Ninth Anniversary of the Death of Fr. Giussani
Memorial Masses Around the World

On the occasion of the 9th anniversary of the death of Fr. Luigi Giussani (February 22, 2005) and the 32nd anniversary of the pontifical recognition of the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation (February 11, 1982), as is customary, Masses are celebrated in Italy and around the world, presided over by Cardinals and Bishops, with the following intention: “60 years after the birth of the Movement, in faithfulness to Fr. Giussani’s charism, we ask God for the grace of a healthy and beautiful restlessness, so that, in following Pope Francis, we may recognize, in every circumstance of life, the initiative of God, who always precedes us and draws us to Himself with His love. And with Christ present, may we go to meet every man who desires Him and seeks Him with truth, in order to make visible the essential.”

The list of Masses can be consulted online at www.clonline.org. In particular, we would like to indicate:
• Milan, His Eminence Cardinal Angelo Scola, February 11, 9:00pm, Duomo
• Genoa, His Eminence Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, February 12, 8:30pm, Church of St. Martha
• Perugia, His Excellency Monsignor Gualtiero Bassetti, February 12, 8:00pm, Cathedral
• Bologna, His Eminence Cardinal Carlo Caffarra, February 11, 9:15pm, Cathedral of St. Peter
• Rome, His Eminence Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, February 24, 8:30pm, St. John Lateran
• Madrid, His Eminence Cardinal Antonio María Rouco Varela, February 17
• Vienna, His Eminence Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, March 4
• Moscow, His Excellency Monsignor Paolo Pezzi, February 14
• Budapest, His Eminence Cardinal Péter Erdo, February 8
• Salvador de Bahia, His Excellency Monsignor Murilo Krieger, February 7
• Vilnius, His Excellency Monsignor Gintaras Linas Grušas, February 21
• Ottawa, His Excellency Terrence Prendergast, February 12

In his letter to all of the friends of the Movement, written after he was received in audience by Pope Francis, Fr. Julián Carrón, President of the Fraternity of CL, observed:
“I ask you to embrace Pope Francis’ question as directed at us—particularly at us, who were born only for this, as all of Fr. Giussani’s life witnesses. Does each of us, each community of our Movement, ‘make visible the essential, that is, Jesus Christ?’ Pope Francis confided to me that he met the Movement in Buenos Aires at the beginning of the 1990s, and that this discovery was ‘fresh air’ for him. And this brought him to read Fr. Giussani’s texts often, because what he found in Giussani was helpful to his Christian life. Imagine how moved I was to hear these things from the man who today is the Bishop of Rome! The Pope encourages us to live the nature of our charism personally, in the communion among ourselves, because a movement like ours is called to respond to the needs of this moment in the life of the Church and of the world. From the closeness and familiarity of Pope Francis comes, for me and for all of us, friends, a new responsibility before God and the Church.”

CL Press Office