Focolare General Assembly

Dear Readers,

As we went to press, the results came in for the Focolare General Assembly’s election of a new president to succeed Chiara Lubich, who died March 14. Congratulations to Maria Voce and Giancarlo Faletti, the movement’s newly elected president and co-president. According to the general statutes of the Work of Mary (the movement’s official name), the president will always be a woman and her counterpart a focolarino priest.

Shortly after her election, Voce granted an interview with Cittá Nuova that you will find in this issue, giving our readers the opportunity to get to know her as she assumes the task of carrying forward Chiara’s legacy with love and determination.

The General Assembly’s choices were immediately communicated to Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, who gave the official confirmation of the Church. “May [they] carry out in a fruitful manner their tasks in absolute fidelity to the charism received from Chiara Lubich, founder and first president of the Work of Mary, following the ideal of unity, which is the ardent desire expressed by Jesus and the primary goal of the movement,” he said.

This October we’re looking forward to the opening of Sophia Institute University, the Focolare’s master’s and doctoral degree program that will begin in Loppiano, Italy. Imagine an education centered on the relationship between various disciplines that emphasizes both academics and community life; a unique opportunity for personal and intellectual growth in service to society. Chiara’s longtime dream is becoming reality.

Enjoy this issue, and we look forward to joining you again in the fall.

--Clare Zanzucchi, Editor