The Fides Agency, of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples of the Holy See, has published a Dossier which includes an interview with Luis Fernando Figari, Founder of the Sodalit Family. The publication has been released in Italian, Spanish and English by the news agency.

Read the full text of the interview (English translation) 

"Authentic discipleship is an integral commitment with the Lord, an intimate communion that seeks to know his teachings and follow Him, carrying out the mission of preaching the Gospel, as Saint Paul used to say. And like him, it is to experience the drama he expressed when he said: 'Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!' (1Cor 9:16)".

Read here this new article from Luis Fernando written in preparation for the Fifth General Conference of the Bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean.

"Edith Stein, author of The Science of the Cross, untiring contemplator of the mystery of the Reconciliation, was invited to offer her life as a Christian of Hebrew origin, and she gave it, full of faith and hope, with her heart lovingly united to the Reconciler. When the moment arrived she embraced the terrible cross she was presented with. Fifty-six years later the Church confirmed her as a beloved daughter who had triumphed and heroically kept the faith bearing witness to the love that surged in torrents out of her heart."

Read this newly translated article from Luis Fernando here.

"The real Medellin can only be understood well when seen as an ecclesial event. Within the conference’s fundamental lines, what must be emphasized is a concrete option for the human being according to the faith of the Church, an issue that sealed the Bishops’ reflections. Medellin did not postulate a fractured vision of man, nor one reduced to one of his aspects; its vision is integral."

Read this newly translated article from Luis Fernando here.

July, 11 (NE - eclesiales.org) The Holy See announced today that Bishop José Antonio Eguren Anselmi, of Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, has been named Archbishop of Piura and Tumbes by Pope Benedict XVI.

After having participated in the International Theological Pastoral Congress for Families which took place from July 4 – 7 in Valencia, Bishop Eguren, along with more than 50 cardinals and around 450 bishops from around the world, accompanied Pope Benedict XVI in the Fifth World Meeting of Families, attended by more than one and a half million people.

Valencia (Fides Agency) - During his intervention in the International Theological-Pastoral Congress on the Family in Valencia, Spain, Luis Fernando Figari, the founder of the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, pointed out that the “family is the path to holiness and the first line of evangelization in the Church”, highlighting that the systematic siege on family life resulting from globalization, is becoming a world evil. The Fides Agency has had the opportunity to ask him a few questions after his intervention.

Read the full text of the interview (English translation) 

Valencia, 5 (NE - eclesiales.org). The Family is a “Path to Holiness and First Line of Evangelization.” Thus affirmed today Luis Fernando Figari, Founder of the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, in his intervention in the International Theological-Pastoral Congress that is taking place in Valencia as part of the activities of the Fifth World Encounter of Families with Pope Benedict XVI. Highlighting the importance that the evangelization of families has for the Sodalit Family, the founder of several ecclesial associations offered some reflections as well as practical propositions with regards to the family and its development in society.

Read the full text of the speech of L.F. Figari at the Fifth World Meeting of the Families (PDF Format)
 

On its June 2nd Italian program, Vatican Radio has interviewed L.F. Figari, Founder of Christian Life Movement, on his participation in the world encounter of the Holy Father with the ecclesial movements and new communities. Luis Fernando highlights how this has been "a very valuable occasion of ecclesial communion around the Successor of Peter", as well as "an occasion of giving testimony to the world of the vitality of the Church, of proclaiming with one’s own life experience that the Lord Jesus is the only answer to all the human being’s longings and that we need not have any fear of opening the doors of our heart to Him."

Read the full text of the interview (English translation)
Listen to the complete original interview (Italian audio)
 

Rome, 3 (NE – eclesiales.org) A true encounter of faith took place today in St. Peter's Square, during the celebration of the Meeting of Pope Benedict XVI with members of Ecclesial Movements and New Communities from all over the world. "You belong to different peoples and cultures, and here you represent all the members of the Ecclesial Movements and New Communities. Spiritually gathered around the Successor of Peter, you proclaim the joy of believing in Jesus, and renew your commitment as his faithful disciples in our time", said the Pope in the homily, which he pronounced during the celebration of Vespers.

Luis Fernando Figari, founder of the Christian Life Movement, thanked Pope Benedict XVI, speaking in front of the tens of thousands of persons present in St. Peter's Square. After addressing the Pope they approached the Holy Father to express their respect and personal gratitude. The founder of the CLM kneeled before the Pope, expressing his devotion and fidelity to the Successor of Peter, in a particularly moving moment in the celebration.

Read the full text of L.F. Figari words at the Encounter
 

Rome, June 1 (NE – eclesiales.org) Offer the Lord Jesus to the youth “as the definitive key to understand the meaning of life, the path to reach their personal realization, and to reach fulfillment in the definitive encounter with God” was the invitation made today by Luis Fernando Figari, Founder of the Christian Life Movement, while participating in the Second World Congress of ecclesial movements and new communities, which is being held in Rocca di Papa (Italy). The Congress, organized by the Pontifical Council for the Laity and taking place under the theme “The beauty of being a Christian and the joy of communicating this”, began yesterday, May 31st, and will conclude June 2nd. It constitutes a preface for the encounter of ecclesial movements with Pope Benedict XVI on June 3rd, occasion in which Luis Fernando Figari will address the Pope in St. Peter's Square.

Read the speech of L.F. Figari at the World Congress of Ecclesial Movements (PDF Format, Summarized text – Oral version)
 

"Today is a celebration of faith, hope and love. Today is the feast in which we celebrate the great mercy of God who in His love has looked upon us and has opened the way to the fullness of reconciliation, already begun in this earthly journey, even though with its tribulations, but which, after the transformation, finds its way towards the horizon of true plenitude and joy."

Happy Easter! We invite you to read this all new article from Luis Fernando here.

We are very proud to begin our Online Library with a document of paramount importance in the history of Theology of Reconciliation: the Conclusions Document of the International Congress on Reconciliation in the Thought of John Paul II, held in Arequipa, Peru, January 11th to 13th, 1985.

Read it here!
Download e-book here!

"It seems appropriate to talk a little about what has been called Japan’s "Christian Century." Perhaps it would be better to call it the Heroic Period of its Evangelization; because it was during this very period that centuries of the persecution of Christians began. Considering its example of heroic fidelity to the faith, for the glory of God, could we be mistaken in calling it a glorious history?."

Read this newly translated article from Luis Fernando here.

Christian Life Movement in the United Kindgom has a new website!
 
Visit it at:
http://www.clmuk.org/

"Despite her popularity, which instead of declining continues to increase, O'Connor is not well understood. The books and studies of her work that continue to be published from dissimilar perspectives are by no means few. There already exist tens of books, numerous chapters of many more, and perhaps hundreds of articles that try to capture the meaning of her life and work."

Read this newly translated article from Luis Fernando here.

"Christmas is a feast of joy, but it is also an occasion for a little reflection. It’s a beautiful occasion to think about the meaning of the Incarnation, it’s significance and consequences, trying to open ourselves to grace in order that we may capture its dynamism and that it may allow us to see ourselves conformed – day by day – with Jesus Christ, Our Lord."

Read this newly translated article from Luis Fernando here.

Read it here.

The Thought of Pope Benedict XVI
An Introduction to the Theology of Joseph Ratzinger
by Aidan Nichols
This important and illuminating book written before Cardinal Ratzinger became Benedict XVI focuses on his status as one of the preeminent Catholic theologians of the 20th century. Aidan Nichols provides a full-scale investigation of his theology as it develops from the 1950s onward. The Thought of Pope Benedict XVI is a comprehensive introduction to a major theologian in his own right, quite apart from his significance in the Church.

“Marriage, a vocation of human encounter in love, is a reality that can verify the truth of the we, a dimension which, being rooted in love, belongs to a dynamism of openness and communion towards others... Marriage and the family are sublime realities that must be understood and valued in the light of the Lord’s revelation so that they can be lived to their fullness in conformity with the loving Salvific Plan of God.”

Read this newly translated article from Luis Fernando here.

"Marriage is no state of egoism-for-two. It's rather a call to overcome egoism and open oneself to the Lord's transforming love, assume this love within the family nucleus, and project it into all of social life. In this perspective the raison d'être of conjugal love is to be found not only in itself and its social dimension but in God's salvific design itself from which it receives its fundament and orientation."

Read this newly translated article from Luis Fernando here.

Christian Life Movement members in Canada have a new website!
 
Visit it at:
http://www.clmcanada.org/

"It was a very intense experience that has helped me to love the Church even more and to grow deeper in my Christian life... The mere fact of being so near the Pope for many days is an extraordinary blessing that brings me to give thanks to God from the depths of my heart."

Read the full interview online on Denver Catholic Register website.

Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church
This 200-page volume offers a quick synopsis of the essential contents of the faith as promulgated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. An essential tool for youth and young adults, the Compendium is the perfect companion to a youth or young adult's Bible, spiritual reading, or textbook.

"A privileged means of growth in the knowledge
and joyful acceptance of this divine gift.
A fundamental vehicle of education in the faith!"
-- H.H. Benedict XVI

• Resignation of the Human
  Cases arise of people who act as though they really have resigned from their condition as human beings. This conscious or unconscious relinquishing from being a person has serious effects that seem not unconnected from the horrors committed against people during the 20th century. A retrospective glance justifies its being called the “century of horror.”
• Who do you say that I am?
  There’s a question that turns out to be fundamental in our approach to the mystery of the Lord Jesus. In the region of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked: “Who do men say that the Son of Man is?” “Who do you say that I am?” This question repeats itself throughout history and confronts men and women of all times, nations and cultures.
• At the Threshold
  Humanity finds itself submerged in pressing concerns. At the threshold of the 21st century the world is more “global” and technological, but marvelous scientific and technical advances haven’t responded to the serious problems that still weigh upon millions of people, and, by disconnecting themselves from their proper fundament and orientation, can become a threat to man.

Luis Fernando Figari spoke during the 16th General Congregation of the Synod of Bishops in Rome. The following is a summary of his intervention:

Mr. Luis Fernando FIGARI, Founder of Sodalitium Christianae Vitae (PERU)

In these days of magnificent experience of ecclesial life, wonder before the mystery has spread from repeated glances at the Eucharist.

One observes that it is fundamental to deepen in the understanding of the value of the loving and gratuitous sacrifice of the Son of Mary, the awareness of what the miracle of the Real Presence means, how one lives the dimension of the sacramental sacrifice, the participation in Sunday Mass, the connection between Penance and communion, the Adoration of the Lord Jesus who remains as Emmanuel in the Blessed Sacrament, the ars celebrandi, spiritual communion as a value in itself and as an answer to painful pastoral situations, and so many other fundamental themes.

The impact of functional agnosticism, secularization and so many evil currents which mark the "culture of death" demands an increasing and ardent New Evangelization ad intra Ecclesiae, before the weaknesses that are observed.

Faith, the key of the Christian life, is the foundation that allows us to draw near to the Eucharist, and therefore merits special attention. It demands an upright anthropological and cultural perspective, as well as a careful look at the process of how the human person's longing for infinity and the quadruple reconciliation are snatched away by the many substitutes which the ideologies and the praxis of this time offer.

The look of faith at the gift of the Eucharist should lead one to continuous amazement and to cry out: "My Lord and My God!"

The present time, as with others, has characteristics and demands which are a challenge for the Christian life and evangelization. But with the help of God, they will not be insurmountable. Yes, we must be aware of our frailties, and from them be open to the light and strength that comes to our aid, and thus live and give reason for our hope to the world.

The numerous canonizations which have taken place in the final years of the twentieth century constitute a reminder of the call to holiness that the Church continues to ring out. The path to holiness is not only for some, it’s for all. This is no novelty: “For this is the will of God, your sanctification,” we read in 1 Thessalonians.

Read this newly translated article from Luis Fernando here.

With notable timeliness, in an era that sees the increasing manifestation of the active participation of peoples in history, the Second Vatican Council very clearly and repeatedly reminds us that holiness is a vocation open to all the Church's faithful. It is the entirety of the People of God, as such, and in each one of its members, independent of juridical situations or states of life, that is summoned to holiness.

Read this newly translated article from Luis Fernando here.

From the Cross on high. From out of suffering. From out of the forgetting and betrayal of so many, the incomprehension of so many, the Lord Jesus draws words charged with sweetness and prophetic meaning for his Mother. "Woman, this is your son!" He says to Mary. It's a word whose echoes ring forth from the threshold of history, when God promised man that Salvation would come...

Read this newly translated article from Luis Fernando here.

We have just added to our downloads section 4 new sets of Pocket PC themes:

• 12 Roman Landscapes
  Beautiful collection of 12 Today Themes featuring pictures of the Eternal City - Rome.
• 20 Assis Landscapes
  Beautiful collection of 20 Today Themes featuring pictures of Assis.
• 50 Color and Texture Themes Collection
  50 High Quality Today Themes with great color and texture combinations.
• Landscapes of The White City
  10 Beautiful Themes with amazing pictures of the White City of the Highlands of Peru.

Luis Fernando has written this very informative article about Dr. Rudolf Allers (1883 - 1963), Catholic psychologist, renowned psychiatrist, outstanding philosopher, patrologist, self-sacrificing teacher, but inexplicably forgotten.

This article appears here for the first time in English, translated from the original Italian text.

Full text here.

We have just added a new pack of eight Pocket PC Themes with images of Lord Jesus.

Download it here.

For the first time in English, a translation of the interview which CLM Founder Luis Fernando Figari gave to Ya es Hora (This is the hour!) about his impressions of - and his hopes for - the youth of today.

Full text here.

The official website of the Marian Community of Reconciliation (Fraternas) is now available in English! They have put together a beautiful website with lots of information about their identity, their apostolate and their current projects. You may also want to visit their picture gallery.

Visit Marian Community of Reconciliation website at http://www.fraternas.org/english.htm

For the first time, CLM Resources offers the complete text of this previously unpublished lecture.

• Charles Peguy
• Christopher Dawson
• Dietrich von Hildebrand
• Emmanuel Mounier
• Etienne Gilson
• G.K. Chesterton
• Henri de Lubac
• Hillaire Belloc
• Jacques Maritain
• Jean Danielou
• Jean Guitton
• Leon Bloy
• Leonardo Castellani
• Maurice Blondel
• Michele Federico Sciacca
• Paul Claudel
• Romano Guardini
• Rudolf Allers
• Thomas Merton
• V.A. Belaunde