In many countries, Mass will be celebrated for the 15th anniversary of the death of Fr. Luigi Giussani, founder of the Catholic movement, Communion and Liberation, which dates back to the 1950s. In Rome, Vatican Secretary of State, Card. Pietro Parolin will celebrate Mass.
FR. LUIGI GIUSSANI
May 30, 1998
“'What is man that You should keep him in mind, mortal man that You care for him?' No question in life has ever struck me like this one. There has been only one Man in the world who could answer me, by asking another question: 'What would it profit a man if he gained the whole world, and then lost himself? Or what could a man give in exchange for himself?' I was never asked a question that took my breath away so much as this question of Christ.”
FR. JULIÁN CARRÓN
President, Communion and Liberation
June, 2017
“Fr. Giussani has communicated Christianity to us by showing that one lives much better, one responds much better to the challenges of life, to the dramas of living and to the beautiful things that happen in life, when one has encountered Christ.”
Fr. Giussani's life and writings have impacted many people around the world, including Pope Francis, who commemorated the 10th anniversary of Fr. Giussani's death in 2015.
POPE FRANCIS
March 7, 2015
“Luigi Giussani's legacy cannot be reduced to a museum of memories, decisions, rules of conduct. Certainly, one should be loyal to tradition. But fidelity to tradition, as Mahler said, means keeping the fire alive and not worshiping the ashes.”
Fr. Giussani died in 2005 at the age of 83. Then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger celebrated his funeral Mass.
In 2012, the case for his beatification was opened in the diocese of Milan, in charge of overseeing the process. Experts in the diocese continue to analyze the large collection of writings, documents and testimonies related to Fr. Giussani.
This year's celebration also marks 38 years since Communion and Liberation received pontifical recognition as an International Association of the Faithful. Today, the movement is active in 90 countries.
Claudia Torres
