On the 7th and 8th of June, countless groups of faithful operating within the Church shared their experience of service to religious, spiritual, and social life.
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More than 70 thousand members of various Ecclesial Movements and Associations, from over a hundred different countries came to Rome to celebrate their two-day-long Jubilee. These movements arise from a spiritual charism and sense of mission, often with a lay driven focus.
Giuseppe Notarstefano, President of “Azione Cattolica Italianam” commented:
“First of all, it is for us a great occasion of grace, to be able to walk together. And to remind ourselves that the commitment of associations is to walk together. Together with St. Augustine, to walk and to sing together, singing to give thanks, because truly these days and these encounters reveal to us the abundance we have.”
The “Azione Cattolica Italiana,” approved by the Pope Pius IX in 1868, is one of the oldest Church movements that has been offering a path of human and spiritual growth to all ages and is one of the most active lay associations worldwide, counting 400,000 members and more than a million participants in activities.
Marija Cachia, President of “Azione Cattolica Malta,” added:
“From Italian Catholic Action in the various countries, we take with us and bring here our cultures, our languages, our diversity. But in this diversity, we are one Catholic Action, Azione Cattolica. And here, we experience the universality of the Church. With all these differences, we are one People of God.”
We are one People of God: this was the profound meaning of the Jubilee of Ecclesial Movements held here in Rome. It resonates deeply with the guiding theme of the new pontificate, rooted in the Augustinian tradition: In illo uno unum — In the One, we are one.
Press Officer “Focolare” Movement Aurelio Molè noted:
“Our new pope has already mentioned in all his speeches the word unity more than twenty times and then in his own motto he invokes precisely: In the one Jesus: We are all one.”
For Aurelio Molè the main challenge is to walk together:
“We are now in this phase where the movements have had some downsizing, after their growth, the initial energizing phase. Now they have to walk more and more together, move forward united, because the great challenges of peace, ecological conversion, the poor, migration, can only be carried forward in a network. One with the other.”
The Jubilee began on Saturday when in the afternoon the participants gathered in St. Peter’s Square waiting for the Prayer Vigil with Pope Leo on the eve of Pentecost.
That was a time of celebration and reflection animated by a choir of 130 people from all over the world and enriched by the testimonies of members of different Church movements. Among them were Pedro and Maria Begona Sanchez, from the Neocatechumenal Way, parents of 12 children and missionary spouses in Ukraine.
Pedro shared, “We have offered, so to speak, our life for the Church where there is need, we have already been in Ukraine for 15 years, Pope Benedict XVI sent us to Donieck and after two years there he moved us to Kiev and we are still there. We have seen that this is also the Providence of God that continues to be with us and help us in our marriage.”
The Neocatechumenal Way is often described as a journey of faith formation—a tool for ongoing catechesis—offered in service to bishops and pastors, especially through its vibrant presence in parishes, as exemplified by the work of Pedro and Begonia.
Begonia added, “Faith is a light for the world, because we live the faith through this charism, which has the vocation not to seek those who already believe, but to call out to those who are far from the faith. That’s why we are also in Ukraine. And that’s why I always say that if I hadn’t come to know the faith through the Way, maybe I wouldn’t even be in the Church—because I was very broken, and the Lord chose this concrete reality.”
On Saturday evening in St. Peter’s Square, the Holy Father presided over the Pentecost Vigil—the spiritual heart of this Jubilee event and a powerful sign of the unity and diversity of the Spirit’s gifts in the Church, made visible through the participation of numerous ecclesial movements from around the world.
The Pope urged:
“In a divided and troubled world, the Holy Spirit teaches us to walk together in unity. The earth will rest, justice will prevail, the poor will rejoice and peace will return, once we no longer act as predators but as pilgrims. No longer each of us for ourselves, but walking alongside one another.”
The fulfillment of the mission of ecclesial movements—in evangelization, service, and the promotion of faith—depends on a shared sense of unity. These movements play a vital role in the Church’s growth and in advancing a more just and united world, especially during this Jubilee of Hope, which calls for renewed commitment and optimism.
Notarstefano highlighted:
“Hope is not an easy optimism. In this time it is difficult to be men and women of hope. For us, hope is a person, it is Jesus Christ. And we know that for us to hope means to live as the Lord has shown us and thus to be witnesses of his Gospel today.”
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Adapted by Jacob Stein
Produced by Alexey Gotovosky; Camera by Sergio Natoli, Alberto Basile
