Presentation of the school of inculturation founded by Chiara Lubich at Nairobi in 1992

We are very happy to recall during this meeting the unforgettable moments when Chiara brought to life the school of inculturation. We remember her joy in Nairobi when she announced it at the end of her visit in may 1992.

Chiara has talked about it in many instances. When she was received by the Apostolic Nuncio of Nairobi, an aspect that touched very much in their “private talk” was the Nuncio’s interest for inculturation, while looking forward to the African synod that was going to take place in a very short period of time.

The Nuncio was enumerated some examples bringing out beneficial effects not only of inculturation but also of the new evangelization and in theology. Here comes the light that Chiara had, an inspiration.

Chiara confided:´´ In that moment I had like a light…from the holy spirit ``. She explained to the internal delegation that came together at Nairobi from all of Africa, that from our spirituality ``a doctrine will be born that is not link to a particular cultural environment…but will be link to the charisma, which is from God, therefore a doctrine link to paradise, which comes down like a white light, that´s to say without colour…it has the colour of paradise´´ ´´this doctrine, she added could be beneficial to all theologians in the world. According to the environment of the cultural diversity, it has to assume the diverse cultures in the unique truth that will be taught and transmitted.

Here comes the birth of the focolarina inculturartion; in this way Chiara entrusted to the ´´newly born´´MariapoliPiero not only to develop as other little towns, but she specified to Bruna and Lucio that: ´´Here a school has to be born for our inculturation´´ she added ´´like Araceli-that which is today the Mariapoli Genetta.it is the pilot city for the economy of communion,

As such Africa in a particular way has a little town- the MariapoliPiero-it has to be a model of these schools that will be repeated after in all the nations, according to the various cultures. Chiara came to a conclusion saying to these internal members on that historical day in 1992 ´´the novelty is that….here in Nairobi this Mariapoli will come to life immediately, because tomorrow we will lay the first stone…a school of inculturation! So that little by little everyone, starting from the responsible of the volunteers, gen units, responsible of the secretariat of priests, religious and sisters. Can spend some time to see, enriched themselves with this new theology, also with all the studies that will result from it. 
 

The following day, when Chiara was moving around the land of the ´´to be MariapoliPiero´´, she also deposited a medal where the centre for the school of inculturation was to be constructed. she gave the responsibility of the director of this school to  father Valentino Vadagini and asked Bishop Antonio Scoppellitti to be the guarantee.

Everything was then entrusted to Bruna and Lucio. Chiara indicated above all the way in which the work was going to be done: to face a point and study it well in the African tradition, like  a cultural  research to collect and bring to life ´´the seeds of the word´´ present in the African culture, with a great contribution of the commission  in the various zones and nations. Then to understand them in the light of the old and new testament and in the church documents. At the end to understand how it is seen with the white light, the light of the ideal.

A short while after she had put up her first work, father Valentino Vadagini left for paradise. This commission later was enriched with new members and the inculturation schools have taken place with intervals of two or three years, at the pan-African level with regularity. The responsible for the African zones were always present with qualified groups of internal members and most of the time Bishops were present.

The response of the internal members to Chiara’s request to collect proverbs was immediate. The local commissions are very active in the research work of oral tradition, costumes and also the writings of experts. They have gone further in the specialization of producing competent studies and effective experiences.

The themes chosen with Jesus in the midst with the commission have always been seen with the indigo of the opera and handed to Chiara and Father Foresi. The themes dealt with up to date are:

1)      Inculturation and the concept of God in the African tradition. 2) The person 3)The community. 4) Property and work in the prospective of inculturation. 5) Suffering. 6)  sickness and death in sub- Sahara Africa. 7) Resolving conflicts and reconciliation in sub- Sahara Africa 7) Challenges for inculturation.8) Education in traditional Africa. 9) Communication. There are ongoing preparations for the 2010, 9th edition.

There are videos of the lessons since this school began, which have been duplicated. This is to facilitate the repetition of these lessons at the zonal level. These writings have been published in Italian, English and French languages, which have been so much appreciated in the universities, Embassies and development organs. There is a permanent secretariat which has been put up at MariapoliPiero.

Last July, at the conclusion of the general assembly, Emmaus chose Bruna and Lucio to remain as the responsible of the school of inculturation to continue the work they started.

We have seen as Chiara did-prophetically –we received at Nairobi the importance of inculturation for the church in Africa.

Speaking about inculturation it might be useful to say a few words about it significance in the church domain. It is a theological term, coined after the second Vatican council, which indicates the meeting of the evangelical message with the culture, the integral part of the process of evangelization.

In the final document published in 1995 at the conclusion of the African Synod, entitle Ecclesia in Africa; the inculturation is seen by Pope John Paul the second as ´´a way of sanctity´´ and it founded it roots in the same event of incarnation.

The announcement of the good news with the word and the work that opens the heart of people to the desire of sanctity ´´ the Pope wrote:  Inculturation constitute also a way of sanctity, through which faith penetrates into the lives of people and their original community like in the incarnation Christ assumed the human flesh except in sin, analogically through inculturation the Christian message is putting together the values of the society in which it has been proclaimed, brings out what has been destroyed by sin.

The measure, in which the Ecclesia community knows how to integrate the positive values of a determined culture, has therefore become the instrument of its openness to the dimension of Christian sanctity, (EA87).In the same document, going back to the recommendation of the African Bishops, it was underlined and taken into account that inculturation includes all the areas of the life of the church and the inculturation (EA 62) but this is not a simple process to update.

Chiara, in the act of this foundation of the Focolarina School of inculturation, brings out one of our methodology and more to that she indicated to us how to live the inculturation. We can remember very well that at end of her visit to Nairobi, she handed to us a memorable link-up, that of ´´making ourselves one in a profound way´´

She confided: ´´one of the graces that our lady has given us in this month of may during our stay in Africa, has been the understanding of the new dimension of making ourselves one with our brother… and we have also seen in a new way this brother too´´

Recalling to mind saint Vincenzo of Poali who defined the poor as his masters, Chiara continued: we have understood that we should not only look at the poor as our master, but also all our neighbours, in fact, if Jesus said he did not come to be served but to serve, we are then the servants, and the masters are the others. The same as he is, it is the brother who is supposed to have the first word, to be honored, obeyed because he is the one who commands´´

Lucio wrote, presenting this text of Chiara during the first school of inculturation, ´´Here we have understood that we have to make ourselves one –forgetting ourselves by entering into the other as the only thing that counts.

Chiara continued, laying emphases on how much we have to put our brother in a condition in which he can open up…how we have to put ourselves aside and approach the brother ´´completely empty of ourselves ´´ to be nothing in front of him as Jesus forsaken and Mary desolate ´´ ´´in this way our brother can manifest himself because he has found someone who welcomes him, he can therefore give what is in him.

It continues: but this is because the nothingness here is a nothingness of love and not synonymous of in-existence, the Holy Spirit present in us illuminates and permits us to guide in a particular way the conversation so that the brother can open up completely. This is not all; he gives us a way in which we can gather that living thing found in the heart of the brother that is living in the spiritual sense of it. The flame of the divine life in him, or the simple living in the human sense, is an expression of those values that the lord in his creation sowed in the soul of each and every human being.

Lucio commented again: ´´what struck me in this putting ourselves aside to make ourselves one is the measure… Jesus forsaken and Mary desolate. On the other hand it is the unique and true way to keep Jesus in the midst with that brother and consequently the Holy Spirit and his light´´ …it is the first phase of the action of the Holy Spirit: the manifestation of the neighbor in everything that is positive and the wisdom in him. ´´the active part of love in us …is that of guiding, if it can be said in this way, the conversation so that our neighbor can be able to open up completely ´´ it is only after this that the second phase of the action of the Holy Spirit can start with the understanding on our part of what is positive, what is alive in the other person.

At this point Chiara says: on that living thing we can in serving graft with gentleness, with love, with an unlimited discretion, these true aspects of evangelical message we are carrying, should give the fullness and be complete to what our neighbor believes already which is what is being awaited in him, almost coveted, aspects that takes along itself the whole truth. In this way the brother has given, and we have done the same. So the flame of our ideal goes to the benefit of many´´

We can sense chiara’s joy from her words for the fact that she succeeded to discover- in this process of love to make ourselves one in a profound way-from that  something which is alive, which is precious in the other, that  concise with recognizing the seeds of the word, spread in every culture.

This is the way that we have also taken in working for the school of inculturation, in which we were very much supported in all these years by Bruna and Lucio,´´ our old people´´

It was a gradual experience of sensibilization and of growing interest in this exercise of squeezing, articulating values and limits of one’s real culture, the field to say the new truth to all of us. It was very useful getting to know ourselves, giving esteems and establish the spirit of dialogue and love between the various African people. This was also to get to know this common patrimony and to help each other to make known the voice of Africa to the rest of the world in view of a universal brotherhood. This work is still at the beginning, to know more about the themes and contents involve, consult the proceedings that have been published.

I can just say a few words in what comes into evidence in the African tradition, the values that are centered on the human person, which are expressed like Muntu in the bantu languages. This word is composed from the prefix Mu= the thinking being, and Ntu= the force of life therefore the Muntu, in relation to life with his community, with the natural world, with the spiritual world and God. These three dimensions are very constitutive for his existence and none should be lacking so that it can develop in receiving and giving life. The African traditional spirituality is witness in this way, which can give a significant contribution to our global world.

The tsunami of consumerism has also reached Africa which is threatening the social and the authentic religious life. This is why inculturation is very important to throw more light on the divine- human roots of the African life for a harmonious development of his social and Ecclesial life.

We can hereby say that the work during these years has always been new and enriching. It has been a continuous learning, taking great care of our methods of research, and progressing in the preparations and receiving the contributions with Jesus in the midst. I remember that it was also the same thing for me in the study of various themes in the light of the scriptures.

The experience of the focolarina inculturation has been done, based on making ourselves one in a profound way, an experience of inculturation at the discovery of the other person and also of a profound inter-inculturation. As Chiara named it- within the African cultures due to the specificity of the various ethnic groups. It was a true ´´exchange of gifts ´´ that made things to grow in love and life that satisfied the soul and mind, giving it a new knowledge of one’s real roots and the opening up of new horizons.

I remember a beautiful step made by Chiara that Bruna made mention during the last school of inculturation at Nairobi. Bruna recall how much Chiara had explained at Guadalupe when she was describing the ‘’morenita’’ the way she made herself one that emerged from each particularity of her dress and of her image. In this occasion Chiara concluded.  What I have signal to you, I think it is enough to make us understand the most important thing. Inculturation is only making ourselves one with other people in a spiritual way, discovering yourselves, bringing out the seeds of the word present in this culture, but we should also assumed with humility and acknowledgment that valuable something that is offered by the culture of our brothers. Inculturation demands an exchange of gifts. This is what our lady of Guadalupe wants to tell us.

It is love that has to guide us in inculturation, this is how the Holy Spirit reacts, Chiara repeated this at Fontem in the year 2000.

Cardinals, Bishops and theologians during these years have expressed the highest appreciation for this work, we can’t quote all of them, but just a few phases of professor Maviiri in one of the books of the proceedings, and he is the Rector of the East African Catholic University. He wrote ´´ in the actual phase that we are living … what an appropriate coincidence that this type of work is published, not only to underline the necessary need of inculturation, but also to testify the joy of discovering the gift of each one in response to the love of God for all of us. This is the practice of the school of inculturation of the focolare movement ´´

Struck by a step made by Chiara which has been published in her spiritual writings, I can conclude saying:  According to Chiara all being  have to be seen as God’s gift. Form here, who is next to me is created as a gift for me and I am also created as a gift for the this person too. Here on earth everything is in relationship of love with everything. Each with the other. What is needed is to live love in order to fine the golden thread between all being.

We can therefore in a joyful way conclude that inculturation- this baby that came from the heart of Chiara and from her prophetic love has been born, being very conscious that this baby still needs our special care to grow and produce a hundred folds in fruits, not only in the life of the work of Mary but in all of Africa.