From the Editors Desk

Dear readers,

Recently a young man remarked how the first things he looks for in our magazine are the real-life stories of people whose lives have been transformed by putting the Focolare spirituality of unity into practice. In a world thirsty for authentic role models, these true accounts are a unique trait of Living City.

One of these stories is Maria A. Pereira’s, co-director of the Focolare for the West Coast of the United States and a dear friend to many of us. On July 5 she completed her “holy journey” here on earth—an unexpected passing after only a few months of illness. With all her responsibilities and the concerns she must have had for the many things that perhaps she hoped to conclude, I was deeply touched when, two weeks before she died, she called me from the hospital to share ideas and suggestions regarding Living City’s circulation.

Indeed life is short. Maria reminded me in a formidable way that I have to take the opportunity offered by each present moment to give of myself totally, to carry on her legacy of love and to build universal brotherhood.

These few lines could never do justice to an entire life, a life transformed by the discovery that God loves us all immensely, a life filled with the zeal to reach unity everywhere through sincere and refined love. Her life story is worth telling—we’ll have more about her in our next issue.

September also brings memories of the terrible events of 9/11, which changed forever the lives of so many. We dedicate this issue to reports of peace-building efforts, to the values of dialogue and to the impetus of new forces of love within the Church and society. We hope you find these articles enriching.

Clare Zanzucchi