Little towns from the Focolare Movements. Are they a reflection of the Christian Spirituality that inspired them?

ANA LOURDES SUÁREZ

Milwaukee

Congreso; Anual Meeting of Society for the Scientific Study of Religion; 2011

Society for the Scientific Study of Religion

The paper addresses the relationship between spirituality and new ecclesial movements in the Catholic Church by an in-depth study of the Focolare Movement. The main question is how a “modern” spirituality that reflects the Vatican II insights is reflected in the structure derived from it, and particularly in one of its strongest incarnations: the little towns. The paper describes main aspects of the spirituality of the FM and its peculiarities in relation to other Christian spiritual approaches. Recurring to different documents it then describes the main stages the FM went through with particular emphasis on its institutionalization. It analyzes the development over the decades of the 33 little towns spread all over the world. Through a multidisciplinary understanding the paper discusses why these incarnations are declining. The paper is an attend to identify aspects that favor and those that obstruct the translation of spirituality into concrete social and community projects.