by Paolo Lòriga
They are in their twenties, live in various regions of Italy, met in 2024 and are having a significant spiritual experience as young people of the Focolare Movement. They came to Loppiano to say goodbye to 2025 and welcome in the New Year.
Mass was celebrated at 6.30 p.m. on 31 December, followed by the Te Deum in thanksgiving, dinner in the dining room, and an enjoyable evening in the Auditorium with residents and visitors until just before midnight. Then, everyone went outside to welcome in the New Year with sweets and sparkling wine, followed by two options: music in a specially prepared disco or group games in a quieter room. At 3.30 a.m., the participants gathered at the bar until 4 a.m. for the final celebrations. In short, it was a programme that appealed to the young people who came to Loppiano, but without any special effects. Yet something happened.
‘Last year we already wanted to come here during these days, so the postponement only increased our common desire to come to Loppiano at the end of the year,’ says Marisol, from Lodi (south of Milan), with long dark hair. Emma, from Arcore in Lombardy, is enthusiastic: ‘My desire to be in Loppiano is really deep, because every time I’ve been here, I’ve felt like I’m on my path. I took part in the “Mission Possible” youth event here and found it to be a really great initiative. It helped me explore who I am and who I want to be. That’s why we’ll come back as soon as we have enough money for the train. The little towns are beacons.’
Marisol and Emma are part of a group of 27 young people from the Focolare Movement, known as Gen 2. They live in various regions, mainly in the north, and are all around the same age – in fact, they are in their final year of secondary school or at the beginning of university. They are very close to each other and are enjoying a joyful experience of walking with Jesus, giving a contagious witness to the Gospel in the various environments they frequent. ‘The group was formed at the Scuola Foco in 2024, when some of us met during that week of deepening our understanding of Chiara Lubich’s spirituality together with young people from various countries around the world,’ says Alessio (Rapallo, Liguria), with her cascade of black curls, the discreet leader of the group. ‘The experience of the Jubilee then helped to strengthen the bonds between us. So we quickly organised this trip.’
They arrived on 29 December, visited Loppiano, contributed with a game to the New Year’s Eve party and left on 1 January. ‘The highlight for me was just before midnight,’ explains Matteo, from Castelli Romani, ‘when everyone came out of the Auditorium to welcome the new year. I had more fun there than at the disco afterwards.’ Marisol is really satisfied: “Celebrating the new year with my Gen friends and other people in Loppiano is very meaningful for me. I felt that there was no better way to leave behind the old year, which I found very tough and difficult. The experience of unity and communion we had during those days allowed us to celebrate the arrival of 2026 with purity and joy. It was gratifying and filled me with hope.”
Daniele has started studying mathematics at the Bicocca University in Milan: ‘The New Year’s Eve party in the little town made me feel completely free and full of joy. I was able to break away from some past New Year’s Eves, which were not at all interesting, and forget those many desires and distortions that often pollute my mind. Coming here was a special opportunity to stop in my daily rush and look inside myself.’ Gloria, with her lively eyes, is from Verbania (Piedmont), on the shores of Lake Maggiore. ‘I have only recently joined the Gen, so I feel that living the ideal of a united world on New Year’s Eve is a good omen for the New Year. Loppiano is a puzzle, a game of interlocking pieces, in that all the different realities that come together coexist well in an atmosphere of mutual acceptance.’ She pauses and confides, ‘Being here is also a sign of belonging for me, because a few months ago I participated in my first May Day and my first Gen congress.’ Her bags are packed and ready to go. ‘Leaving is always sad and the emptiness is very noticeable, but every time we make a new appointment to find this atmosphere again. I brought my sister here. At home we will help each other.’
Alessio is visibly satisfied. ‘I absolutely had to organise this New Year’s Eve in Loppiano, living together for a few days. It went very well. We experienced the beauty of Loppiano, because every encounter enriches you, every laugh makes you feel at home, every person you meet leaves a mark on your heart.’ And now? ‘Together with the other Gen, I too want to be able to build little “Loppianos” in my daily life, where love, friendship and hospitality are always at the centre.’ Specific commitments for the year ahead.