A source of inspiration for youth even today

Isaac Nogueira, a young man from Fortaleza (Brazil), came to the Igino Giordani Centre after attending a formation course for the Volunteers of God, a branch of the Focolare Movement. There were 220 physically present at Castel Gandolfo (Italy), while many were connected online. There were 17 languages spoken among the 500 people who participated in the program which was held from 3 to 6 November 2022. It was a school in which the cornerstones of the vocation were presented with an analysis of how and what it means to embody them in modern times.

It was an experience in which we came together as Focolare Movement to listen to the cry of humanity and seek the answer together. And what better way than to tune into what Igino Giordani used to say? Isaac writes: “It was a great joy to be able to come to the Igino Giordani Centre. As a young person in search of my vocation, I was attracted by the ‘Inundations’ (the penetration of the life and light of the charism of unity into the various spheres of society).

When I got to know the vocation of the Volunteer, I understood that it was mine and I also understood how I could live it in dialogue with contemporary culture. Undoubtedly, Igino’s commitment within the social sphere, his example of life, contributed significantly to this. I am grateful to him for showing us how to live ‘immersed in the world but without being of the world’, as Chiara Lubich used to say.