MP - Experiences

Parish Movement
Life Experiences

Sunday Mass and Parish Assembly: a vital appointment with the community
The parish of Vo’ of Brendola (Italy)

A catechesis which is life
The parish of Vargem Grande (Brazil)

The experience of community on the outskirts of Caracas, Venezuela, where mud brick houses are piled on top of each other like beehives, is a very moving one.
"In this neighbourhood, violence was part of our daily lives," people in the parish said, "but now the atmosphere has changed; there is more harmony and peace. It has taken years to get to this point but proclaiming and living the Word of God has really paid off. The spirituality of unity has gradually filtered through the parish community like a balsam, healing wounds, eliminating hatred and rebuilding relationships.
"There is a now a small group of people of the Focolare Movement who are committed to living this spirituality and to sharing it with others, conscious that their strength lies in Jesus present among them."

Many such experiences from a number of parish groups were shared at the Parish Movement Conference held in Armenia, Colombia, in March 1998.

In Armenia, in the university parish which is called "Pentecost", there has been an increased awareness that everyone is a child of God and therefore all belong to the same human family. One of the fruits of the combined efforts of both teaching staff and students is a canteen which provides hot meals daily for about forty students in need.

In a parish in Medellin, Colombia, the strong sense of communion is evident when, for example, someone in the parish is ill. The news is communicated to others in the community and volunteer assistance is immediately mobilised – to wash and iron clothes, to buy medicines, to do the shopping etc.

In Belen, Colombia, the Word of Life meetings in one of the parish communities have brought about touching episodes of forgiveness in response to violence, of reconciliation between members of families who were divided and of new friendships between neighbours who had previously been indifferent to one another.