  About us
 In the years before the Second Vatican
Council, a group of diocesan priests in Italy came into contact with the
"focolarini", lay men and women who lived Christianity in a way that appealed
strongly to all those they met. It was a Christianity which was modern, yet at the same
time radical, and it forced these priests to re-examine the way they lived.
They understood that they were face to face with a charism given by God for the good of
the whole Church at a time when strong currents of secularism were sweeping the Christian
world.
Above all, these priests made the
unexpected discovery that the life which the focolarini were living – unity achieved
through mutual love based on the Gospel – was the authentic vocation of all
Christians: to be the family of God united in the name of Jesus. As a person called by God
to serve the Church, what more could a priest want?
And so, from the earliest years of the Focolare Movement, priests have embraced its
spirituality, and in living it, have become aware of the transformation it has wrought in
their lives.
 In 1965, the Conciliar Decree
"Presbyterorum ordinis" was published. This document called all priests to live
a life of communion, that communion which priests of the Focolare Movement were already
living among themselves and with the laity. In 1966, with Chiara Lubich’s
encouragement, a school of formation for priests, focussed on the spirituality of unity,
was founded in Rome.
On that occasion, Chiara said: "If priests could learn how to set aside
everything, even their very priesthood, to ensure the presence of Jesus amongst them, and
live like children of the kingdom of God, then ultimately Jesus will transform them into
‘new’ priests, with a ‘new’ pastoral approach, and there will be
‘new’ seminaries… And if they are also united to the lay section of the
Movement, this will give rise to what I would call the ‘Church-City’ or
‘Church-Society’ capable of showing the world what it could be like if it was
purified by Jesus, by the Gospel… Here we are laying the foundation stone of a
reality which blossomed after Vatican II but which originated before the Council. Its
roots are in God who brought this Movement to life. We can offer the world ‘new
priests’ who are ‘new’ because they live the New Commandment which
transforms every aspect of life."
Priests who live the spirituality of the Focolare Movement continue to fulfil their duties
in their diocese because this spirituality of unity does not detract in any way from their
diocesan priesthood. On the contrary, it helps the priests of the diocese to be more
united among themselves and with their bishops. Since it is essentially a communitarian
spirituality, the priests of the Focolare Movement, where possible, seek to live a
communal life with the bishop’s consent. This is very fruitful for their spiritual
life and for their apostolate. But even the priests who live alone, because of the demands
of their ministry, still feel part of a family. They use every means of communication to
share what they’re living with the other priests. In sharing their experiences of
living the Gospel with one another, in discussing their programs, in asking and offering
advice and so on, they do everything in such a way that their life is guided by Jesus in
their midst (Matt. 18:20). In the Priests Movement what is important is not the
organisational aspect but living a particular style of life based on unity.
Where we are
present
Today, about 3,000 Catholic
priests and ministers of other Christian denominations, from 120 countries and all five
continents, are committed to living the spirituality of unity of the Focolare Movement.
Another 17,000 priests adhere to this spirituality. There are schools of formation for
priests in Loppiano, Italy, and in Tagaytay, in the Philippines. Another will soon begin
functioning in Nairobi.
Conferences for priests are held each year on a local and international level. These
provide an opportunity for priests to share their personal experiences and to deepen
theological themes in the light of the spirituality of unity.
 April 1982 marked an important milestone in the story of the Priests movement:
7,000 diocesan and order priests attended a huge international congress for priests of the
Focolare Movement held in the Vatican. In her address, Chiara Lubich spoke of
"today’s priest" as "a person of dialogue". During the
concelebrated Mass, referred to by the Vatican newspaper Osservatore Romano as
"the biggest concelebration in history", Pope John Paul II, in his homily,
stressed the importance of living the key points of the spirituality of the Focolare
Movement: "Jesus Crucified and Forsaken" and "Unity in Charity".
The seminarians of the Focolare Movement, publish a magazine called Gens.
The Italian edition has a circulation of 3,000. It is published in Italian, English,
Portuguese, Spanish, German, French and Chinese.
The Focolare
Movement’s Priests Centre in Rome, which coordinates activities worldwide, is located
at:
Via Anagnina 337, C.P. 21,
00046 Grottaferrata (Rome)
ITALY
Tel: +39-06-94 31 55 60
Fax: +39-06-94 13 127
Email: centro.sac.foc@microelettra.it
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