North - A River of Peace
Faith and Light is growing. And it is drawing new energy from those who, forty years ago, planted the first seeds and asked to "do what the Spirit inspires." Jean Vanier recently visited the two communities in Israel that belong to the "River of Peace" province in northern Italy.
Jean shares his joy in a recent letter: "What a marvel—this Faith and Light born at Lourdes in 1971! It continues to grow wonderfully throughout the world, encouraging so many people." While in the Holy Land to visit an Ark community, Jean met with the group at Eilaboun, a small town thirty kilometers from Nazareth, and a second group forming near Jerusalem. Both owe their existence to Sister Camelia, one of the Sisters of Nazareth, who carries the seed of Faith and Light in her heart and plants it wherever she is sent.
Camelia comes from Lebanon. In Rome, she came to know the Ark at Il Chicco; later, when she arrived at Eilaboun, she became a skilled gardener, building bridges even with Muslim brothers and sisters.
"Jean's visit brought us great joy!" Sister Camelia says, as she prepares the summer camp on the Sea of Galilee. And that joy spreads through the smile of every member of these small communities, brimming with hope.
Angela, 2012
South - Sea and Volcanoes
Our province is undertaking a journey of formation that moves through our regions.
A journey of sharing that has revealed our community—and our province, and the entire international family—as a responsibility for each of us. This realization has sent us back to our sources: the Charter and Constitution. There we are rediscovering our nature as a "movement" that transforms and evolves.
We have explored this path through a series of encounters on themes such as "My Identity as Faith and Light," "We, Called to Faithfulness," and "I and My Community." It has been a steady deepening of our belonging to Faith and Light, always remembering the personal call each of us received—some a month ago, others thirty years ago—and what we are called to today.
The pilgrimage experiences have surely opened our eyes to a new direction. It is as if our purpose has grown wider: to carry the message of Faith and Light into the world.
The testimonies of parents, young people, and friends have awakened us to how their hearts have been transformed, how many "new friends" need Faith and Light, and how much, in turn, Faith and Light needs new friends.
Carlo Gazzano, 2012
Photos from Your Community on the Faith and Light Website!
The official Faith and Light Italy website,
fedeeluce.it, lists all Italian Faith and Light communities. The information is updated regularly, but we need your help to make it even richer. Send a photo of your community, along with a brief description of when it began and what it is like today, to segreteria@fedeeluce.it