This article dates from 2003. For current updates on Faith and Light communities worldwide, click here.
From September 22 to 29, 2002, the hills of Rome hosted the International Assembly of Faith and Light at the "Better World" center. Two hundred thirty participants gathered—parents, friends, and 60 companions from diverse Christian traditions: Roman Catholics, Maronites, Greek Catholics, Coptic Orthodox, Syriac Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Anglicans, Lutherans, and Methodists. They came from 76 countries.
The assembly elected a new International Coordinator: Viviane Le Polain, a Belgian mother of Laurent, who alongside Roy Moussally of Damascus—the new vice-coordinator—accepted the responsibility of representing Faith and Light globally for the next four years.
Once again, participants recognized that Faith and Light, with its 1,454 communities spread across 77 countries, moves through time and history. That reality demands growth and renewal to meet the increasingly urgent needs of the movement.
A key priority emerged: deepening bonds between neighboring countries to enable exchange, formation, mentorship, and mutual support as both established and newly founded communities continue their growth.
To address this, Faith and Light introduced a new continental structure:
- America
- Africa
- Asia South Cross
- Europe Northeast
- Europe Atlantic-Danube
- Europe Middle East
Europe required the most substantial reorganization to reflect its diverse organizational needs. Three major zones were redefined within the European regions.
EUROPE NORTHEAST
Zone 1 - Northern Europe: Ireland, Scotland, Northern England, Southern England, Wales, Norway, Sweden, Denmark
Zone 2 - Poland: Northern Poland, Western Poland, Central-Eastern Poland, Southern Poland
Zone 3 - Northeastern Europe: Czech Republic, Slovakia, Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine, Georgia
EUROPE ATLANTIC-DANUBE
Zone 1 - Atlantic Europe: Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar
Zone 2 - France: Northern France, Central France, Western France, Eastern France, France between two seas, Rhone Valley North, Rhone Valley South, Paris, Ile de France West
Zone 3 - Danube Europe: Austria, Hungary, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Romania (Romanian-speaking), Romania (Hungarian-speaking)
EUROPE MIDDLE EAST
Zone 1 - Alps Mediterranean: Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Greece, Cyprus
Zone 2 - Middle East: Northern Lebanon, Southeastern Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt
— See also: Faith and Light in Africa
Italy, therefore, belongs to the Alps Mediterranean zone, part of the Europe Middle East "continent."
We Italians live in a zone where old and new realities intersect. Communities here learn from one another and offer encouragement, yet sometimes one rhythm risks outpacing the other. Switzerland and Italy carry the richness of decades of experience, but also the weight of maturity. Providence has placed alongside them younger nations—Croatia and Slovenia—still radiating the fresh enthusiasm of those newly begun. All share the same passion and desire to walk this journey together, exchanging and supporting each other: some offering consolidated experience, others bringing living enthusiasm. The Rome assembly gave us the chance to greet friends from Austria, Hungary, Vojvodina, and Romania, who belonged to our former Alps Danube zone. After five years of accompaniment and friendship, they are surely ready to walk their own path forward. We are learning to "release" some countries and welcome others—Greece and Cyprus among them. We will come to know each other better next summer when we meet as Europe Middle East for the formation week for our continent's regional coordinators.
Last month, to prepare, three of us traveled to Beirut: Maurizio from Rome, Marija from Ljubljana, and I. Together we discovered something that transcends language and culture: the same warmth in welcoming those who are most vulnerable, the same care in sharing, the same vibrant sense of belonging to one great family.
— Lucia Casella, 2003
