9th General Convention

Behold the dwelling place of God among men

The General Convention is always an important time, but this 9th Convention was special for several reasons. First of all because we shared the joy of celebrating thirty years since the birth of the Community, which was born on December 8, 1978, and we were the “Convention of the Thousand,” more than a thousand registered participants, Then because for the first time brothers from a new non-Italian Fraternity, the one from Bucharest, Romania, joined the Covenant. Thirty years, then, after its birth, the Magnificat Community officially becomes an international community. It is indeed true that the plan the Lord has reserved for us is much greater than we can ever imagine… Again, for the first time in our community history, an Orthodox sister has been welcomed into the community as an “associate member.” This historic event has undoubtedly opened up the community to a so-called “grassroots” ecumenism, made up of acceptance and concrete love to brothers and sisters of other Christian denominations. Who knows where the Lord will want to take us, considering that for some years now he has even pushed us to work among our Muslim brothers and sisters as well….

During the Convention, the usual calendar of events served as a container for a great wealth of meaning and content. At the beginning we greeted 18 Fraternities, including the newly founded Bucharest. The first evening, after the opening Mass, was dedicated to the very young people who were able to meet the General Leaders and share among themselves the experience of the community journey. A special place was reserved for “Operation Little Brother,” which has reached 34 “supports” for poor children in Romania. The teachings, given by elders of the Community (Stefano Ragnacci, Tarcisio Mezzetti, Daniele Mezzetti and Massimo Roscini) did not have a celebratory tone, but a reflective one, reflecting a Community that is aware that it is not a human work but a project of God, which is still largely waiting to be understood. There was an air of shared responsibility and a desire for maturation. This Community “dwelling place of God among men” knows it must grow not only in extension but also in depth and holiness.
The themes of the teachings:

• Let us build the Lord’s temple together: the Community as God’s project, the responsibility of building it together (Stephen Ragnacci).
• The Community Dwelling Place of God: “Be holy, for I am holy”: vertical and horizontal dimensions of Community building (Tarcisio Mezzetti).
• Called to be a holy people: living a plural, communal, relational holiness (Daniele Mezzetti).
• Building the city on the mountain: living with fullness of citizenship in the Kingdom of God (Massimo Roscini).

Our Pastors confirmed the Community’s journey with affectionate words: Bishop Giuseppe Chiaretti, Archbishop of Perugia-Città della Pieve; Bishop Gualtiero Bassetti, Bishop of Arezzo-Cortona-Sansepolcro; Bishop Cornel Damian, Auxiliary Bishop of Bucharest, who came to join the first Covenant of Romanian Brothers. Thirty-six new allies this year…from Syracuse, Perugia, Rome, Foligno, Treviso and Bucharest.