APOSTOLIC MOVEMENT
CENTRAL SEAT
Via B. Musolino, 44
88069 S. MARIA DI CATANZARO
www.movimentoapostolico.it
movapost@tin.it

PROGRAM GUIDELINES

PASTORAL YEAR 2011-2012

Let the commitment for a renewed season of evangelization grow

(H.H. Benedict XVI)

The Church lives by the Word of God, that is, of daily evangelization, announcement, education, catechesis, preaching, remembrance of  the Gospel.

The Holy Father Benedict XVI, a solicitous and attentive shepherd, gave some precious truths on which it is fitting that the whole Apostolic Movement stops and meditates, so that its mission is in perfect harmony with them.

“Faith is not preserved in the world by itself, it is not automatically passed on to the human heart, but must always be proclaimed. Moreover if the proclamation of faith is to be effective it must stem in turn from a heart that believes and loves, a heart that adores Christ and believes in the power of the Holy Spirit! The Church, each one of us, must bring to the world this joyful news that Jesus is Lord. Therefore may there be a growing commitment to a renewed season of evangelization, which is not only the task of some of the members of the Church but rather of them all. Should we not today too show the beauty and reasonableness of faith, carry God’s light to the people of our time, with courage, with conviction, with joy? Catechesis is an ecclesial action and it is therefore necessary that catechists give witness to and teach the faith of the Church and do not give their own interpretation of it. For all these reasons it is necessary to teach silence and interiority. Do not be afraid to commit yourselves to the Gospel! Despite the difficulties you will encounter in reconciling the requirements of the family and of work with those of the community in which you are carrying out your mission, always trust in the help of the Virgin Mary, Star of Evangelization"(Speech by Pope Benedict XVI, Basilica of St. John Lateran, 13 June 2011)

A careful theological reading of all truth contained in this passage from the Spech of the Holy Father, will certainly help the Apostolic Movement to enliven the reasons for its mission and to reinforce the ardor for living it every day with greater dedication, zeal, charity, hope, joy, and enduring to the end.

Faith must always be announced

Christ is the same yesterday, today and always. His mystery is infinite. Nothing must be added and removed from it. But not for this reason it has been understood in the fullness of its truth. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to lead believers into all the truth, in an uninterrupted work that will be consumed in Paradise. Until that day we must always be listening to the Word of the faith and always progress in the knowledge of the truth. This is why the faith must always be announced to those who walk in it, so that they can move more quickly forward. It must also be proclaimed to those who lost it, who are confused, uncertain, doubtful, so that they put it in their heart in the fullness of its light. It must always be said because there are myriads and myriads of people who have never known it.

One day, if the Apostolic Movement were not to announce the Gospel to itself, let him know that would fail in his mission and therefore in its own being, since it was founded for the announcement of the Word and for its remembrance to the whole world . Every drop of announcement to himself it is ipso facto a drop of announcement to the world. The more we will have the strength, zeal, determination to proclaim the Gospel, the more we will convert ourselves to it every day and the more our missionary and evangelizing strength will increase. it will expand, grow. The extent of the mission out is given by the extent of the mission in its interior. Only who preaches the Gospel to himself and conforms his life to it is able to preach it to others.

Bringing the world the good news that Jesus is the Lord

The principle and foundation of our faith is Jesus, the Crucified One, who is now the Risen One, constitute by God the Father, the Lord of our lives. He is the Lord because in his eternal plan the Father established that every life must be given to him. That life handed over to Jesus, the Lord is saved. That life denied to him, to the Lord of all life remains in the non salvation. This is the good news that up every day must get in the world, among our brothers. Even this announcement is vain, ineffective, barren, empty, if before anything else if we do not bring this good news to ourselves; that is, if we ourselves do not choose Jesus as our sole, only true and eternal God. Choosing Jesus as our only Lord is choosing his Word as our only rule, law, statute, perennial operating principle, in which we want to place all our days.

Never might the Apostolic Movement be true if it separates the two realities of Jesus. That is why it is urgent that they are united in our hearts: Word, grace, truth, sacraments, personal and community prayer. However, this unity is only a means, way, instrument, mode for Jesus Christ to be fully formed in us. The formation of Christ, or conformation of our lives to his, is necessary for the right, true announcement. Jesus is the Lord that today wants to live in the world through our lives. Announcing him daily to ourselves we can announce him to others. If you do not accomplish this mission for us, how can we hope to accomplish it for others? It would be a real nonsense to say that Jesus is Lord to others, being we, his missionaries and preachers, without his Lordship in our bodies, our lives. In this the Apostolic Movement is called to a great exemplariness. Every one of its members has to find in the intimate union and conformity to Christ the Lord the reason of his being and his operating.

Let the commitment for a renewed season of evangelization grow

We are invited by the Holy Father to arrange that the commitment for a renewed season of evangelization grows. This commitment is first and foremost to ourselves. By evangelizing ourselves, we evangelize the Church. The evangelized Church evangelizes the world. But how does one preach the gospel to himself? First of all, putting aside a wrong thinking: that the preachers do not need to preach the Gospel to themselves or that the missionaries have already been evangelized. Taken this principle away from the heart, you put the real one in: the first person that needs the Gospel is I that am preaching, that am announcing, that am giving it to others. To the extent that each carries out a strong evangelization for his life, he will grow in the evangelization of others. Only if I think of not being yet in the fullness of the Gospel and I commit myself to enter it more and more every day; I might have the strength for a renewed evangelizing season that starts from my person.

The Apostolic Movement is called to live a strong evangelization of all its members, adherents, candidates. This inside missionary action must lead us to think, will, decide, act, pray, operate like Christ Jesus. Then the mission will be also lived by us in the same way as Lord Jesus. This internal evangelizing action must be uninterrupted, daily, without any decline, pursued with ever increasing zeal. This is the secret to being the good Apostolic Movement thought and wanted, created and formed by Lord Jesus and the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption. This is the way to the true fructification of our mission.

Showing the beauty and reasonableness of the faith

The beauty of the faith can never show through metaphysical great metaphysical speeches, but through the change of life. It is the life of holiness that attests to the beauty of what we believe. Jesus makes the difference between the faith shown by the scribes and Pharisees, and his. It is not only in the word of forgiveness, mercy, compassion, piety, lovingness, revelation of the truth of the Father. It is his life that is beautiful, holy, true, joyful, committed, sacrificed.

The reasonableness is shown with a kind, calm, serene, true, correct, appropriate word. However, it is not a matter of making long, boring speeches, but of saying a clear word, above all evident, always supported by the concreteness that the life of faith imposes or asks us. It is our life of faith that must attest to the world its reasonableness. For this reason every one of us is obliged to show both the beauty of his faith with the perfect holiness of life, as well as the reasonableness of the things he believes in, through a simple, pure, linear language.

It would be already sufficient that every one of us gave reason to every man of the why of his honesty, justice, morality, holiness, observance of the commandments, perfect life of exemplariness in the Beatitudes; for the world to open to the truth of the Gospel. However, if everything is outside of us, we waste our rational energy in vain. There is no point talking about a rational faith, while all our life is irrational. So too it would be an insult to the beauty to declare that our faith is beautiful, while all our life is in the meanness and ugliness of vice and sin.

Every day more the Apostolic Movement must elevate itself not only in morality, justice, holiness, but also in the daily deepening of the thought of Lord Jesus. One must always start from the thought of Christ if he wants to account of the hope that is within us. The reasonableness of the true faith is the great holiness. Holiness does not need words.

Bringing the light of God to the man of our time

The real man to whom to give the Gospel is a true mystery almost never of holiness, often of great wickedness, the result of atheism, idolatry, will not serve the Lord. The autonomy from God, conscious or unconscious, studied or by ignorance, acquired or natural, induced and caused or simply by an agnosticism of tradition; is one of the most serious evils that afflict our society. To this so tormented man of our time certainly one cannot speak of a God outside of us, of the Christ of history, of the holiness of the past. The only word that we are called to say is our highest holiness, which is kindness, goodness, charity, patience, mercy, forgiveness, the supreme truth, the perfect correspondence between what we say we believe and what we do.

Jesus gave all of his Father: charity, mercy, forgiveness, holiness, justice, kindness, truth, every virtue, always moved by the Holy Spirit. So guided, he always new how to speak, what to say, how to act, what works to carry out, what signs to donate. The Christian, to bring the light of God to the man of our time, must also be moved and guided by the Spirit of the Lord. That is why it is urgent that he is all in the Word of the Gospel, that the Gospel is his clothing, his heart, his soul, his feet, his hands, his mouth, his own thought. By becoming one with the Word, making himself also the living word of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit will take full possession of his life and make him true missionary of Lord Jesus.

The Apostolic Movement has the living example of its Inspirer - Founder. Like her, we too must speak to the man of our time with the heart of Jesus, with the mouth of the Holy Spirit, the feelings of the Father, the mercy of the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption. By becoming a living example of faith, charity, hope, the Apostolic Movement might give to the man of today Christ and his Gospel, his grace and his truth.

The catechesis is an ecclesial action

The catechesis starts from the Body of Christ, in order to show the Body of Christ, to form the Body of Christ. The Body of Christ is a reality well formed, connected, harmonized, structured, with multiform tasks, various charismas, ordained and non-ordained ministries. We are called to give all of Christ, to form all of Christ, to live all of Christ. It is obvious that everyone can give what he has become and was constituted, of Christ. Nobody in the Church possesses the fullness of all the gifts. Even if he possessed them, he would be lacking in the fullness of the universality. He can meet a person, not all persons. He can form one person and all the others remain outside. Instead, every one doing his ministry, according to his charisma, his particular gift, letting himself be humbly helped by others, the whole body receives a great benefit.

Pope, Bishops, priests, deacons, theologians, prophets, teachers, doctors, evangelists, catechists, all lay, consecrated, ministerial strength; all, doing and saying, are one only teaching body; however, everyone with his particular responsibility of Order and of ministry, of received sacrament and of consecration. This vision of togetherness, fellowship, cooperation, collaboration is undermined by the great evil of selfishness, which generates divisions, separations, isolations, castling, putting one without the other and worse against the others. Communion in the Church is also hierarchical obedience.

The Apostolic Movement is called to unite its forces of prophecy and theology, science and doctrine, words and deeds, holiness and exemplariness, active and contemplative life; lay forces, of the Consecrated women, of the deacons, of the priests. Only by acting in synergy, communion, unity, union, only by operating as the only body of Christ with many members, we will give our evangelization a perennially new impulse, renovator of the world and history.

Do not be afraid of committing yourselves for the Gospel!

We are always afraid of committing ourselves to the Gospel, when the Gospel is outside of us, when our life is not woven and impregnated by the Word, when the Gospel has not been transformed by us into our flesh, blood, body, and substance.

But when the Gospel has been transformed into our lives and every day we grow in it, till eliminating the smallest moral imperfections, even of wisdom, knowledge, doctrine, science, then never one might be afraid of witnessing it, even at the price of our blood.

To transform the Gospel into our lives we are all obliged to set out on some binding ways: daily reading of the Gospel, devout participation in the Sunday and daily Eucharist, uninterrupted prayer, devout recitation of the Holy Rosary, works of material and spiritual charity, inclusion in parishes; harmony of the charismas and ministries, honesty in the personal professional work; growth in faithfulness to the vocation of the Apostolic Movement, and constant work for vocations to the Ordained Priesthood and Consecrated Life.

If we grow in all these points, the Gospel will always be announced without any fear. The world will see the great light of Christ Jesus, that wraps and attracts it to him, for its salvation.

The Virgin Mary, Star of Evangelization.

The Virgin Mary is the Star that always shows us how and where to live the ministry of the announcement and remembrance of the Word of Jesus.

The Apostolic Movement was born from. It was willed by her. It is guided and supported by her. It is led onto the good way by her. Protected and guarded by her. Encouraged by her, so that it never fails in this mission of salvation and redemption of the world.

To us the filial obedience to her every suggestion, desire, will, indication, proposal so that her Son Jesus becomes the life of every man that believes in his Word and lives the message of true salvation.

A look into the past

So far, the Apostolic Movement has operated well. So many things have been done. We have gone on. We have been involved. The mission is unstoppable:

-          Five Ecclesial Convention of the Apostolic Movement have been celebrated till now: The first: "Announcing the Gospel of Hope. Sources, reasons and subject of the Church's mission in front of current challenges ", held on 10 - 11 - 12 May 2006, with the presence of the Archbishops H. E. Archbishop Mgr. Antonio Ciliberti, H. E. Mgr. Vittorio Mondello and concluded by H. Eminence Cardinal Angelo Scola, Patriarch of Venice.

-          The second: "If anyone is in Christ he is a new creation (2 Cor 5:17)", held March 13 to 14 in Catanzaro in 2007, with the presence of H. E. Mgr. Ciliberti, H. E. Mgr. Santo Marcianò and concluded by H. Em.ce Cardinal Carlo Caffarra, Metropolitan Archbishop of Bologna.

-          The third: "In hope we were saved" (Benedict XVI, Spe Salvi, 1), in the Politeama Theatre 25.26.27 September 2008, with the presence of the Archbishops HE Mgr. Antonio Ciliberti and H.E. Mgr. Salvatore Nunnari and concluded by H.E. Rev.ma Mgr. Mauro Piacenza, Secretary of the Congregation for the Clergy.

-          The fourth, "The evangelizing mission of the Apostolic Movement and the New Evangelization", held in Rome on December 2, 2009 at the Auditorium Conciliazione, with the speeches of H.E. Mgr. Joseph Marciante, Auxiliary Bishop of Rome, and the conclusions of H.E. Mgr. Antonio Ciliberti.

-          The fifth: "Young people: in charity and truth", held November 24, 2010 at the Reconciliation Auditorium in Rome; it welcomed the speech of H.E. Mgr. Mario Toso, Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace; and the closing speech of H. E. Mgr. Antonio Cilberti, the Catanzaro-Squillace Metropolitan Archbishop. The participants were greeted in the morning by Pope Benedict XVI at the end of the general audience: "I extend a warm welcome to Italian-speaking pilgrims. In particular, I greet the participants to the convention promoted by the Apostolic Movement and I exhort them to continue on the path of personal holiness, the starting point of all evangelization".

            Moreover, 1 and 2 May 2010 a convention ​​of the Apostolic Movement was also realized in Corsico (MI), on the theme: Word of God: the heart of the New Evangelization. “Wasn’t perhaps our heart burning”. The event, organized by Father Charles Pirotta, Ecclesiastical Assistant of the A.M. in the Diocese of Milan; gathered all the responsible persons and members of the AM in Northern Italy, Switzerland, Austria and Germany. Along with the speakers (Father Gesualdo De Luca, President Cettina Marraffa, and in video conference, the central ecclesiastical assistant Mgr. Costantino Di Bruno) Mgr. Mario Delpino, Auxiliary Bishop of Milan intervened in the works. The responsible persons of the seats of the North and abroad reported on the work they do in their areas. The next day, in the cathedral of Milan, the conference participants attended the Holy, Mass animated by the Choir "Redemptionis Mater", and presided by the Episcopal Vicar for the Evangelization Mgr. Manganini.

-          Furthermore, on April 30, 2011 an international convention of the Apostolic Movement was held in Schaffhausen (CH), on the topic: Church and lay Aggregations after Vatican Council II. The speakers were: Mgr. Josef Rosenast, Vicar General of the Diocese of Sankt Gallen, and Father Gesualdo De Luca, regional assistant of the Apostolic Movement for Calabria. The speech sent by President Cettina Marraffa was also read.

-          In the Secular Instituto "Mary Mother of the Redemption", on December 20, 2007, the first five Consecrated Lay Women of temporary profession, among whom the Inspirer - Founder of the Apostolic Movement, Mrs. Maria Marino, emitted in the hands of HE M. Rev. Mgr. Antonio Ciliberti, Metropolitan Archbishop of Catanzaro – Squillace, the perpetual vows; in the same day, 11 novices the temporary vows.

-          On January 6, 2011, Mgr. Antonio Ciliberti, during a solemn Eucharistic co-celebration, in the St. Mary Mother of the Church Parish, in Ianni; has accepted the permanent profession of 10 Consecrated Lay Women of the Secular Institute "Mary Mother of the Redemption" and the temporary profession of other six novices.

-          Following by now a decennial tradition, in these years both the Christmas Concert, the musicals, with more replicas: "And let there be light ...", "Under your shadow a song" and "Meditating the Passion", of the Apostolic Movement’s President Mrs. Concetta Marraffa; had a great public success. In many other parish and diocesan seats the "Musicals" have also aroused amazement, admiration, openness of heart and mind to the Gospel of Salvation.

-          Our Web site: www.movimentoapostolico.it has been enriched. Recently "The Gospel of the Day", a theological commentary was added to the Gospel passage of the Sunday daily Mass, also spread on the Facebook page of the Apostolic Movement, in text and audio format. In addition, the section "training aids", completed with new Comments to all the the New Testament Books, has been integrated with the comments on the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers.

-          The Centre of Studies Verbum edited the presentation of the books of Fathers Mimmo Concolino, Francesco Brancaccio, Michael Fontana, Alessandro Carioti (cf. www.centrostudiverbum.it). After the recent volumes published by Fathers Gesualdo De Luca and Giuseppe Deodato, other works were also published by the members of the Centre for Studies Verbum: Peace: one of God's gifts and a commitment of man, by Professor Alessandro Carioti, 7^th volume of the theological series "Verbum"; Prophecy of communion, by prof. Michael Fontana; Priestly identity and spirituality, by Father Vincenzo Moniaci; The pastoral heritage of a Pontiff in Calabria, by Father Giovanni Scarpino; Dialogue between Liturgy and Catechesis in the itinerary of Christian Initiation of prof. Flavio Placida. In addition, the series "Miscellaneous Verbum" has been enriched with the volume The Christian Businessman, by dr. Anthony Rotundo. In addition, the Centre of Studies Verbum theologians wanted to contribute to the ecclesial reflection promoted by His Holiness Benedict XVI in the Priestly Year with a collective work entitled "Priests in the Church. Ten reflections on identity and the priestly ministry", with a preface by H.E. Mgr. Ciliberti and the presentation of prof. Manilo Sodi, president of the Pontifical Academy of Theology.

-          After having proposed successfully 5 editions of the project "The Verbum and the Civitas," offering a series of seminars on the faith in the institutional environment of the city; in 2010/2011, the Centre of Studies Verbum realized the project Universus, a series of interdisciplinary conferences around the concept of "person". With this new initiative, the CSV intends to propose itself  as a mediator of a renewed and constructive dialogue between theology and the various expressions of human knowledge, with the double goal of contributing to a high training proposal for university students and young scholars and to intercept in a wide-range the interests of today's cultural panorama. The project wants to present, before the universe of contemporary human Wisdom, a theology that has "the courage to open itself to the whole breadth of reason", according to the auspices of Pope Benedict XVI. Prestigious experts of the various fields of knowledge, who interacted with the theologians of the Centre of Studies Verbum, have been involved . With the cooperation of the Catanzaro-Squillace Archdiocese and its cultural project, the course has enjoyed the patronage of the Province of Catanzaro and of the Magna Graecia University, which gave training credits to its own students. The course was inaugurated by N.E. Mgr. Antonio Ciliberti; while a few days after his settlement, the new archbishop H.E, Mgr. Vincenzo Bertolone chaired the closing session. The meetings, hosted by the hall "House of Cultures" of the Province of Catanzaro, were always broadcast live even on the web. The full proceedings are about to be published.

-          On March 28, 2009, at the Conciliation Auditorium in Rome, 150 young people of the Apostolic Movement staged the musical "Meditating on the Passion." Three thousand people attended two successive performances. The work, conceived, written and set to music by President Marraffa Concetta, was proposed by the Apostolic Movement in collaboration with the Office of the University Pastoral of the Vicariate of Rome, as a preparation for the XXIV World Youth Day.

-          Sunday, March 29, 2009, all the protagonists of the Musical along with several hundred other pilgrims from various national and foreign seats of the Apostolic Movement, participated in the H. Mass at the Church of  the "Holy Spirit in Sassia" presided by the Catanzaro-Squillace Archbishop H.E. Mgr. Antonio Ciliberti and animated by the choir "Redemptionis Mater". After, all together they went to S. Peter’s Square, where Pope Benedict XVI, at the end of the recital of the Angelus, greeted the Apostolic Movement with these words: "Finally, I greet the Italian-speaking pilgrims, especially the members of the Apostolic Movement, with the Archbishop of Catanzaro-Squillace Mgr. Antonio Ciliberti".

-          The Musical "Meditating on the Passion" was also staged by the youth of the Apostolic Movement at Lourdes, 29 September 2010, at the Basilica of St. Bernadette, during the Italian national pilgrimage organized by the UNITALSI.

-          In August 2011 a large delegation of young people of the Apostolic Movement took part in Madrid at the XXVI World Youth Day. In a downtown theater, in four different representations, they staged the musical "Under your shadow a song", of Cettina Marraffa; inserted by the Organizing Committee in the official cultural program of the WYD.

-          In the summer of 2010 a program of youth training, structured in monthly meetings on issues linked to the relationship between young people and the faith; started. The program, thought by President Cettina Marraffa in response to needs expressed by young people themselves, is taken care of by the central ecclesiastical assistant in collaboration with other priests. The program continued with regularity, and is also live web cast. Appointments in preparation for the WYD were also included.

-          A delegation of the Apostolic Movement participated in the Ancona National Eucharistic Congress (September 2011). Some have given the availability as volunteers. An info-point was also set up in a special booth in the congress area.

-          In the Apostolic Movement Continue to mature vocations which enrich the Church: in 2009 4 new priests were ordained; and 7 deacons in view of priesthood; in 2010, 7 other priests, 2 deacons with a view to priesthood, and 7 permanent deacons; in 2011 two more priests were ordained and three young people have completed training in the seminary with a view to Ordination.

-          The Mission of the Apostolic Movement has experienced in recent years a big flowering both in Italy and abroad.

-          On May 17, 2007 the general secretary of the Congo Republic Episcopal Conference, Mgr. Alphonse Taty-Mboumba, came for a visit; he delivered to the President the Declaration with which the Chairman of the Conference itself, H.E. Mgr. Louis Portella-Mbuyu, encourages the formal recognition of the Apostolic Movement in all of the Congo dioceses, as it had already been done by the Bishop of Nkayi H.E. Mgr. Daniel Mizonzo.

-          On October 21, 2007 H.E. Mgr. Louis Portella-Mbuyu (President of the Congo Episcopal Conference), H.E. Mgr. Daniel Mizonzo (Bishop of Nkayi), Mgr. Alphonse Taty-Mboumba (Secretary of the Episcopal Conference); came for a visit.

-          On January 25, 2008 His Eminence Cardinal Christian Wiyghan Tumi, Archbishop of Douala (Cameroon), came for a visit; he delivered the President the Decree of acknowledgement ad experimentum of the Apostolic Movement in Cameroon, signed by the President of the Episcopal Conference H.E. Mgr. Victor Tonye Bakot.

-          The meetings took place in the Parish Church of Santo Janni and have had the most solemn moment in the celebration of the Eucharist.

-          On August 25, 2008, the Ambassador of Ecuador to the Holy See, H.E. Fausto Cordovez Chiriboga; attended the Eucharistic Celebration in St. Ianni.

-          On 10 November 2008, the Ambassador of Cameroon to the Holy See, H.E. Antoine Zanga, came to the St. Ianni Church, together with his collaborators, to know personally the reality of the Apostolic Movement, present in his country with the approval of the National Episcopal Conference. The Apostolic Movement gave him the fruit of a collection of the members to the needy children’ benefit in Cameroon.

-          On May 18, 2009 H.E. Mgr. Paul Maipan, Bishop of Khammam (India), came to meet with the Apostolic Movement, accompanied by a priest of his diocese, and he presided over the Eucharistic celebration in the St. Ianni parish church.

-          On June 4, 2010 in the St. Ianni Church, H.E. Mgr. Rosario Vella, Bishop of Ambanja (Madagascar) came to visit us. On 5 July it was the turn of H.E. Mgr. Kleda Samuel, Archbishop of Douala (Cameroon). Both have come to personally know the Apostolic Movement, already present in their respective dioceses.

-          On March 14, 2011 in the St. Ianni Church, H. E. Mgr. Daniel Mizonzo, Bishop of Nkayi in the Congo Republic, presided over the Eucharistic celebration.

-          Between 2008 and 2011 the presence of the Apostolic Movement has further consolidated and extended outside Italy: some priests and lay people have visited Cameroon, Congo Brazzaville (where the number of dioceses the Apostolic Movement operates in has grown) , India and Madagascar (where the Movement was welcomed and constituted by the bishop in the Diocese of Ambanja). In addition, the Movement was established in Austria and the Ivory Coast and its work is also required in other countries where it is being formed.

On the way towards the future

The Holy Father has shown us the way. To us the obligation to run through it with Holy Spirit charity, wisdom, knowledge, great zeal, and tireless work. We will be able to make this journey, if we are animated by a true spirit of communion, cooperation, unity, respect for each one’s gift, the assumption each of his own responsibilities. The mission is the work of the Church. This means with the others, for the others, in a communion and unity that come from the obedience to the will of the Father that must reign supreme over us.

It is God that made me, called me, wanted me. But it is also God who made the others, called the others, wanted the others. He wanted them the same way that he wanted me, to carry out the only mission of salvation that is the one of Christ Jesus. Therefore, our communion must be in the Body of Christ. We must always start from the Body of Christ. We must form the Body of Christ. We must always go back into the Body of Christ, if we want to fulfill our duty and give Christ to the man of our time. We can make it with the grace of God and with the help of the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, we will make it for sure.

This is my hope in the faith and this is the hope of all the Apostolic Movement.

A special thought goes to:

The Inspirer - Founder of the Apostolic Movement, Mrs. Maria Marino. May her suffering, offered daily in Lord Jesus, become for all the Church a rain of grace, truth, conversion. May she be for the Apostolic Movement a great strength for the evangelizing mission.

The President Mrs. Concetta Marraffa. May her love for the Apostolic Movement never fail, never run out, becoming new more and more every day, as the love of Christ and His Mother is for us.

The Secretaries. May their valuable work, often done in silence, offered to the Lord as a true sacrifice and oblation pleasing to him; pour onto the Apostolic Movement like rain bearer of great spiritual fertility, for the salvation of the world.

The Diocesan and Parish Responsible Persons. A more and more widespread and universal mission starts from their commitment. May the Lord fill them with his Holy Spirit to be efficacious witnesses of the Apostolic Movement’s truth, and so make it expand into the hearts of many.

The Collaborators. They are a real vital part of the Apostolic Movement. Due to their work, it will be shown in all its beauty in the tiny daily things. Basically they are its universal and widespread visibility.

The Candidates. They love the Apostolic Movement and are in the process of embracing its spirituality. May the Lord grant them the courage to make the right choice which is of true salvation and redemption.

The Deacons. May their service of charity and evangelization shine of a greater and greater example and be a stimulus for all to love the Lord with an undivided heart.

The Priests. They are the ministers of the Word, servants of the truth of Jesus Christ, stewards of the divine mysteries, guides of the souls to heaven. May their patience, mercy, charity, compassion for every heart be in all like those of Christ Jesus, the Compassionate and the Merciful.

The Ecclesiastical Assistants. They are invested with a great ministry: keeping the Apostolic Movement in the truth of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption. May the supernatural light that through them pours on the Apostolic Movement never know impoverishment or deficits. May it instead be always pure, shining, and bright.

The Consecrated Lay Women of the Secular Institute "Mary, Mother of the Redemption". May their decision to be entirely of Christ be for all an example of how the Lord must be loved with a perfect heart, without divisions. May the Lord bless their service and make it fertile with many fruits of holiness.

To the Most Excellencies Bishops, in whose Dioceses the Apostolic Movement lives and works, the most heartfelt gratitude on the part of the Apostolic Movement. May the Lord grant them grace upon grace for the accomplishment of their mission according to the heart of Christ Jesus.

To the Holy Father, Benedict XVI, who in a few days will come in a Pastoral visit to the Lamezia Terme Diocese; go our obedience, respect, devotion and filial reverence. May the Lord enrich him with all gifts of the Holy Spirit.

May the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels and Saints watch over the Apostolic Movement so that it remains faithful to all of heaven in the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.

Catanzaro, 1 October 2011