Thanks Don Foresi!
Sophia expresses its special thanks to Don Pasquale Foresi (Chiaretto), co-founder of the Focolare Movement, who concluded his intense earthly adventure on 14 June.
His love for God who was his inspiration also showed among others, this quality of “being the first to love.” This was Don Foresi's relationship with Sophia: he was the first to love. Long before Sophia’s activities began, Don Foresi, with enthusiasm and generosity, donated his library: a real gem, built with passion and foresight along the years, furnished with highly valuable books in all sectors. And Sophia could not but spontaneously dedicate the newly born library to him. And it was a great joy to see his face light up when he visited the Sophia library. It seemed as if his very soul filled up with light which shone through his eyes to enwrap us all with love.
Yes, because the seed of Sophia had been sown in the furrow of Loppiano a long time ago in 1964,whenDon Foresi, in synergy with Chiara, paved the way for the prophetic incarnation of the charism of unity by laying the foundations for the Istituto Mystci Corporis from which – as he foresaw – universities would one day rise to educate people «who will be full of the Christian spirit not only in their hearts, but also in their intellects..() and who will have the capacity to respond to all, giving themselves to all, in all things.»
The Universities were instituted in 2007, with the consolidated maturity of the Work of Mary. In the first volume of the magazine “Sophia,” together with Chiara Lubich’s programmatic speech, a reflection of Don Foresi also became a historical text. It is the guide which Sophia tries to conform to each day, in the daily experience of its academic community.It was entitled: It is life which makes us see. A new school of thought. He had written:
«We have to do all we can to make sure that teaching becomes life, that is, that life will be the expression of teaching and teaching the expression of life. (...) We should study only that which helps us to carry out and clarify what we live. This is what study means. It is something that concurrently implies intelligence, or rather, the will, even more than intelligence. It must be more of love that incites intelligence rather than intelligence that spurs love. And this is not to diminish the value of intelligence, but rather, put it in its place and thus allow it to fulfill its role to the utmost and to the maximum of its possibilities. (...) We have to start to implement this new school in an authentic communion, where education is fully human and total, involves our entire being, and determines our life and our existence for always.»
Thank you, Don Foresi, a heartfelt thanks from all of us in Sophia!
And with you and Chiara each day we renew the Pact to live in the classroom, this new school of thoughtyou personally engendered!
