by Koni Brand | Jul 22, 2024 | 2024 Friends | Graz, Austria, Experiences, reflections and interviews, News
Why is this network so dear to you?
At the big Together for Europe meeting in Stuttgart in 2007 I realised for the first time that there are convinced and committed Christians in other Churches with whom I immediately connected. Moreover, I experienced a rich and varied life, full of joy. I would like to promote this life also in my environment.
How are you preparing for the next meeting and what is your personal experience?
We continually entrust our requests to God in a prayer we have formulated together. We booked lodgings and the conference centre and also found a company to provide translation equipment. A band is being formed for the musical programme. Some of us participate in the international online meetings of the teams dedicated to the programme and organisation, which each time give us inspiration. To keep costs down, we are looking for sponsors; some we have already found.
We are very happy that, in addition to the supporters of Together for Europe, our friends who care about the unity of the different Christian communities and unity in Europe can also attend the meeting. Those who wish to get to know our network are also invited; we are surprised by the many positive reactions. People in positions of responsibility in Churches and politics are also showing interest. I am amazed at how many good things are possible in mutual love, which is the basis for our decisions.
Europe is increasingly less Christian. How can we convey to people the importance of the cohesion of the European peoples?
I would spontaneously say that we should let everyone experience togetherness. If people get to know each other, they gain trust and experience that they can complement and enrich each other. It is precisely this that I experience again and again in Together for Europe.
How do you live Together for Europe in your daily life?
Every person is a child of God and therefore I aim to treat my neighbours with care and respect. This makes it easier to face many of life’s difficulties, because one feels acceptance and support. I am always deeply touched when, without any expectations, I do something with Christians from other communities and the elementary aspects of life are dealt with in great agreement.
Cornelia Koni Brand
by Koni Brand | Jun 26, 2024 | News, 2024 Friends | Graz, Austria
In 2024 the Friends of Together for Europe (TfE) will meet in Austria
It is wonderful (even if challenging!) to feel “called” to live and work in a reality greater than oneself: one does so, with joy and an ever-new impetus, on a well-founded Hope! Because, when God calls, we can always count on his grace that leads, accompanies, gives strength… And it is even more beautiful to discover that others, too, have received the same call – but with different tones and concrete expressions. This is how it is when different charisms meet! Converging in great freedom, discovering the myriad things that unite us, amplifies the beauty of each, refines and strengthens common goals.
Last year, in Timisoara/Romania, the Friends of TfE once again experienced being called to unity, an unforgettable experience, which filled their hearts, minds and souls.
Now their next meeting is approaching; this year it will be hosted by the TfE network in Styria, in Seggau, near the regional capital Graz/Austria.
Despite the fact that the world – including Europe – seems to be crumbling, there is a growing number of people who have been walking together for 25 years, experiencing the generative power of peace in going with an open heart towards the different, in welcoming each other even when it costs, in serving the Church and society together. These people know that the word ‘hope’ is not something that only refers to the future, but something already alive among them. “Called to Hope!” Hence the choice of this title for the meeting in Graz.
In and around the picturesque Hotel Schloss Seggau there will be time for getting to know each other, for dialogue, for making plans together for the good of our Churches and societies, and… also for an ‘ecumenical walk’ through the city of Graz, which is full of history in this respect. There will be opportunities to meet with leaders of local Churches and civil society. And, of course, there will be times for learning more about our charisms and for prayer.
We look forward with joy and full of renewed HOPE to this appointment – open to the surprises that its human-divine potential holds in store for us!
Cornelia Koni Brand
Flyer Meeting Friends of TfE>>
by Koni Brand | Nov 25, 2022 | 2022 Friends | Porto, News
Friends of Together for Europe in Porto (Portugal)
“When we disarm, expropriate and open ourselves to the God-Man who makes new all things, then, He cancels our wicked past and donates to us a new time in which all things are possible” (1)
I’m feeling a little embarrassed. I’ve been asked: how was the Meeting with my friends in Porto, and, after all, what is this ‘Together for Europe’ all about? What could 166 persons coming from 19 different Countries, and belonging to 45 Movements and Communities from 8 Churches achieve, knowing that “like attracts like”, and diversity rarely – perhaps never – can become a force of cohesion? Added to this there are the diverse geopolitical, cultural, historic and confessional views: now, what will the Russians and the Ukrainians, present in our midst, do? The idea of ‘Europe’ is not popular anymore; why keep on chasing utopias and useless dreams in this polarized society?
While my mind was being bombarded by these thoughts and possible responses, I remembered that, when asked, Jesus did not explain how and where he lived; his response was a simple invitation: “come and see” (Jn 1,39). Those present in Porto did indeed “come and see”.
I witnessed the communion between 11 Portuguese Movements; these, with great commitment and generosity provided a home, food and technology, and, above all, created a ‘family’ among all those taking part.
I listened to experts who, through their expertise, have widened the horizons of an attentive audience.
I saw ecclesial leaders who, through their presence and prayers, wanted not only to bless the gathering, but also to show their strong support for this ecumenical network.
I was glad to meet young people who have given a meaning to their life after taking important decisions; these young people, showing generosity, impetus and poetry, spoke about future concrete projects for their Countries and cities.
I felt a sense of gratitude toward those who, after years of sterling service, are moving on to take up new tasks; there were tearful eyes when, with open hearts, we renewed the Pact of mutual love.
In a nutshell: I saw a small people, who, like the ‘chosen’ one, keeps on looking for water in the desert. To drink and to provide water for others.
When we gathered for the nightly ecumenical prayer in the majestic Igreja do Cedofeita church in Porto, I sat on the back pew. Then a friend invited me to move and sit on the front pew; from there, behind the alter, I could see a statue the likes of which I have never seen before: it did not present the suffering Redeemer on the cross or the Risen Lord who conquered death. It was a big statue showing a ‘disarmed’ Christ, with dropped hands, coming out of a base full of cracks – an icon of the polarizations and the divisions in us, among us and around us.
I fixed my gaze upon him. We, too, ought to disarm ourselves! Here lies, perhaps, the secret of the force of cohesion! Could this be the key idea that will allow Europe and the entire ‘Together’ to open up to new horizons and possibilities?
Ilona Toth
(1) Excerpt from a text by Patriarch Athenagoras I of Constantinople
-
-
20221111_FriendsofTfEPorto_registration_©TfE_fotoJosembmaia
-
-
20221111_FriendsofTfEPorto_welcome_©TfE_fotoJosembmaia
-
-
20221111_FriendsofTfEPorto_typical dance©TfE_fotoCKBrand
-
-
20221111_FriendsofTfEPorto_©TfE_fotoCKBrand
-
-
20221111_FriendsofTfEPorto_presentation_©TfE_fotoJosembmaia
-
-
20221111_FriendsofTfEPorto_Russia_©TfE_fotoJosembmaia
-
-
20221111_FriendsofTfEPorto_from the top_©TfE_fotoJosembmaia
-
-
20221111_FriendsofTfEPorto_youth2_©TfE_fotoJosembmaia
-
-
20221111_FriendsofTfEPorto_p.Egidio_Abbot Schreier_Martin Michalíček©TfE_fotoJosembmaia
-
-
20221111_FriendsofTfEPorto_panel3_©TfE_fotoJosembmaia
-
-
20221111_FriendsofTfEPorto_music_©TfE_fotoJosembmaia
-
-
20221111_FriendsofTfEPorto_groups©TfE_fotoCKBrand
-
-
20221111_FriendsofTfEPorto_groups2©TfE_fotoCKBrand
-
-
20221111_FriendsofTfEPorto_groups3©TfE_fotoCKBrand
-
-
20221111_FriendsofTfEPorto_groups4©TfE_fotoCKBrand
-
-
20221111_FriendsofTfEPorto_hall©TfE_fotoCKBrand
-
-
20221111_FriendsofTfEPorto_groups5©TfE_fotoCKBrand
-
-
20221111_FriendsofTfEPorto_during break_©TfE_fotoJosembmaia
-
-
20221111_FriendsofTfEPorto_groupchurch_©TfE_fotonunoconceicao
-
by Koni Brand | Sep 28, 2021 | 2021 Friends | Castel Gandolfo, News
“We consider the polarization of our society as one of the greatest challenges that Europe and the world are facing”. This affirmation comes from the Team preparing the international Meeting of the ‘Friends’ of Together for Europe, which is scheduled for Saturday November 6, 2021.
The team informs that “on that day, we will look at the causes and try to propose solutions”. Therefore, it’s not surprising that this year’s Meeting is entitled “Polarization – Reconciliation – Reconciled Diversity”.
The issue will be analyzed and studied in-depth by contributions covering diverse perspectives.
Margaret Karram, the new President of the Focolare Movement, will offer a viewpoint from outside Europe. She was born in Haifa (Israel), and from a tender age, her life was marked by dialogue in a context of religious and cultural diversities. In 2013 she was awarded the Mount Zion Prize for reconciliation.
Another keynote speech will be delivered by Gerhard Pross, of YMCA Esslingen (Germany).
The national committees of several European nations will share their commitment at a local level.
Nevertheless, of equal importance will be the sharing of experiences and ideas between the participants at the Meeting during the group meetings. When we are together, we experience new illuminations in our quest for new pathways – this time “to move from polarization toward a reconciled diversity all over Europe”.
Due to the pandemic, the Meeting will be held in a hybrid form. A small group, gathered at Castel Gandolfo (Rome), will welcome the participants via Zoom.
Cornelia K. Brand
Photo: Pixabay / Canva
by Koni Brand | Sep 10, 2020 | Experiences, reflections and interviews, News
“The music score is written in heaven; let us listen together to the Holy Spirit and then let us do what he says”. This is how Chiara Lubich defined precisely the beginning of Together for Europe (TfE). The initiators of TfE dedicated themselves unreservedly to this program. Some have already reached their final destination: Chiara Lubich (1920-2008) and Helmut Nicklas (1939-2007). Recently they were joined by Sr Anna Maria aus der Wiesche (1952-2020) and last year by Fr Michael Marmann (1937-2019).
They were persons who were so deeply rooted in their respective Church and Community that they could trustily allow the Holy Spirit to guide them into the vastness of Together for Europe. Indeed, TfE knows its existence and achievement to their courageous witnessing, trust and farsightedness.
Sr ANNA MARIA AUS DER WIESCHE, Communität Christusbruderschaft Selbitz – was a woman who, albeit sweet, was indomitable, determined and prophetically gifted [1]
Gerhard Pross, a member of the Steering Committee of TfE, writes:
Sr Anna Maria left us on August 31, 2020. It is with profound gratitude that I look back on her contribution, which lasted 20 years, toward the moulding of TfE. In the year 2000, in Germany, together with Thomas Roemer and myself, she chaired a “Meeting of Evangelical leaders”; on that occasion, Chiara Lubich and Bishop Ulrich Wilckens facilitated the great event of reconciliation between the various Confessions. Besides its birth on October 31, 1999 at Ottmaring, this was a fundamental stage for TfE and for its mission of unity. Since the very beginning, Sr Anna Maria was part of the Steering Committee of TfE; together with others she chaired the great Congresses held in Stuttgart in 2004 and 2007, as well as the reconciliation gathering between the Churches during the Munich event in 2016.
She possessed an innate aptitude for leadership. Apart from a clear vision and the capacity to integrate, she also had a well-defined spiritual vision. One of her gifts was the love of persons: she made her closeness felt to individuals, while, at the same time, she was aware of the bigger picture. Her thoughts and actions were moulded by her donation to God, her love for the Church and a life spent for unity. She discerned the signs of the times very carefully and she was always ready to welcome the common listening of what was important at that moment. Her positive outlook on life, her joy and her laughter were contagious. Sr Anna Maria leaves behind a great void. Let us keep her in our heart as a sign of our gratitude for all that we received through her.
Fr MICHAEL MARMANN – a man of communion, strong and free [2]
Just before the first great manifestation of TfE in Stuttgart in 2004, Fr Marmann stated: “We feel that this process in action in Europe is a clear sign of times. And the signs of times are God’s voices. Christianity cannot be solely a religious superstructure: it has to embrace the whole person”. In 1991, he was elected Superior General of the Schoenstatt Fathers, and, at the same time, he was also president of the General Presidium of the Movement. In this capacity, he was a pioneer of ecumenical openness and communion between Movements of diverse Churches. “He had a natural openness for an enhanced communion between spiritual Movements, especially in the network ‘Together for Europe’ (…). He was strongly convinced that the unity of the Churches and their reawakening is a decisive condition for a new vital bond between the autonomous and fragmented world and its infinite origin”.[3]
In him, Fr Heinrich Walter, saw a ‘prophetic’ attention and sympathy; “by ‘prophetic’ I mean a response to today’s challenges that goes beyond expectations, brings about synergies and triggers off un-hoped for processes”[4]. This happened even after the Pentecost vigil with John Paul II in St Peter’s square in 1998: Fr Michael immediately joined Chiara Lubich, Andrea Riccardi, Salvatore Martinez and Frances Ruppert (Cursillos de Cristiandad) to form the first nucleus of communion that the Pope wished to see between New Movements and Communities. The following year, the circle was enlarged with the members of the Communities of the Lutheran Evangelical Church: and ‘Together for…’ was born!
In 2001, a meeting was held in Munich to update the members of the Movements about the strong experience that their leaders had done. In front of 5000 persons, Chiara proposed to the audience to seal a pact of mutual love. The first to agree were Helmut Nicklas and Fr Michael Marmann. This ‘pact’ has become the basis of all that has been achieved since then through a common commitment. Thank you Father Michael!
For more information see the Video Story >>
Compiled by Cornelia Karola Brand, international secretariat of TfE
[1] From the letter of condolences of Herbert Lauenroth, Ottmaring
[2] cfr. Ekklesia, n.4 (2019/3), S.51-53
[3] Obituary by Fr Theo Breitinger, Provincial of the Schoenstatt Fathers, February 2019.
[4] cfr. Ekklesia, n.4 (2019/3), S.51-53
