Liturgical Events

"Only Christ takes my humanity so completely to heart.
Because that Man, the Jew Jesus of Nazareth, died for us and rose again. That Risen Man is the Reality on which all the positivity of every man’s existence depends. Every earthly experience lived in the Spirit of Jesus, Risen from the dead, blossoms in Eternity. This blossoming will not bloom only at the end of time; it has already begun on the dawn of Easter."
(Luigi Giussani, St. Peter’s Square, Rome, May 30, 1998)

Every year since 1982, Communion and Liberation has printed and circulated a poster on the occasion of Easter, and since 1997 for Christmas. The poster is a manifesto, which proposes a text for mediation, accompanied by an artistic image. It has the merit to make truth be recognized through beauty, to provoke the human heart, and to fix, in a few words that are well engraved in the memory, the “fundamental issue” that must be kept in our heart and verified through experience.



Lent/Easter
Since the beginnings of the movement, Fr. Giussani proposed the gesture of the Way of the Cross as a way to live Holy Week intensely, with a meticulous choice of texts, songs and music. Fr. Giussani began to propose this gesture of the Christian faith, guided by him personally, to his university students, gathering them in the Sanctuary of Caravaggio (for the communities in Lombardy, Italy). The gesture was then taken up by CL communities in various regions in Italy, and around the world.

Each year, on Good Friday, we are invited to participate together in the walk that Jesus undertook through the streets of major cities. As we follow the path of the cross, it is an opportunity for our hear to proclaim the truth of Christ’s death and resurrection as a definitive event in history. A Way of the Cross takes place in London, through the heart of the city, and in Edinburgh.

During the period of Lent, members of the Fraternity are also invited to participate in a one-day Lent retreat.



Advent
During the liturgical season of Advent, members of the Fraternity are invited to participate in a one-day Advent retreat, expectantly awaiting the birth of Christ. As Fr. Carrón reminds us, “Expectant awaiting belongs to our nature. Everyone participates in this nature, but often we encounter people who no longer await. So then, why do we await? Because something happened to us. We await expectantly because Christ has already come and has awakened all our longing for Him, all our desire for Him, all our expectant awaiting for Him.”
(Julián Carrón, Advent Retreat of the Fraternity of St. Joseph, 2019)

Each year, during the period of Advent, the CL Choir leads a Carol service which takes place in London. We are all invited to participate in this event, which is deeply rooted in English Christian culture, to share the “joy of the Gospel [that] fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus.”
(Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, 2013)



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In the Calendar section, you will find detailed information about the next liturgical events organised by CL.