Chiara Lubich
Chiara Lubich (1920-2008) is the foundress of the Focolare Movement, a work dedicated to unity, universal fraternity, and dialogue.
Contemporaries
Figures and markers around the normalized period for this entry.
Guided reading
5 reading sections
Biography
The life of Silvia Lubich, who became Chiara, from her birth in Trento in 1920 to her death in Rocca di Papa in 2008.
Silvia Lubich was born on January 22, 1920, in Trento, in northern Italy. She was baptized on February 1, 1920, in the church of Santa Maria Maggiore under the name Silvia Maria Elvira. Her father, a socialist by conviction, lost his job under the fascist regime due to his political ideas, plunging the family into extreme poverty. To support her family and fund her studies, Silvia began working at a very young age as a primary school teacher in her hometown in the early 1940s, while enrolling in the faculty of philosophy at the University of Venice. In 1939, during a pilgrimage to the sanctuary of Loreto, she felt an initial inner call to a new vocation, which corresponded neither to the traditional convent, nor to marriage, nor to classical consecration in the world. Having become a Franciscan tertiary, she chose to adopt the name Chiara (Clare) in homage to Saint Clare of Assisi, drawn by her evangelical radicalism. On December 7, 1943, at the age of 23, she definitively consecrated her life to God through a private vow of perpetual chastity. This intimate act, performed without the initial intention of founding a work, symbolically marks the birth of the Focolare Movement. During the Second World War, as the city of Trento suffered violent bombings, Chiara and her first companions took refuge in air-raid shelters. Faced with material and moral destruction, they acquired the deep conviction that everything is vanity and that only God is the ideal that does not die. In 1944, after a particularly destructive bombing, Chiara's family had to flee the city, but she chose to remain in Trento to support her companions. They settled together in a small apartment located in Piazza Cappuccini, which became the first "focolare" (hearth). Chiara Lubich passed away on March 14, 2008, at the age of 88 in Rocca di Papa, near Rome, surrounded by members of her community. Her funeral, celebrated at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in Rome, brought together nearly 40,000 people, including numerous political representatives and religious leaders of various denominations.
Life and Work
The foundation and development of the Focolare Movement, officially known as the Work of Mary.
The work of Chiara Lubich is intrinsically linked to the foundation and development of the Focolare Movement (officially known as the "Work of Mary"). The movement is structured around the spirituality of unity, inspired by the prayer of Jesus: "That they all may be one" (Jn 17:21). From the early years, Chiara Lubich was joined by key figures who helped her give the movement its social and ecclesial dimension: Igino Giordani (1894-1980), writer, journalist, member of the Italian Constituent Assembly, and pioneer of ecumenism, considered a co-founder and the first married focolarino; and Pasquale Foresi (1929-2015), the first focolarino priest ordained in 1954, also recognized as a co-founder, who contributed to the structuring of theological studies, the creation of the Città Nuova publishing house, and the foundation of the first citadel in Loppiano. Starting in 1949, they established the "Mariapolis" (Cities of Mary), summer gatherings in the Dolomites where people of all backgrounds experienced a community life based on the Gospel. The movement spread rapidly in Europe (Austria in 1952, France in 1957), then in South America (Brazil in 1958), the United States (New York in 1961), Africa (Fontem in Cameroon in 1965), and Asia (Philippines in 1966). The Work of Mary received its first local approval in 1947 by the Archbishop of Trent, Mgr. Carlo De Ferrari. It obtained its first pontifical approval ad experimentum under the pontificate of Pope John XXIII on March 23, 1962. Pope Paul VI granted broader approval in December 1964. Finally, on June 29, 1990, the Pontifical Council for the Laity approved the general statutes of the movement. A unique feature of these statutes, approved by Pope John Paul II, is that the presidency of the movement must always be entrusted to a consecrated laywoman.
Path to Holiness
Chiara Lubich's reputation for holiness during her lifetime and the spiritual momentum following her death.
Chiara Lubich's reputation for holiness was evident during her lifetime through her global spiritual influence, her commitment to peace, and interreligious dialogue. She received numerous international distinctions, notably the UNESCO Prize for Peace Education in 1996 and the Council of Europe's Human Rights Prize in 1998. After her death in 2008, thousands of pilgrims visited her tomb located in the chapel of the Focolare Movement's International Center in Rocca di Papa. Faced with this constant spiritual momentum, the president of the movement, Maria Voce, officially requested the opening of her cause for beatification on December 7, 2013, the day of the 70th anniversary of the movement's foundation.
Beatification and canonization
The official opening of the cause for beatification in 2015 and the progress of the diocesan phase.
The cause for the beatification and canonization of Chiara Lubich was officially opened on January 27, 2015, by Bishop Raffaello Martinelli, Bishop of Frascati, during a solemn ceremony at the Cathedral of Frascati. On this occasion, Pope Francis sent a message praising the "luminous example" of her life. Since that date, Chiara Lubich has been officially declared a Servant of God. The diocesan phase of the inquiry, aimed at collecting writings and testimonies regarding the heroic nature of her virtues, concluded on November 10, 2019, at the Cathedral of Frascati. During this phase, the diocesan tribunal heard 166 witnesses and gathered a considerable amount of documentation distributed across 75 sealed boxes. This file was transmitted to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints at the Vatican for study.
Spirituality and legacy
The spirituality of unity and communion, and its legacy through dialogue and the Economy of Communion.
Chiara Lubich's spirituality, described as a "spirituality of unity" or "spirituality of communion," is based on the rediscovery of God as Love and on the radical practice of the Gospel in daily life. It is structured around two major theological pillars: unity, inspired by Jesus' testament (Jn 17:21) to build universal fraternity, and Jesus Forsaken, seeing in his cry on the cross the key to overcoming all suffering and division. This spirituality has given rise to a vast network of dialogue: ecumenical dialogue initiated as early as 1961 with Lutheran pastors in Germany; interreligious dialogue with Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus (Chiara Lubich notably spoke before Buddhist monks in Thailand and Japan, as well as at the Malcolm X Mosque in Harlem in 1997); and the Economy of Communion, a project launched in 1991 in Brazil inviting businesses to share their profits to help the poor. Today, the Focolare Movement is present in more than 180 countries and has more than 2 million members and supporters.
Frequently asked questions about Chiara Lubich
Who was Chiara Lubich?
Chiara Lubich (1920-2008) is the foundress of the Focolare Movement, a work dedicated to unity, universal fraternity, and dialogue.
Which saints were contemporaries of Chiara Lubich?
Contemporaries include: Jesús Emilio Jaramillo Monsalve, Manuela de Jesús Arias Espinosa, María Maravillas de Jesús and Jesús Antonio Gómez y Gómez.
When did Chiara Lubich die?
Chiara Lubich died around 2008.
What are the other names of Chiara Lubich?
Other forms of the name: Silvia Lubich and Silvia Maria Elvira Lubich.
Annexes & related entities
Structured data for exploration: events, miracles, quotes, places, attributes, patronages, and important entities cited in the text.
Key Events
- Era / death: 2008
- Opening of the cause by ?