Focolare Movement

Focolare Movement
Established1943; 81 years ago (1943)
TypeRoman Catholic new religious movement
PurposeUniversal brother/sisterhood
HeadquartersVia Frascati, 306 – 00040
Rocca di Papa, Rome, Italy
Region served
Worldwide, 182 nations[1]
Founder
Chiara Lubich
President
Margaret Karram
Main organ
Città Nuova, 37 editions worldwide[2]
WebsiteFocolare
Chiara Lubich, founder of the Focolare Movement

The Focolare Movement is an international organisation and Christian new religious movement that promotes the ideals of unity and universal brother/sisterhood grounded in the Golden Rule. It was founded by then elementary school teacher Chiara Lubich in 1943 in Trento, Northern Italy as a Roman Catholic lay movement; it remains largely Roman Catholic but has strong links and has member of many major Christian denominations, other religions and non-religious people.

The Focolare Movement operates in more than 180 nations, has over 140,440 members and more than 4 million sympathisers.[3] The word "Focolare" is Italian for "family fireside".[4] While the term Focolare is the common sobriquet of the international organisation, its official name by the International Association of the Faithful of Pontifical Right, approved only in 1990, was "Opus Mariae" (Work of Mary) .[5]

  1. ^ "History". Focolare Movement. 11 June 2010. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  2. ^ Citta Nuova. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
  3. ^ "Opera di Maria". www.laici.va. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  4. ^ "focolare - Dizionario italiano-inglese WordReference". wordreference.com.
  5. ^ "International Associations of the Faithful, Directory - Pontifical Councils for the Laity". www.vatican.va. Retrieved 12 July 2017.