Communion and Liberation

Details: 13 January 2012

One day in 1954, Father Luigi Giussani was traveling on a train. From his seat, he observed a group of young people engaging in conversations that were anything but Christian, dealing with secular subjects, including Marxism. It was at that moment that God gave him the grace-filled desire to introduce Christ into the hearts of young people.

He requested permission from his Bishop to leave his assignment as a seminary professor to become a teacher of religion for high school students. This was the beginning of a movement that became legendary not only in Italy, but all over the world. Initially, it was called "Student Youth" and was intended for high school students only, but as the students entered the adult world, their desire to center their lives on Christ continued, and in 1969 the movement became known as "Communion and Liberation" (CL) and was available to anyone who longed for Jesus to be the center of their lives. Today it is active in more than seventy countries in the world. And now it is coming to Lincoln, Nebraska!

Communion and Liberation is known as a "movement." There are many excellent movements in the Church, such as Cursillo, Charismatic Renewal, Magnificat and Focolare. Even our parish-based Light of the World retreats are something of a movement. All of these initiatives aid us in forming a personal relationship with Jesus, while they differ somewhat in their methods. As with other movements, the purpose of CL is to strengthen our relationship with Jesus, and it too has its own method, which includes a weekly meeting known simply as "School of Community."

A spirit of community is considered vital to the movement because we often find Christ in one another. The meetings begin with singing because music, along with all beauty, culture and the arts are viewed as God’s gifts to us, and Christ can be found through them. During meetings, there is a discussion of readings that center on Christ, with an emphasis on the reasonableness of the Catholic faith. The meetings conclude with prayer. Aside from the meetings, the movement encourages events such as retreats, vacations, cultural events, etc., which help to verify the reality of Christ in the beauty of the world.

Communion and Liberation has full papal approval. Blessed Pope John Paul II said of CL: "Today Communion and Liberation proposes an experience of faith that profoundly changes peoples’ lives, because it drives them to a personal encounter with Christ…Let your Movement go on announcing to everyone the beauty and the joy of the encounter with the Redeemer of man." In the homily he preached at Father Giussani’s funeral, Pope Benedict XVI said: "Father Giussani kept the gaze of his life, of his heart, always fixed on Christ. It was in this way that he understood that Christianity is not an intellectual system…instead it is an encounter, a love story; it is an event."

The first meeting of Lincoln’s Communion and Liberation initiative will take place Tuesday, Jan. 31, at 7:30 p.m. at Blessed John XXIII Diocesan Center (37th & Sheridan). All are welcome to come and learn more about it. For more information about this movement, go to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or www.clonline.org.