The parish community begins to experience a strong missionary impulse and becomes open to ecumenical dialogue, to dialogue with other religions and to dialogue with those who have no religious affiliation.

A pastoral program, born from unity, carried out in unity and creating unity, begins to take shape. The presence of Jesus in the midst of the community, fruit of fraternal charity, brings the liturgy alive and draws people back to the sacraments, especially to the Eucharist. Catechesis focuses on living the Word in everyday life and encouraging greater participation in parish life. Motivated by love, the parish community reaches out to the marginalised within their boundaries. A new mentality – a gospel mentality – spreads little by little. A style of life which is communitarian gradually transforms all the relationships between priests and the laity, among movements and groups. This is happening in many parishes, and also at the level of the diocese, in some parts of Italy.

At the heart of this transformation of the parish community is a group of people – priests and lay people, youth and adults – who live the spirituality of unity and spread it in the parish community to which they are dedicated. Since they are fully part of the structures and activities of the parish, they work in full unity with the parish priest.

The Parish Movement started in 1966 with the encouragement of Pope Paul VI. Priests and lay people committed in the parish, who lived the spirituality of the Focolare, felt that this spirit could renew not only their personal life, but could also revitalise their parish communities with that communion which characterised the early Christian communities.

The Parish Movement started initially in a totally unplanned way, coming to life in different parts of Italy and some other countries. It started with small groups of people, usually with their parish priest, who began to live the Word and who made a commitment to live mutual love among themselves and irradiate this love wherever they were working. In this way, the first parish communities animated by this spirit come to life.


In 1986 the first international meeting of the Parish Movement was held in the Vatican with 7000 participants from 40 different countries.

In his address to them, Pope Paul VI said: "By striving to faithfully assimilate the specific characteristics of spiritual life, and at the same time by remaining closely united to your priests and bishops, you can authentically become a leaven in your parishes. (…) You can be a cement of unity among all the components, groups and associations of your parish communities."