mária Špesová (ENC) from Slovakia said: “In TfE I see something sacred that grew in these 20 plus years. I feel invited to enter this rich experience on my tiptoes”. Also, Georges El Hage (Syndesmos): “Here I feel free to express my thoughts and people listen attentively. We are welcomed with great trust”.
Program
The program of these days included numerous spiritual inputs, prayers and a lively exchange of ideas. The recurrent topic was the war in Ukraine. During the first evening, several persons from Ukraine, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Italy, Poland and Slovenia were linked via zoom to share their experiences of practical help. An Italian participant affirmed: “We are seeing the birth of a new Europe based on solidarity”. And Zsuzsanna Klemencz (Sant’Egidio/Hungary) stated: “We ought to disarm ourselves and let others disarm us. How? By putting aside our arrogance and our hatred”. According to this Hungarian, this is what true disarmament means; this will give rise to a “peaceful people”, disarmed to win the war. Franꞔois Deloors (Sant’Egidio/Belgium) added: “This is the attitude that we strive to constantly put in practice between us, and thus, as TfE, we can offer it to Europe and the entire world”.
Porto 2022 and Timisoara 2023
“Here I feel at home” was the comment offered by Clotilde Pestana of the Schönstatt Movement. She travelled to Munich with another member of the National Committee of Portugal to help out in the preparation for the “Meeting of the Friends” scheduled for November 2022 in Porto. “Portugal has a lot to offer to Europe: openness, hospitality and a rich culture”. These are but a few of the reasons to hold the 2022 ‘Meeting of the Friends” in the Country on the far western side of Europe.
In 2023, the ‘Meeting of the Friends’ will be held in Romania, in Timisoara. Ilona Toth of the Steering Committee updated us regarding the many conversations and meetings she had in Romania. The encounter with the Orthodox world and the multicultural reality of Eastern Europe, among others, require a detailed and in-depth preparation.
Witnesses for humanity
During the meeting it became ever more clear that TfE, faced with the great sufferings in Europe and in the world, is called to support the “incomplete” and to go down the rifts of humanity, which are injustice, hatred and war.
Thomas Römer (YMCA Munich) underlined: “Indeed, most probably we are living through a change of epoch, an epochal upheaval, so to speak. Let’s not allow evil to win, but let’s defeat it with good”.
As Römer noted, death and resurrection are entwined in the history of humanity. He was introducing the participants to the renewal of the Pact of Mutual Love, based on Jn 13, 34. With fraternal encounters with the Risen Lord in the midst, TfE continually witnesses hope for humanity.
Beatriz Lauenroth
Photo: Diego Goller / Group photo: Thomas Barthel, YMCA Munich
by Beatriz Lauenroth | 2 May 2022 | 2022 Europe Day
On 8 May a cross-border march from Strasbourg to Kehl
On Sunday 8 May 2022, a peace march by foot will start in Strasbourg, leading from Alsace (France) to Germany. “We want to give courage and hope to the people of Europe”. So declares the National Committee of the Together for Europe, France. “Against the background of the many wars, we want to use our own history to remind people that reconciliation is possible.”
The march starts at 5 pm in Strasbourg and ends after 1.5 km in the Friedenskirche in Kehl with an ecumenical prayer. After the prayer – by offering a drink – there will be some more possibility for all participants to meet each other.
Europe Day in Lyon, Monday 9 May 2022
An evening of testimonies and prayers around the 7 ‘YES’ to Europe will take place.
by Beatriz Lauenroth | 24 Feb 2022 | Experiences, reflections and interviews, News
Great preoccupations for peace: Europe prays and keeps on hoping
Many initiatives of prayer imploring peace are multiplying all over the Continent, starting from the Countries that are directly involved.
Our network Together for Europe, too, has rallied in this sense and has adhered to this great current of prayer for peace.
We would like to point out this initiative: an evening during which we can meet, understand better and pray. We will be linked to some Ukrainian brothers and sisters, to listen to them and pray together for peace (in German and English)
Wednesday, March 2, 2022, 7 p.m. – 8.30 p.m. (CET) via Zoom
(One needs to register at this address: mfe2021@web.de)
Beatriz Lauenroth
Photo: Ilona Toth
