“Mutual and constant love, which makes unity possible and brings the presence of Jesus among all, is, for those who are part of the Work of Mary, the basis for their life under every aspect: it is the norm of norms, the premise to every other rule.” - Chiara Lubich
The Focolare Movement is a lay Catholic movement founded in 1943 in Trent, Italy by Chiara Lubich, who consecrated her life to God a
nd subsequently inspired many young people to do the same. Today the Movement is present in 194 nations, with more than 2 million adherents from different vocations - from children and young people to families, priests and the religious - and at every level of society - politicians, academics, businessmen, professionals and students. The charism of the Focolare Movement, officially known in the Church as Opera di Maria (The Work of Mary) is unity. This unity, that which Jesus prayed for the night before He died (Jn 17:21) forms the core of the Movement’s spirituality of communion. The Movement’s members commit themselves to put into practice the Gospel, illuminated by the spirituality of communion. They undergo formation in ‘units’, made up of two or more people who are in similar stages of life. For example, young people aged 17 to 30 make up the branch of the Gen 2, or New Generation. Meanwhile, working adults who want to bring the spirituality of communion into their various workplaces form the Volunteers branch. There are other branches for children, families, the priests and religious. Following its charism, the Movement prefers to give a communitarian witness, such as through international days or conferences; the annual gatherings in cities all over the world called ‘Mariapolis’; and in the Movement’s ‘little towns’ where the rule governing all is Jesus’ new commandment of love for one another. The Focolare Movement has a publishing house Citta Nuova, which puts out magazines and publishes books on the spirituality, and its applications in politics, sociology, media and so on. The Movement gives special emphasis to dialogue: Christian ecumenism; among believers of different religions; with those who do not have any specific religious conviction and with contemporary culture. In Singapore, the Focolare Movement has about 100 active members under the zone comprising Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. The zone’s centre is based in Jogjakarta, and is led by two lay consecrated individuals. We are active in interreligious dialogue through the Archdiocese. We are an affiliate of Charis, where we work with other Catholic organisations. We have been active in the parishes of Holy Spirit, St Anthony, and St Stephen. We organise activities for the youth and families and hold our annual Mariapolis gatherings in June in Johor Bahru. We also have monthly meetings based on the Word of Life, or a phrase from the Gospel, where we share our experiences on how we have put the Gospel into practice. For our community of adherents in Singapore, we meet every quarter for formation. https://fb.watch/8r_LwvUhpZ/
Some of the bigger initiatives that we have organised over the years include reconstruction programmes in Bantul, Aceh, and Jogjakarata in Indonesia, following major natural disasters such as the 2006 earthquake and tsunami. We have an active programme in Batam with a social centre that supports the education of the underprivileged children and their families. See our involvement: https://charis-singapore.org/web/index.php/focolare
Focolare Movement - Zone of Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore
Singapore representatives:
Pedro Furtado
Esther Lim
https://www.catholic.sg/directory/singapore_catholic_church/organisation-contact-details-information/?gr3ApI=39
https://www.focolare.org/en/
Those in Singapore are invited for the monthly Word of Life Gatherings every 1st Sunday of the Month.
