Communion and Liberation – Page 5

Pope speaks to the Fraternity of Saint Charles Borromeo, Fr Paolo Sottopietra elected new superior

At the end of the Pope’s General Audience on Wednesday, 6 February, Benedict XVI received in the Paul VI Hall the participants of the 12th General Assembly of the Fraternity of Saint Charles Borromeo. They had just elected a new Superior General, Father Paolo Sottopietra, 45. Father Sottopietra is the second Superior General following the founder and Superior General the Most Reverend Massimo Camisasca who was ordained bishop for the Diocese of Reggio Emilia on 7 December. Camisasca served as the leader for 27 years. The Fraternity developed from the charism of the Servant of God Father Luigi Giussani and the ecclesial movement Communion and Liberation.

Present at the papal audience were Bishop Massimo Camisasca, FSCB and Father Julián Carrón.

The Holy Father’s address

It gives me great joy to be with you. I remember well my visits to Palazzo Borromeo, next to St. Mary’s Major Basilica, where I personally met Fr. Giussani; I have known his faith, his joy, his strength and the richness of his ideas, the creativity of his faith. A true friendship developed between us; and so, through him I got to know even better the community of Communion and Liberation.

And I am glad that his successor is with us, who continues this great work and inspires so many people, so many lay people, men and women, priests and laity, to collaborate in spreading the Gospel and the growth of the Kingdom of God. And among you I have also had the opportunity to get to know Massimo Camisasca; we have talked about different things; I have gotten to know his creativity in art, his ability to see, to interpret the signs of the times, his great gift as a teacher, a priest. I once even had the honor to ordain some priests in Porto Santa Rufina, and it was nice to know that here a new Priestly Fraternity is arising in the spirit of St. Charles Borromeo, who always remains the great model of a Pastor who is truly stimulated by the love of Christ, who seeks out the small, who loves them and so truly creates faith and builds up the Church.

Now your Fraternity is large, and it is a sign that there are vocations. But there is also a need to be open to finding, accompanying, guiding and helping vocations mature. This is the thing for which I thank Don Camisasca, who has been a great educator. And today, education is always important to the growth of the truth, for us to grow in our status as children of God and brothers of Jesus Christ.

Now, thanks be to God, I have also known for a long time your new Superior General, who has also been in touch somewhat with my theology. So, I am glad that I can be spiritually and intellectually with you and that we can offer fruitful help to each other through our work.

May the Lord bless you all. I thank the Lord for this gift of your Fraternity: may it grow and deepen always, even more in the love of Christ, in the love of men for Christ. The Lord accompanies you.

Pictures of the meeting with Pope Benedict

Continue reading Pope speaks to the Fraternity of Saint Charles Borromeo, Fr Paolo Sottopietra elected new superior

New York Encounter 2013: Experiencing Freedom

The bishops of
the United States have courageously chosen religious freedom as the cultural
expression of our Church’s response to the Holy Father’s call for a Year of Faith.

The New York
Encounter 2013, whose theme will indeed be Freedom – not just religious
freedom, but the experience of what we call “freedom.” The New York
Encounter (NYE) is a cultural festival, open to the public which will take
place January 18-20, 2013 at the Manhattan Center (34th Street and 8th Avenue).

NYE
is an initiative of members of the international Catholic movement Communion
and Liberation who seek to live the Catholic faith guided by the charism of the
Servant of God Monsignor Luigi Giussani.

The mystery of faith in a secular age is
at the heart of his teaching. Following Monsignor Giussani’s example, the
methodology of NYE is based on the experience of our humanity rather than a
purely intellectual presentation. As Saint Augustine expressed, it is one of
“confession” rather than “presumption.”

Among the various
events, all listed in the enclosed brochure, I would like to emphasize the
following two:

On Saturday, January 19, 2013, at 5:00 p.m., Mr. Paul Bhatti,
Pakistan’s Minister for National Harmony, will offer an eyewitness account of
the life of his brother Shahbaz Bhatti, the Pakistani Minister for Minority
Affairs who was murdered in 2011 for defending religious freedom in his
country. A real contemporary Catholic martyr!

On Sunday, January 20, 2013 at
2:00 p.m. there will be a meeting titled Faith, Soul of Life. In a time when society is no longer
Christian, from where do we begin again? Father Julián Carrón, President of the
Fraternity of Communion and Liberation (who participated in the recent Synod of
the Bishops in Rome), and Father Peter Cameron, OP, Editor-in-Chief of Magnificat,
will address this fundamental question in light of the Pope’s writings for the
Year of Faith.

Convenient List of Events: Experiencing Freedom 2013 NYE Events.pdf
Program: NYE 2013 – Program.pdf

Massimo Camisasca, FSCB, ordained bishop

On Friday, Monsignor Massimo Camisasca, FSCB, 66, was ordained a bishop at Basilica of Saint John the Lateran (the cathedral of the Bishop of Rome) by Cardinal Carlo Caffarra, Archbishop Adriano Bernardini and Bishop Adriano Caprioli.

Camisasca is now the bishop of Reggio Emilia-Guastalla, a diocese that has had a bishop since the first century. The bishop is the founder and until his episcopal election was the superior general of the Fraternity of Saint Charles Borromeo, which follows the charism of the Servant of God Father Luigi Giussani (& Communion and Liberation).

Bishop Massimo said of his new ministry,

This is the fundamental reason for my episcopate: to
announce Christ, the Son of God made man, who underwent the Passion and the
Cross for love of us, is risen and so is living, and acts in the history of
mankind with the attractive force of his divine humanity through his Body in
history, which is the Christian people, his Church.

Massimo Camisasca, FSCB

Bishop of Reggio Emilia-Guastalla, Italy

Ordained to the episcopate, December 7, 2012

Perhaps what Bishop Massimo clarifies a little what Blessed John Paul said about CL,

Communion
and Liberation, therefore, has chosen and chooses to indicate not a road, but
the road toward a solution to this existential drama. The road, as you have
affirmed so many times, is Christ. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, who
reaches the person in his day-to-day existence.

Bishop Massimo is one of two bishops who are members of the Fraternity of Saint Charles Borromeo and 15 other bishops who follow the charism of the Servant of God Father Luigi Giussani and the life of Communion and Liberation.

Veni Sancte Spiritus.

Veni per Mariam.

New York Encounter 2013 – Experiencing Freedom

The New York Encounter 2013 is forthcoming on 18-20
January 2013. The theme for this year’s Encounter is “Experiencing Freedom.”

Our friends in the ecclesial movement of Communion and Liberation have put
together a wonderful moment of witness and education. Please find information
for the New York Encounter from the organizers.

The proposed Program NYE 2013.pdf

Communion and Liberation following the closely the Pope’s teaching

Those of us who follow Communion and Liberation already know what is ahead of us for the Year of Faith: we will closely follow the teachings of Pope Benedict for the Year of Faith.

Father Julián Carrón, President of the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation told us several weeks ago that a good portion of our work in the School of Community in the coming year will focus on what Pope Benedict says in his General Audiences given on Wednesdays.

Rome Reports has video news.

The texts of the Pope’s teachings will be found on Zenit news, or posted on the Vatican webpage.

The Pittsburgh Encounter 2012

More info here: Pittsburgh Encounter 2012 Schedule.pdf

“May it become […] habitual to perceive in all
things – in everything, from the boughs of the tree to the hairs of the person
you like — the presence of the Mystery that became a man in flesh and blood…
Getting used to seeing this in everything is a history that God allowed you to
begin.”

Servant of God Father Luigi Giussani

Elections 2012 – A Call to Build Anew

As the 2012 elections draw near, we are all encouraged to evaluate where we stand and where we’re heading as a country, since we all belong to one nation that has a common good. Particularly in this moment, when so many of our fellow countrymen suffer from unemployment and economic distress, we know that many long for improvement in their lives. All the same, we don’t believe this election will magically solve the gravest problems that America faces. Legislation, policies, and programs–no matter how perfect–depend on the freedom of flawed human beings like us.

Continue reading Elections 2012 – A Call to Build Anew

Msgr. Lorenzo Albacete

Michael Sean Winters’ op-ed pieces aren’t always to my liking. But so what. We all don’t have to agree, do we? There are time writes that he does write some informative articles. Since a friend sent me this NCR article on a friend, Monsignor Lorenzo Albacete, I thought I would post it here for others who may have missed the original June 28, 2012 posting.

Winters writes, “Msgr. Albacete introduced me to many of the people I
now consider dear friends. Of course, there are the good people of Communione e
Liberazione, who have a charism for friendship.” Yes. He did. Thanks be to God for Lorenzo.

In case you’ve not read Msgr. Albacete’s book, God at the Ritz, please do so. You’ll find it good, challenging and helpful for the spiritual life.

Life as Vocation, Life with Christ is our new beginning

Last Sunday many of the communities of Communion and Liberation around the USA met for a “Beginning Day”. We met in NYC to hear the national leader of CL, Chris Bacich, make a presentation, to listen to Father Julián Carrón’s presentation and to pray the Mass. About 100 CL in NY attended. Notes on the Day later. But in the meantime, expect a journey, not a miracle; journey in faith is made in experience of what Jesus gives us to live.

Father Julián Carrón’s text is available here: Life as Vocation 2012 eng.pdf

Our work in the School of Community and in the life of the community only is made possible if we beg the Holy Spirit to guide our steps. Our prayer, then, is Veni, creator Spiritus, mentes tuorum vista, imple superna gratia, quæ tu creasti pectora.