Friendship Day for Ecclesial Movements
February 14th was a beautiful day at St. Theresa´s Catholic Church in Houston, Texas as members of Ecclesial Movements–Focolare, Regnum Christi, and Communion and Liberation–met to share the Eucharist, singing, food, games, and a meditation. The day ended by reading together Pope Francis’ letter to the Ecclesial Movements, written in November 2014.
The initiative for the gathering stemmed from the friendship among the members of these Movements. Their desire was to foster greater unity and to share their spiritualities in a simple way. It was a special experience of building family spirit and living a spirituality of communion as lay movements in the Galveston-Houston diocese.
“(W)e must never forget is that the most precious good, the seal of the Holy Spirit, is communion. This is the supreme blessing that Jesus won for us on the Cross, the grace which the Risen Christ continually implores for us as he reveals to the Father his glorious wounds, “As you, Father, are in me, and I in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me (Jn 17:21). For the world to believe that Jesus is Lord, it needs to see communion among Christians.” Address of Pope Francis to participants in the Third World Congress of Ecclesial Movements and New Communities, Saturday, November 22, 2014.
