National Convention of the Italian CLC

The 49th National Convention of the Italian CLC took place in Sassone from 1 to 4 May.

“Over 250 participants engaged in discussions on the Jubilee theme of Reconciliation, inspired by the moving testimony of Agnese Moro and Adriana Faranda, who reconciled twenty years after the assassination of Hon. Moro. The conference also featured insightful reflections on issues of war and integral ecology, presented by Fr. Mauro Bossi from Aggiornamenti Sociali.

The Jubilee pilgrimages to the Basilicas of St. Peter and St. Paul Outside the Walls were very beautiful, with the Eucharistic celebration presided over by the cardinal elector, Juan de la Caridad García Rodríguez, Archbishop of Havana, who received 15 ‘temporary and permanent commitments’ pronounced by participants from various cities. In the concluding assembly on the morning of May 4th, the new Poggeschi Community of Bologna was welcomed into the National CLC Community — young families who, along with their children, were the highlight of these days.”

“The entry of this latest group from Bologna into the National CLC Community,” Fr. Massimo Nevola SJ, the national chaplain explains, “with their many young children, is a great source of consolation for all of us.

Moreover, the fact that many of them have gone through the experience of the Spiritual Exercises in ordinary life represents a very interesting element for revitalizing new forms of community building in Italy. The journey toward a mature CLC is always diverse as evidenced by the histories of our individual groups. However, the experience of the Spiritual Exercises, the profound soul of all our actions, has always been and remains fundamental.”

There are 40 Christian Life Communities in Italy, with approximately 750 members who actively participate in formation meetings and service-giving activities. These activities embrace different areas, including spirituality, culture, and social promotion, and require a personal professional commitment.

In recent years, Italian Christian Life Communities have focused their apostolic preferences on direct service to migrants, political struggle for social justice and legality, and on pastoral care for full community integration of the divorced, separated, and LGBTQ+. They have also offered the Society their availability to manage certain houses and works.”

In Malta, there are 23 communities with about 250 members, 100 of whom are young people between the ages of 18 and 35.

Click here to visit the CLCs in Italy website.