by Paolo Lòriga
Mostly from Eastern Europe, 60 young people came to the little town to discover their vocation to love.
Yes, they are always the same. They arrived tired from the long journey, but then they danced until late. The following evening, they partied in the square at Campogiallo, but with such prolonged liveliness that they woke up the families who were guests in the nearby houses. The same young people were the protagonists of a Saturday evening with a Eucharistic adoration lasting almost two hours, with such recollection that their intimate dialogue with Jesus was perceptible. These are the young people who gave life to an original event, charmingly called ‘Mission Possible’. They arrived in Loppiano on Thursday 30 October and left on Sunday 2 November.
The idea came from the young people of the Focolare Movement in Eastern Europe. The collaboration then spread to those in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and finally involved those in Italy. Preparations began last April, and, from the outset, the goal was clear. ‘To undertake a vocational journey in the broadest sense of the term, in search of that original vocation which is the vocation to love,’ explained Cristiano Lazzarini, one of the coordinators of the initiative, in the focolare in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. Marika Bacher, an Austrian focolarina in Bratislava, added: ‘The intention was to live this call to love step by step, so that each participant could find within themselves answers to the many questions they ask themselves and understand what their mission in the world is.’
The journey began in Bratislava on Wednesday 29 October with about forty young people from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Belarus and others from Austria, Germany, the Philippines, Finland, Mexico and Brazil. They visited Trento to discover Chiara Lubich in the places where the Movement was born and in the light of the motto ‘A dream that comes to life’. ‘Many ideas and much communion’ were the fruits. On Thursday evening, they arrived in Loppiano, where around twenty young people from all over Italy were waiting for them, and who joined them in their adventure. They were welcomed by a group of peers from various parts of the world who were already in Loppiano. These young people shared their personal choices in the light of the Gospel, confiding the motivations that led them to participate in the Gen School or the Youth Project.
This was followed by two days of in-depth study on topics appreciated by young people, that of discernment about one’s own life (‘In the labyrinth of choices,’ with Fr. Carlo Seno) and that of every person’s call to love (‘Called to be love,’ by the young philosopher Tommaso Bertolasi). Equally engaging were the workshops on self-knowledge and one’s mission in life, with the contribution of people from Loppiano with various skills and vocations. The embrace of the Mariapolis was also manifested in an invitation to dinner in small groups in the focolares – an opportunity for sharing ‘that left a very strong impression on many’, was a general comment. Loppiano, in fact, although very distant, was chosen by the organisers because ‘you can do many activities there, you can meet many people with specific expertise on various topics, but above all it is a place where you can feel a Presence, where it is much easier to get closer to God, where joy is palpable’.
The effects on the participants were expressed without reservation. ‘I am motivated by the different people I met and their stories,’ said one young man. I also liked the fact that it was mainly in English, because you get much more out of listening to someone directly, without translation.” Another young man’s comment is indicative of the journey: ‘Now I have greater confidence, so if I should stray from the path, in order not to distance myself from God, I only need to pick up the compass again through the Eucharist and the people who speak to me with their lives and their actions of holiness.’ At the end of the Adoration, each young person was given a compass with the invitation to point the needle towards God. The appreciation for the topics covered was not taken for granted. ‘The concreteness, seriousness and professionalism with which the topics were explored was an experience I had never had before and one that will remain indelible.’ The highlight of the stay in Loppiano, however, was the Adoration. One young woman confided, ‘In the first part, I felt that every quotation from the texts was meant exactly for me. It gave me peace and motivation. I feel happy.’ It seems that the mission was not only possible but also surprising and fruitful.