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THE ECONOMY OF COMMUNION• A NEW CULTUREYear XIII • n.2 • December2007 • Four-monthly cul-tural periodical • 4 europer copy • Authorisationfrom the Civil Tribunal ofRome n.83 dated 18-2 •45% postal subscriptiondespatch, art.2 paragraph20/b law 662/96 - PadovaEditor: Città NuovaPublishing house forP.A.M.OM.Managing Director:Alberto FerrucciManagement andAdministration:via degli Scipioni, 256 •00192 RomaPrinter:Grafiche Fassicomo Coop. Sociale a.r.l.via Imperiale, 4116143 Genova

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work in communion

Table of Contents

The Economy of Communiona new cultureYear XIII • n.27 • Dicember 2007 Four-monthly cultural periodical4 euro per copy

Editor:Città Nuova Publishing house for P.A.M.OM.

Managing Director:Alberto Ferruccifax: 010/581451

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Authorisation from the Civil Tribunal ofRome n.83 dated 18-245% postal subscription despatch, art.2paragraph 20/b law 662/96 - Padova

Life and culture Alberto Ferrucci

Message to Work Convention Chiara Lubich

To work out of love Luigino Bruni

Igino Giordani: those who love, actAlberto Lo Presti

The spiritual and anthropologicaldimension of work

Vera Araujo

“Taking care”at the Lionello Business ParkCecilia Mannucci

When communion changes work structure

Luca Crivelli

The Floriculture Bud Jenijunio dos Santos

Uniben – Financing and trustMariella Francischinelli

The oven of the dances J. Yong Jin e A. Mi Kim

Report on the distribution of the EoC profits

Leo Andringa

Sophia University Piero Coda

The “I” and the “you”:from economics to life

Pier Luigi Porta

The Association "For everyone" Silvano Gianti

The Work NetPierangelo Tassano

Toward a Society of Being Marcos Maciel

Ten New Theses Award to Irene Brundia

Antonella Ferrucci

Utopia en routeAlberto Ferrucci

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At the opening of the 2007 EoC InternationalConvention, where we were to verify the proposalof “working in communion”, Chiara Lubich gaveus the gift of a precious new message (p.4). In itshe looked at an EoC business from the perspec-tive of the “colors” of the Charism and at how toapply the tools of the Focolare Movement to thebusinesses in order to maintain and increase thecommunion among its members. It was a messa-ge that, for all of us of the EoC project, representsa challenge for the years to come, a commitmentfor our lives and for our mind to delineate newpractices and maybe new structures, moreresponsive to our work in communion.To work in Communion is a high objective, a chal-lenge to the prevalent culture that imposes themyth of marathons,in which many participate butonly one wins. It is a challenge that proposes inste-ad to give up our personal prevalence to achievefraternity even on the job; to help one another,out of love, to work better in our jobs (p. 6) so thatwe will attract the presence of the divine into ourfactories ; and,finally,make “a liturgy”of our work,according to Igino Giordani’s words (p.8).One objective, which is in agreement with tryingharder to fight against material poverty andmisery, is to discover new poverties even morepainful for the human being than the lack ofmaterial goods: precariousness, impotence, aban-donment, isolation, the lack of relationships suf-fered by many marginal people. Many also sufferin their work relationships or because they do nothave a job or because they just lost it.These are poverties to conquer and in this fightwhat matters is our proximity. That is when thematerial help is needed, we have to be close tothe people in need, and we must create relation-ships of equal dignity with them We have tobelieve and operate so that those in need maylearn to do their part to get out of their conditionthemselves (p. 21 and 27).This year 54 new businesses were added to theEoC project, and, for the first time in 16 years ofthe EoC’s existence, the profits shared by the EoCenterprises, in combination with the extraordina-ry help for the poor given by the Focolare mem-bers over and above their normal sharing ofgoods, were more than the requests for help (p.16), thus showing that the culture of proximity isspreading in the EoC. This surplus of availablefunds over need requests occurred not becausethe needs diminished but because Focolare mem-bers worldwide, even in the poor nations, workedwith greater focus to increase the local commu-nion of goods through proximity. The result wasa reduction of the number of people needing tobe helped through the EoC at the Internationallevel from 5000 to 3788.This re-thinking of the project message is a vital

turn, tied to our cultural reflections, born not tosatisfy the needs of the poor on an ongoing basisbut to help them free themselves from the manydiverse poverties that they suffer along withmany other people.There is above all a poverty of relationships,basedon the fear of choosing the gospel which meansopening up to others through the gift of selfwithout expecting anything in return. It is a rea-sonable fear because while a new relationshipmay be born from opening up and may producehappiness, fullness, human blooming, such a rela-tionship remains fragile because it depends onthe freedom of the other, who may hurt us inste-ad of reciprocating (p 18).From this cultural thinking and from the expe-riences of those who work every day in the EoCculture, a strong need arose: that of finding waysto organize work differently (p 20). To accomplishthis transformation, business efficiency must beunited with a responsible management capableof overcoming a hierarchical order (p 12), of inven-ting new structures based on a fraternity thatfrees everyone’s creativity, and of avoiding thetemptations to create assemblies or to generateanarchy. These new structures must be foundedon love, mutual respect of each other’s compe-tencies, responsibilities and dignity (p 7).Finally then, besides the news of ten new theseson the EoC, the most beautiful flower of this issueis the announcement of the birth, with the EoCproject’s contribution, of the Sophia Universitythat defines itself as an “academic laboratory oftraining and formation, study and research basedon relationships”(p 17). It will have its first centerin the little city of Loppiano , next to the LionelloBusiness Park, precisely because “it joins studyand experiences within a community of life andof thought, in which the relationship among peo-ple is at the base of the relationship among thedisciplines.” In this University, research, interdisci-plinary study and life are put together for the firsttime and students can apply what they have lear-ned. It is very meaningful that from now onalmost half of the resources for the teaching arethe fruit of the profits of the EoC businesses whowill sustain this University!It is a sign of the common conviction that themost concrete way we can work today for thefuture of our children and grandchildren is toform and train leaders for tomorrow‘s world,capable of spreading the culture of universal fra-ternity in the various sectors in which they willwork and operate, in the various countries of theworld. Such leaders will be able to conceive pro-jects and solutions utilizing the fraternity para-digm, the only one capable of making the world,today more and more interdependent and conflic-tual, evolve towards a sustainable future of peace. 3

Alberto Ferrucci

Life and Culture The Economy of Communion a new culture

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The culture of communion not onlychanges the individual’s disposition towardswork but it also gives life to “structures ofcommunion,” which facilitate relationshipsof mutual love in the firm.

I would like to share some thoughton this very aspect.

The Economy of Communion is roo-ted in the Focolare Movement. It was born in1991 in Brazil, fruit of almost fifty years ofpracticing the communion of goods, a life ofreciprocity, of mutual love in our communi-ties. If today we wish to understand the“structures of communion” within the busi-ness enterprises modeled on the Economy ofCommunion, we must necessarily turn tothe charism of unity’s spirituality of commu-nion and its lifestyle, as suggested to usthrough the years by the Holy Spirit.

In this regard, one of the main sugge-stions for organizing our life together hasbeen the so-called “aspects”. Back in the fif-ties, God made us understand that just asthere is one single light, which is howeverreflected into seven colors, similarly, the lifeof Gospel-based mutual love is one, but alsoarticulated into different aspects, as in arainbow. The whole Focolare Movement hasbeen ordered according to the seven colors,from economy (the red), to communication(the violet). Mutual love thus becomes defi-ned and organized.

In 1997 the New Humanity’s interna-tional Bureau of Economy and Work, toge-ther with the Economy of Communion,documented the first application of theseven colors: “Guidelines for Managing anEoC Business Enterprise,” a document thathad an influence, in some measure, on thelife of the EoC business enterprises.

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Message for the Work Convention

Dear entrepreneurs, workers, profes-sors, students and all those involved in theproject for the Economy of Communion andin New Humanity’s World of Economy andWork.

We have come to the third interna-tional convention of the Economy ofCommunion, “Working in Communion:Many Challenges, One Proposal.”In 2004 I had outlined work as the topic toreflect on for the following three years.Therefore, I must congratulate you forhaving dedicated this convention preciselyto work. In fact, work is going through a newstage today, a painful and difficult one, butalso filled with opportunities.

“Working in Communion,” the titleyou chose for this Convention, shows thatthe hope I expressed at the conclusion of mytalk in 2004: that is, that mutual love wouldlead those active in the Economy ofCommunion “to find together new modelsof organization, participation and manage-ment,” has found fertile ground in you.

The communion lived within a firmenables business roles and functions to beco-me forms of service, responsible manage-ment of activities entrusted to each one,without any hierarchical attitudes.

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The Economy of Communion a new culture

I believe, however, that the Economyof Communion Movement today has rea-ched such a maturity that it can attempt totake a new step, to make the colors becomea real inspiring force for the life of the firms.

The colors, however, do not fullyexhaust the organizational and structuralinnovations of the charism of unity. In fact,the Holy Spirit has also given us some cha-racteristic “instruments” of our spirituality,practices that allow the communities of theMovement to live according to the specificnovelty of a spirituality of communion.These instruments also include sharingexperiences of life and the so-called“moment of truth,” thanks to which weperiodically take stock of our situation: wehighlight the positive in a person and alsowhere he or she may need to improve, withsincerity and love, by understanding andencouraging one another.

Certainly, each business has its ownspecific circumstances: the colors and instru-ments of the collective spirituality cannotsimply be applied in a uniform way to pro-ductive organizations. But the Economy ofCommunion will not reach full maturationunless the “new wine” of the Charisma ofunity finds suitable “new skins.”

Finally, I would like to address my lastconsideration to the poor. Today we arespeaking and reflecting on work, but ourheart and soul must hear the voice of thosewho are unemployed. The Economy ofCommunion was born also for these bro-thers and sisters, to give them the opportu-nity to work, which is always the most effec-tive means of overcoming every form ofpoverty.

My wish is that your days here toge-ther will be “very fruitful”. Each of our inter-national conventions has opened new per-spectives and horizons on the Economy ofCommunion. I am confident that also“Working in Communion” will mark a fun-damental point in our journey towards aworld where, as for the first Christians ofJerusalem, “there was no needy personamong them” (Acts 4:34).

Chiara Lubich

Castelgandolfo, November 30th, 2007

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To work out of love

Work is really work when it islived as a gift. Work is of coursemore than this. Yet withoutdonation to others there is nowork, at least in the perspectiveof the Ideal of Unity.In the Economy of Communionhowever there is the need forsomething more specific. Inorder to be able to work in com-munion, there is a co-essentialnecessity for reciprocity, -“to loveand to be loved” - . And this is allthe beauty and the greatness ofthe Charism of Unity, all itsadvantages but also, as Chiarasays, all “its disadvantages” .

Communion is, in particularand at the same time, humanflowering and human suffe-ring. In the culture of unity it isnot enough to work “for”others, we also need to work“with” others and “thanks to”others. There is no communionif there is no reciprocity andwithout living as each other.Communion if the commongood par excellence and, there-fore, to reach it, I need others,whose answer is howeveralways free and uncertain.Tied to communion, thus, thereis also a specific form of suffe-ring, about which I will nowspeak.

First of all there is a form of suf-fering that is typical of thosewho want to live work as love,and live it as a matter of fact aslove, in the sense we describedit above. It is the suffering expe-rienced by those who on thejob open up to others and see

that their love and their actionsnot only do not bring fruit, butalso they are exploited byothers and may even becomeobjects of sarcasm or irony.They are moments when wehave the impression we aregoing through the experienceof Sisifo of Greek mythology, ofexpending effort withoutresults. But we are not yet atthe suffering typical of commu-nion.There is in fact a suffering thatis even more typical of work incommunion. It is the pain wefeel when the answer does notcome from those with whomwe are bonded by the sameexperience of communion, bythe same culture.This is the most typical suffe-ring of the EoC businesses andalso of the “environmentalcells”within work places, wherein addition to the suffering ofthe world of work itself, wehave the lack of reciprocity pre-cisely from those with whomwe share the same Ideal life.

Reciprocity has in fact morethan one shape. It varies fromthe contract to the exchange offree gifts.The reciprocity of con-tracts is not sufficient in an EoCbusiness. We said this severaltimes, even in this newsletter.For the EoC it takes the recipro-city of friendship and evenmore, the mutuality of Agape,of the free and gratuitous gift.And, in these two forms of reci-procity, we are never sure thatthe others will do their part, wecan be sure only of ours.

At the same time, our happi-ness is not complete if theother’s part is lacking, especial-ly in the medium and longterm. This lack of reciprocitymay be due to the fact thatsomeone, among the membersof the business, experiences acrisis and does not live the idealspirit of communion any lon-ger. The lack of reciprocitycould also be due not to someo-ne who is in a crisis, but to alack of rapport among or bet-ween the people who live, indi-vidually, a culture of giving andof communion.

This suffering can come, forexample, from different viewson how a business of commu-nion should be. Maybe theentrepreneur has a more hie-rarchical and less participativeculture and one of the workershas an exactly opposite view. Orwe suffer because the organi-zation and the governance arenot yet as we would like themto be, too similar to those of thecapitalistic enterprises, etc.It is this type of suffering that isharder to understand and toovercome in the EoC busines-ses.Why? Because we do not reco-gnize it as such. We do notunderstand it as suffering, andwe therefore interpret it, assu-ming that the other is not livingreciprocity toward us and hasstopped living the Ideal ofUnity.We may think the other isnot in his best attitude of com-munion, as he was back in “bet-ter times”.

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If we do not recognize the pos-sibility that this is a sufferingdue to lack of reciprocity, notamong “old men” (in the lan-guage of Saint Paul) but among“new men”, then a chain ofjudgments and gossip mayresult. This can and has lead tothe end of the EoC experiencein an enterprise.It could be an end of the expe-rience of communion, evenwhen we continue donatingthe profits.The suffering the other personcauses in me may come fromobjective differences (of sensiti-veness, of culture, of vision…)that themselves cause us tosuffer, without it meaning theother is not loving.We have to learn to acceptthese painful differences and toknow that from this exercise ofdiversity-communion, comethe vital and spiritual energy ofmany EoC businesses.

What shall we do in thesecases? There are no easyanswers. Personally I’m convin-ced, based on what I see, thatthe EoC worldwide thrived inthese last 16 years and conti-nues to grow, because there arepeople who, out of personal“inner vocation”, are capable ofloving even without reciprocity.They believe that the othercould be out of communionwith them, but could be in thesame disposition of love thatthey have toward him.They continue to believe in theother person even when out-ward signs indicate the end of

the relationship and of hope.They keep on believing inothers even when they wouldnot believe in themselves.When we begin losing the trustthat someone is sincerelyloving even though he makesme suffer, we start losing oursimple and pure eye and webecome cynical and pessimi-stic.Believing in others is good, firstof all for me, because it keepsme pure of heart: “blessed ”,happy,“are the pure of heart”.With time, we learn that inevery person we meet in life, inevery colleague, there is a hid-den desire and a vocation tocommunion that has to awa-ken and be revived, as many ofour experiences through theyears attest.

There is still one last questionthat we need to face: how dowe offset the lack of reciprocityand the responsibilities of anentrepreneur or a manager forexample? Can they wait forreciprocity, putting at risk thework of many other people? I believe that one of the tasks ofan EoC entrepreneur is tounderstand, in a dialogue withhis or her conscience and withother members of the enterpri-se, how long they should waitfor the answer.

Once we have accepted thediversity of others withoutjudgment, then for the good ofthe enterprise and its mem-bers, we can decide to termina-te some work relationships orto modify some things within

the business. But all this has tobe at the end of a process ofcommunion. Only then a sepa-ration or a cessation of a rela-tionship can be an expressionof love and an experience ofcommunion.In conclusion I do not believethere exists a happiness and ahuman flowering greater thanwhat we experience when reci-procity blooms among peoplewho have believed in othersbeyond all odds and havehoped beyond all hopes.

These are rare moments, but ofan infinite value, that give mea-ning to and redeem years of dif-ficulties and suffering. I believethere can’t be, in fact, a truehuman flowering in our work incommunion without thesedynamics, made up of trust,esteem and mutual hope.The great patrimony of the EoCis the presence of many suchpeople. The entire FocolareMovement (but also manyother works in the Church andmany people of good will)would have experienced longago a mortal crisis withoutthese people who see thingsthrough “different eyes”. Thesepeople are capable of seeingand finding in themselves, inothers and in God, the resour-ces to get up every morning,and start again: start again tolive the art of communion andof unity in their businesses.People who are able to findnew answers to the questionthat always comes, sooner orlater:“Who is making me do it”? 7

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Igino Giordani:those who love, actIgino Giordani (1894-1980)wrote and spoke a lot about thetheme of work. Reading overthose writings of his today wecan’t avoid noticing, with plea-sant surprise, how what hewrote is way ahead of the timesof the propositions offered bythe Christian Social Doctrine ofthe Church, in later productions,offered to the entire world, likethe Laborem Exercens (1981) andthe Centesimus Annus (1991).Giordani was interested in theconcept of work mainly in threedirections, first of all within theproduction relating to the socialmessage of Christianity. Let usremember that Giordani is men-tioned among the pioneers ofChristian social thinking.He disco-vered from its original meaningthat is from the events themsel-ves inherent to the life of Jesus.Hecompleted his intellectual itinera-ry with the social teaching of theapostles and the fathers of theChurch 1. In each volume Giordaniincluded a chapter on theChristian concept of work.In his second direction Giordanifaced work as a process quali-fying the human person, in hisor her inalienable human digni-ty, flowing from their beingwoman and man, made in theimage and resemblance of thelaborious Creator 2.Giordani lived the salient phasesof the ideological collision thatsaw - most of all in the middle ofthe 20th century – the socialistforces invoke truth over actionand the destiny of the workingmasses. Also in this he couldrefute it,with a very famous par-liamentary speech3 offering theChristian vision of work. Hehighlighted clearly the radical-ness on which he was foundingthe relationships among theworkers based on justice, equityand solidarity.Overall Giordani was convincedthat the Gospel assigned thehighest value to the dignity ofhuman work.The Jews, observedGiordani, were persecuting Jesusbecause he was working on a

Sabbath. But Jesus answeredthem «My Father works all thetime and I too, work» (John 5, 17).Our work therefore is tightly con-nected with God’s work and thismakes work sacred, elevating itto a mission of specific coopera-tion with divine creation.This is why Giordani could write« our day becomes a religiousoperation: our walking, talking,working a religious ceremony.We are always in a Cathedral,always in front of God, to giveHim honor. In a direct mannerwe place bricks, we fix shoes, wedig the soil, we write words ornumbers, but indirectly - andeven more realistically – we givewitness to God, in the presenceof our conscience and in front ofsociety’s conscience, and inHeaven in the presence of angelsand the community of Saints»4.The work of people therefore isthat doing that places us in realharmony with God’s doing:«those who love, act» Giordaniobserved in his writings and notby chance Saint Paul talks of«laborious charity». And thus, asthe apostles worked in the fieldsor were fishermen and thenthey were called to work for theLord’s harvest or to becomefishermen of men, for Giordanithere is not fracture betweenmeditation («nourishment ofthe soul») and daily work («nou-rishment of the body»).Giordani can then conclude that«a Christian is one who works inthe Father’s vineyard at one of thetasks there called for.The earth isthe vineyard placed by theEternal Father-Boss at the dispo-sal of all people and everyonemust work in it because everyonemust live. If it happens that someeat two portions and others fast,he says the thieves came in andGod’s plan is violated» 5.Giordani moves from thesebases to support the primacy ofthe Christian concept of workvis-à-vis the insurgence of socia-list and communist projects ofdefense of the working masses.According to Giordani, unem-

ployment is a theological andmoral problem before being aneconomic and social one. «Notto let men and women work (…)is the beginning of a homicide»6,in the same way that voluntaryidleness must be consideredan injustice – «an insurgenceagainst God’s laws».The life and work of Giordaniwere constantly directed towarda harmonious re-compositionbetween heaven and earth andbetween eternity and historicaltime. Work is included in thiswonderful plan: «Wherever weare,either at home or in the wor-kshop, in the streets or in thefields we are always in the houseof the Father and with our bro-thers and sisters we are alwaysin our family»7. This is why, forGiordani, work is a form of pra-yer, a vital impulse that, in itsconception, prefigures surpas-sing the form of prayer of themonks «Ora et Labora»,reachingthe configuration of the new«Ara ora»: «not only to plow andpray but to plow is to pray»8.

1 These Writings have been now publish I.GIORDANI,The Social Message of Christianity,Città Nuova. Roma, 20012 Consult especially the following: Dishu-manesim and the Two Cities, Città Nuova,Roma, 2007 (original 1949); The two Cities,Città Nuova, Roma, 1961.3 I. GIORDANI, «About the Atlantic Pact»,Speech delivered in the Chamber ofDeputies in Italy on the 16th of March 1949,(printed by the Igino Giordani Center (2007).4 I. GIORDANI, The Our Father: a social prayer,Morcelliana, Brescia, 1946, p. 385 I. GIORDANI, Dishumanesim, cit., pp. 102-1036 Ibidem, p. 104.7 4 I. GIORDANI, The Our Father: a social pra-yer, cit., p. 818 I. GIORDANI, The two Cities, cit., p. 442.

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Notes from the presentation on WorkThe Anthropological and Spiritual Dimension of workWork in the BibleThe teaching of the Book ofGenesis offers us, in the partthat talks about man’s creation,the anthropological dimensionof work. It says: «Then the LordGod shaped man with dustfrom the earth and blew in hisnostrils a breath of life and manbecame a living being»(Gen 2,7).It goes on to say: « he took himand placed him in the garden ofEden so that he would cultivateit and guard it» (Gen 2,15).Let us look at the first considera-tion: work is an integral part ofman, of the truth of his being aman. So then work is not a con-sequence of sin. It precedes sin.Here is now a second considera-tion: if it is true, as it is true, thatwork is part of the ontologicalstatus of man, it is even truerthat man’s being is defined byhim being an interlocutor ofGod and a receiver of God’saction, of being the “you” ofGod.In Chapter 3 we have the shortstory of how God’s project ismysteriously disrupted byman’s rebellion and the conse-quent social and cosmic effects:«Dammed be the soil becauseof you! With pain will you drawfood for all the days of yourlife».From then on work became alsopain and fatigue. Creationresists man at this point andman starts looking at creationwith different eyes, in terms ofconquest. It was a profoundchange that only with theRedemption brought by theWord of God incarnated willfind hope. The pledge towardunity, also the fruit of this pro-found change, is to be foundhere at some moments in timeand in its fullness in the newheavens and the new earth.

A Theology of WorkThe theological reflection abouthuman beings as an image ofGod is at the basis of the theolo-gy of the earthly realities and ofwork.

Human beings as an image ofGod means image of the Trinity,one and triune, in its profoundbeing and in its external mani-festations. Therefore it is neces-sary to place the work of man inrelationship with the three divi-ne Persons.God the Father created theworld but creation as it comesout of God’s hands is unfinishedbecause God chose to give it toman as a gift but also as a task..Human beings become respon-sible for the world before God,therefore they are co-creatorswith God.Saint Paul’s and Saint John’swritings highlight the role ofthe incarnated Word in the doc-trine of creation: « Everythingwas made through Him andnothing of what exists wasmade without Him» (Jn 1,3).The presence of the Word gua-ranties rationality, order, intelli-gibility to creation. By means ofthe Word, creation is not chaosbut order, law, cosmos, all ofwhicht human beings will haveto discover and govern withtheir intelligence and theirwork.Work finally has to be carriedout under the action of the HolySpirit. We know well that theaction of the Spirit expressesitself in the donation of gifts orCharisms. These gifts andCharisms are grafted onto ournatural abilities; they illuminethem, purify them, make themmore robust in order to be ableto accomplish a certain task.

Work, sanctity,and mystic theologyThe worker is called to live hisunion with God, his life of grace,and charity in all its forms in hisspace which is the world ofwork.We have therefore to buildSanctity that does not excludethe time we spend working infavor of the time we dedicate toworship, the family, our socialcommitments, and our privatelife. We have to be saints on the

job and through our work.We need to understand that ourintimate life with the persons ofthe Trinity is built by doing onlyand always the will of God, likeJesus did (“My food is to do thewill of my Father”).Also in the contrasts, conflicts,oppressions, discomforts anduneasiness which pervade theworld of work, the Charism ofUnity helps us encounter andembrace the countenance ofJesus Crucified and Forsaken.But there is another aspect thatthe communitarian spiritualityof Chiara Lubich offers us. It ispossible and desirable to bringJesus Himself back into our pla-ces of work, where two or moreworkers unite in His name.Chiara commented: «His spiri-tual yet real presence, will bethere among the laborers inworkshops, in factories, in shi-pyards, among miners; he willbe with the farmers in thefields; we will find Him amongshopkeepers and janitors, inevery job milieu»1.To work with Jesus in our midstmeans to be in a intimate andfruitful unity with God, and thisis mystic life, the mystic life forour times.

Work and rest: for a culture ofcelebration The Bible teaches us an origi-nal and unique message: ourtime to work finds its mostcomprehensive meaning inour time of rest. Work finds itscompletion in rest. God thecreator, at the end of His work,rested (Gen 1,2-3).The Sabbath (Saturday) is a timefor rest in two senses: a time topraise God and to recover fromour work fatigue.

1 C. Lubich, Economy and Work in theNew Humanity Movement, Proce-edings of the New HumanityInternational Convention on workand today’s economy in the Christianview, Città Nuova, Rome 1984, pages18 and 19.

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“Taking care” at the Lionello Business Park

The Expo held from the 25th tothe 30th of last October 2007, inthe new structure of theLionello Park next to our littlecity of Loppiano, was more thanan exposition of products andservices. We could define it as avast collection of workshops inwhich, in an encounter amongideality, professionalism andpossibilities of synergies, thetheme of “taking care” washighlighted in its many diffe-rent facets.This was the first expo hosted atthe Lionello Park, after a yearfrom its inauguration. But in2003, the little city of Loppianohad already hosted the “polari-zation” of seventy two Italianbusinesses adhering to the EoCproject. They had chosen tointroduce themselves and theirproducts as a prophecy of abusiness Park that, back then,was still a dream.The expo had been built by theLionello Park’s entrepreneursthemselves and they called eco-nomic partners, institutions,associations and banks withwhom they had establishedrelationships during the year, toparticipate in it. The expo was“colored” with plants offered bya florist in Ischia and beautifiedby works of art by the artistsKwok Hung Lau, Ciro e AngeloFalmi.The attendees were about3,000 all together and the fivedays of the exhibition werelaboratories of dialogue andcreativity for economic opera-tors in a wide sense; and notonly entrepreneurs or mana-gers, but also workers, home-makers, consumers and chil-

dren. They offered over twentyseminars, presentations of pro-ducts and services, technical indepth studies, launches of newinitiatives (like “let us polarize”www.polarizziamoci.it.) All thishelped to make new ideas andprojects at the service of people,emerge.Among the main themes pre-sented at the Expo, as points ofdeparture, we discussed how torecover a more just balance bet-ween the needs of the marketand the personal and communi-tarian growth. The title was“Growth, Business potentials,Real needs”

Growth, Business Potentials,Real Needs.With the participation of theItalian Undersecretary of theEducation Ministry Letizia DeTorre and the regional councillorof Tuscany, for Social; Policy,Gianni Salvadori we tackled,from the point of view of thenew generation’s growth, thetheme of the relationship bet-ween school and learning,about service and enterprise.On the theme about growth onthe territory, solutions for ener-gy savings based on alternativeenergies were proposed.Sunday morning was reservedfor childhood, a delicate anddecisive time of the human per-son whose first task is to grow.That day, cheered by the presen-ce of the show by the clownGigiolino, it was literally overrunby families and children.Talking now about the BusinessPotentials, during the Expo,there was a window open forfree consultations for busines-

ses. In the various workshopstechniques for redesigning theenterprise starting from mana-gement were analyzed aspoints of strength for the deve-lopment of such potentialtechniques. Other areas analy-zed were the possibility oftechnological innovations, newtechniques of marketing of theInternet era, strategies for secu-rity and a better utilization ofthe business’s information. Wealso talked about the currentproblem of safety on the job.The group of the health careproviders who came from theAssociation “HI! Health toshare.” ONLUS (organization fornon profit) presented a projectof training and they alsoannounced the opening of aMulti Service Health Center asthe answer to real needs in theterritory that will improveremarkably the availability ofhealth care services.Two new arrivals at the Parkwere welcome: the commercialoffice of the business Leone andthe bookstore RainbowValdarno, with the introductionof three new books on themesof management. Present at theopening were the authors,Andrea Rosa, of the civil econo-my; from the economy of com-munion, Stefano Zamagni andLuigino Bruni; and from theUniversity of Florence Prof.Niccolo` Bellanca . In his speechDr. Bellanca asked very perti-nent and interesting questionscoming from the research car-ried out by a department of thesame University which is doinga study of the Lionello BusinessPark.

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Summarizing the conclusions ofthe week, in order to give conti-nuity during this year, until the2008 Expo, our desire is to carryforward the theme “TakingCare”. It was defined as “thatsomething between cognitionand passion that, followed by acertain doing, concludes with anaction.To take care of somethingmeans to pay attention to it, tobe concerned about it, and at thesame time, to be ready to act, tomove to action”.This should be the guidingprinciple that besides being alink that unites the Park’s busi-nesses and helps them compa-re notes, also becomes thebond on which it is possible towork to keep connected allthose organizations and peo-ple known in these days as wellas through the Web sitewww.polarizziamoci.eu.Meanwhile we keep receivingpositive feedback of the mee-tings we held. There is anotherbusiness planning to move tothe Park and a few other entre-preneurs wishing to start goingalong with us in the Economy ofCommunion.Luigino Bruni defines theLionello Park as:“... A laboratorythat welcomes the challenge ofa radical communion that canhelp that indispensable life grow,so that the design for which itwas envisioned can becometrue”.It seems to us that the Expo is astep in the right direction: itmade us realize that also with“two loaves of breads and threefish” it is possible to set inmotion something valid: becau-se “God works always”!

19/10/2007 • Matteo Renzi,President of the FlorenceProvince – Press Conference.“Friday morning I took part inthe press conference for the pre-sentation of the “lets us cometogether (see www.polarizziamo-ci.it or www.polarizziamoci.eu)Expo 2007”, a laboratory of dia-logue, creativity, innovationstoward an Economy ofCommunion. It is the first gathe-ring of businesses who welco-med the challenge of theEconomy of Communion pro-ject. The matter is put togethermarket and solidarity. TheEconomy of Communion is anextraordinary opportunity toreflect on the productive andentrepreneurial processes thatsurround us, a way to run anenterprise not looking exclusi-vely at profits. As President Iexpress my satisfaction forhaving the Lionello BonfantiBusiness Park in the FlorenceProvince and I express my willto support concretely this veryimportant reality!”.

25/10/2007 • Massimo Toschi,Regional Councillor for Tuscany –from his speech at the openingof the Expo: “I have to tell myimpression. First of all they wentfrom 13 to 20 businesses, anincrease of 50% in a year. Ajump. Not a gradual passage buta big jump. Therefore it meansthat, here, there is somethingthat allows such a jump.Obviously there will be econo-mic problems, problems ofspace-placing, all things youknow better than I do but thiswas a big jump, a very importantpassage.Why does this happen? Not onlybecause everyone thinks thatwork is an important thing, thatthe businesses are important

things in which everyone is enti-tled to his or her job and so on…but it is the idea of participatingin a big collective adventure. (…)This game is a difficult, tiringgame. The seed has to die, but ifthis takes place, if we risk ourlives, on this, a new fertility willbe found.In this game we are truly at yourside. I can say this because youare very close to PresidentMartini; I say more, it is a truefriendship, but also becausethere is a profound agreementand therefore it is somethingoriginal born in Tuscany. We ack-nowledge this and allow mealso to say that we are proud ofall this. Thank you”.

27/10/2007 • “I was struck bythree things”, said StefanoZamagni, Professor of PoliticalEconomy at the University ofBologna, at the conclusion ofthe afternoon. “First, by thelarge attendance which I wasnot expecting and this is alreadya meaningful indicator. Second,there was a passionate andemotional participation. We cansee when people are set inmotion either by intelligence orby the heart. Here I saw heartsunited with intelligence. Third, Isaw a renewed interest in theinitiative of the Economy ofCommunion that is alreadygoing beyond those who dedica-te themselves to it professional-ly”. “This allows us to havehope,” concluded Zamagni,“because the project of theEconomy of Communion cannotflourish and develop further, if itcan’t count on a surroundingcultural context formed by peo-ple who are not entrepreneursbut who share the goals thatanimate the entrepreneurs”.

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When communion changes the work structureThe Economy of Communion, inits sixteen years of life in whicheconomic reality had to face theproblems caused by globalization,the liberalization of the marketshas been a witness that economicand entrepreneurial action inspi-red by Christianity is possible, infull freedom and recognizing legi-timate space for fraternity in themarket area.The first level on which the EoC isachieved is the personal vocation,that makes the people involvedstrive for being fully coherentwith the Gospel values, findingunusual spaces to “place love”into the gears of the economy, stillcarrying out roles at times diffi-cult such as that of an entrepre-neur, of a business manager, of afree lance professional.But there is another perspective:wecan’t stop at the personal integritylevel.We need to achieve the princi-ples of fraternity and the communi-tarian aspect, also inside the innerdynamics of EoC businesses. Toachieve fraternity inside a businessmeans to transform the enterpriseinto a place of fraternal encountersand in management structuresbased on those principles.Chiara, in her talk at our EoCCongress of 2004, exhorted all ofus very strongly to experiencetogether new organizationalforms of work, participation andmanagement.Although we have been feelingthis as a need for quite some timenow in our EoC world (think of theguidelines on how to lead anenterprise, already, back in 1997) Ifeel like saying that the goal hasstill to be attained and it is faraway. I’m not surprised in thissense for the rather harsh critiqueraised toward our project by theFrench economist and sociologistSerge Latouche in a book of 2003.This is what he wrote: “TheEconomy of Communion is anexperience that does not truly que-stion the economy in its productiveheart. The evangelical morals orthe lay solidarity come in onlyafter, in a perspective of commu-nion, the moment of the sharing of

the profits. The result is a gospelmessage that does not questionthe functioning of the market in itsdeep logic”1.I’m convinced that the judgmentby Latouche is founded on a limi-ted knowledge of EoC businesses.However his critique can be a sti-mulus to re-launch the active parti-cipation of the employees of EoCenterprises, in managerial choicesand in the final goals of the project.There exists a deep contradictionbetween the humanism of themarket and the capitalist enterpri-se.The market was born in the 17thCentury to help modern peoplefree themselves from hierarchicaland vertical relationships of thefeudal society. However it is thecapitalist enterprise that affirmsitself on hierarchical principles.Already since the 1800’s one ofthe great fathers of economicsJohn Stuart Mills (1869), hadunderlined this contradiction andfrom this he had a strong appre-ciation of the co-op movementthat he saw as a social and cultu-ral process necessary to make theproductive organizations fraternaland equal.In summary: if on one hand thefathers of economics pointed tothe market relationships as placesof a horizontal, free and symme-trical rapport, on the other handwe saw the capitalist enterpriseestablishing itself on a hierarchi-cal principle.In reality, besides the apparentdichotomy, there is something thatthe two,the market and enterprise,have in common. Both are instru-ments of mediation, that allow themodern person to make himself orherself immune from “the risk thatthe other may hurt us”2.Every face to face encounter, everyhorizontal relationship, every coo-peration among equals that isasked directly of us, not only givesflavor and perfume to our lives butit brings along the risk of us beingwounded, the possibility that theother whom we trust, at the endmay hurt us and betray us.The market and the hierarchicalenterprise allow people to meet

without looking in each others’eyes and they allow cooperationwithout any sacrifice. To establisha mutually beneficial exchange, itis sufficient in fact to have theegoism of the people and aneffective competition.At the same time the hierarchyand the control of the enterpriseare presented as powerful tools ofmediation of conflicts that, borninside an organization, allowingan effective resolution.Yet there is a second perspective:we can’t stop at the personal inte-grity dynamic. We must mostlyachieve, even in internal dynamicsof EoC businesses, the principle offraternity and the communitariandimension. To set fraternity inmotion within a business meansto transform the enterprise into aplace of fraternal encounters andmanagement structures inspiredby these principles.We must give life to organizatio-nal forms not guided by the hie-rarchical-functional principle butbased on principles of fraternity .We have to re-think the enterpri-se’s form of governing in order toexperience at least in ourProductive Parks models of a“communion governance”: thechallenge is too important to beignored.We need the strength of a Charismto assume, with full awareness,the risk to render fragile one of thestructures of our productive orga-nizations. We need new eyes inorder to look at communion andparticipation not as costs of transi-tions, but as a blessing.

1 Latouche, S. (2003), Justice sans limites,Fayard, pp. 81-87 2 This thesis is supported and developedin a convincing way in Bruni (2007) Thewound of the other, Trento, The Margin

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A “school-business” of communion and sustainable entrepreneurial activity

The Floriculture BudIn 1998, the association ofsocial cooperation “Nucleus ofCommunitarian Action” (NAC),born at the mouth of theAmazon River in Belem, wasstarted by members of theFocolare. It offered a course onfloriculture and gardening to30 young people of the poorestareas near the small city of theFocolare Gloria, in the town ofBenevides, under the auspicesof the “Supportive Community”program of the FederalGovernment.This course, followed by many

others, was very much appre-ciated by the local communityfor its attention to more thanjust the technical aspects. Infact it also offered training ofthe young, to help them beco-me active citizens, with dignitycapable of avoiding beingdependent and needing assi-stance.Thanks to the project, sponso-red and managed by Action fora United World, together withthe Brazilian Service of Supportto Enterprises (SEBRAE), in2004, NAC received resourcessufficient to purchase a piece ofland with the building neededfor the training activities andfor buying and selling flowers,produced during classes. Theland is near the little city Gloria.

The project started within theNCA from the desire to meetsthe needs of the town ofBenevides with 40 thousandinhabitants. Being close toBelem, the Capital City of theState of Paranà , Benevides hadbecome a “dormitory” town,lived in by a growing number ofyoung people deprived of pro-fessional qualifications andwork, easy prey to the micro-delinquency of drugs.Benevides, however, had anatural vocation for cultivationof flowers, even if they were ofthe least wanted kinds andhence with a low commercialvalue. NAC decided to go in thedirection of cultivating flowers,choosing precious flowers likebromeliads, helicônias andorchids, based on the increa-sing market for flowers andornamental plants, on the inco-me that would be generatedwithout requiring either a largepiece of land or a great investe-ment, and, above all, on therequirement of a remarkablework force, at least 15 peopleper hectare.Young people between theages of 17 and 25, coming fromfamilies with low incomes andwith at least an elementaryeducation, were admitted tothe 8 month course. The course

was composed of a basic curri-culum with subjects on garde-ning, human formation andcivic education, and a more spe-cific curruculum with field acti-vities directed toward the prac-tice of floriculture. The coursealso included elements of lan-dscaping, ornamental decora-ting and participation in fairsand floral shows. In the finalphase of the course, they plan-ned internships in the businesssector.The educational team wascomposed of a pedagogicalcoordinator, five technical spe-cialists and one overall admini-strator. SEBRAE, for its part, tookcare of the financial manage-ment, marketing, etc..During the internship stagemany young people were hiredby the businesses that had wel-comed them as students; asmany as 60% found employ-ment. Meanwhile, some of theyouth dicovered an entrepre-neurial calling and they startedsmall businesses, which in turnemployed other young people.In 2007, NAC developed theidea to begin a new socialenterprise of the Economy ofCommunion, capable of produ-cing profits, employing theentrepreneurial experience ofGilvan Souza, who for years had

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Uniben:Financing on TrustUniben was formed in theSpartaco Industrial Park in1998 by several entrepre-neurs who wanted to find away to help EoC small busines-ses in various phases of startup or development. At the pre-sent time three of us work forUniben.

Our company specializes infactoring, purchasing and col-lecting accounts receivableand advancing cash on thebasis of accounts receivable.Our focus is to support smallgrowing businesses in themanner most helpful to them,which is particularly impor-tant because of the high risk offailure in these kinds of com-panies.A motto of the FranciscanMovement, since the begin-ning of the market economy, is“charity helps one to survivebut not to live, because to livemeans to produce and charitydoes not help one to produce”.On the other hand our expe-rience is to help these compa-nies grow, to help them meetpayroll, pay their utility bills,acquire raw materials; in shortto thrive and create jobs. It is aprofessional way to love ourneighbor’s business as our own.

Because ours is a high risk pro-duct, the analysis of the riskand the definition of the termsof credit are essential in everycase. Risk is one of the ele-ments we have to keep inmind in determining the inte-rest rate, but when we workwith EoC companies there isone big difference: trust.

When trust grows risk dimini-shes and so trust takes on aneconomic value. Thus, we areable to charge these busines-ses below-market interestrates.For example a new businessasked us for a loan. After ana-lyzing the risk and finding itmodest, we offered them the

loan at a lower rate and whenwe gave them our proposal,the company, accustomed tomarket conditions, asked us:“What’s in it for you?”

Another business, despitetheir marketable products, hadlost their line of credit in aneffort to avoid bankruptcy andhad to adhere to a creditagreement bordering onusury. Our loan committeechose to give them the possi-bility to raise themselves backup, granting them credit andenabling them to overcometheir difficulties. They succee-ded in paying off their debt injust two years and today theyhave 28 employees and opera-te both in Brazil and abroad.When at times our client com-panies have difficulty payingback their loans we have seenthat the best approach is tocome to an agreement withthem: it is a profound expe-rience for both parties becausewhen an entrepreneur is giventhe possibilities to take controlof his business finances, hisdignity is also restored.

Together with another EoCbusiness we also offer all kindsof insurance throughoutBrazil. For us it is very impor-tant to feel and count on thetrust and support of other EoCbusinesses, members of theMovement and our friendswho come to us. We offerthem our services with utmostprofessionalism, timelinessand competence, trying to findthe best solutions for each oneof them.

been the main animator of allthose projects. Chiara sugge-sted the name “bud” for thisnew business.At the same time at MariapolisGloria they were planning theconstruction of their ProductivePark. Chiara gave it the name ofFrançois Neveux.The floriculture business isalready on the grounds of theMariapolis, assigned for theProductive Park FrançoisNeveux. Next to it there is ano-ther Business called “Made forUs”. It produces sweets.The flower business produced,back then, two thousand flo-wers a month distributed allover that region and is part of aconsortium started for expor-ting flowers worldwide, and itwas chosen for the wrappingand packing of all flowers toexport.They are now planning a newbusiness that is also a schoolthat will cooperate with NAC. Itwill aim at forming young peo-ple to the new economic cultu-re, fully oriented toward eachperson, to show that it is possi-ble to live a sustainable econo-my, open to the protection ofthe environment and to uni-versal fraternity.Bruno Moraes, an officer atSEBRAE, expert in rural marke-ting who cooperates with NACsaid: “In my viewpoint this ismore than a simple professio-nal school in floriculture. Here,in this part of the country sopoor both institutionally andeconomically, you give youngpeople the chance to be formedas good citizens, and ethicallygood professionals. This is whyyour students are so apprecia-ted and sought after in thework market. To volunteer forNAC is a civic duty, an answerwe must give to the communi-ty since we have the privilege ofexperience and culture. This iswhy I feel proud to be part ofthis family”.

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The oven of the dances

Joseph: In Korea, in Daejon,200 kilo-meters from Seoul, my wife Amataand I manage an industrial oven fora catering service for restaurants,that today employs 100 people.The oven has been managed forfifty years by our family and sincethe time I met the Ideal of Unity Iwas 20 we tried to manage it accor-ding to God will.We do not considerourselves to be the owner of thebusiness. Our only task is to mana-ge it openly and transparently.Amata: : Last January, leaving myChurch after Mass I saw a column ofblack smoke covering the sky in thedirection of our factory; I was alone,my husband was at a spiritual mee-ting in Seoul and, despite my fear ofthat moment, I remembered I oftengave God my difficulties and suffe-ring and I understood that that wasthe time to keep my promises.Our bakery was on fire and I could notdo anything. I remembered the earlytimes of the Movement with Chiaraand her companions, when every-thing was collapsing and only Godremained. I ran back into the Churchand in front of the tabernacle I shou-ted to Jesus: “You, Lord, are my onlyeternal treasure”.In my heart, I was again calm and Ifound the strength to go back to thefire and call my daughter and myhusband. Also, Joseph accepted asfrom God’s love that sudden crosscalled “fire”. Assuring everyone therethat he would continue to believe inGod’s love, he returned home imme-diately.Joseph: Everything looked destro-yed. Seeing our peace, our employe-es already the next day put up asign that read: “We will resurrectour business from its ashes” andthey began to work as if the factory

were theirs, in an atmosphere oftrue mutual love.With buckets of water, they startedcleaning and washing all themachinery that had been exposedto the fire. After a week we werealready able to produce a smallquantity of bread. Holding it in ourhands we were moved; thanks tothe fire we had all become a family.At the time when we had to definethe amount of the insuranceagainst fires, the technicians statedthat the fire originated from thehome of my neighbor. He was able,however, to use people capable offrightening others and he foundout that the appraisal from theNational Study Center would bemodified so that the responsibilityof the fire was ours so that we evenhad to reimburse his damages andhe even made that amount larger. Iwas accused of starting the fire andI was asked to pay a reimbursementof two million dollars.People around us called us sillybecause we had not tried to findsome illegal way to avoid suchresults. But my wife and I told our-selves that it was a good way to bewitnesses of our Christian life.And so we entrusted everything toGod, only trying to live the presentmoment. Last May 15th we foundout justice had absolved us of allaccusations.Amata: In our country during theyear many national competitionsare held where oven workers pre-sent their breads and cookies.Before the fire, they did not like toparticipate in them; but after it, ourworkers, even working all nightafter their shift, chose to preparesome products. Those with moreexperience were helping those withless, in a very beautiful atmosphereof mutual help.We fixed dinner for them andmutual love grew even more. Theywere proud that their businesswould help them, while elsewhereeveryone had to do everything byhimself or herself. The prizes ourworkers obtained were makingtheir self esteem and their love forthe business grow. One day a groupof them told us that as long as the

economic situation did not impro-ve, they would pay in advance thecost of uniforms and they wouldwash them at home.Joseph: We had to build a new fac-tory and a new store and we deci-ded all together how to go about it.It was wonderful to see what veryopen and beautiful ideas werecoming from the people who werenot professionals in the sector.That’s how last July we were able tore-open the factory and the store.A new spirit animated also the wor-kers in charge of the developmentsector, now striving to find ways toimprove the quality, visiting otherbusinesses. When I was able to cal-culate that our sales proceeds hadgrown 30%, I was happy to informeveryone of this result and sharepart of the profit with them.Amata:The most important changetook place directly in the relation-ships among the workers. Before,those in charge of production didnot have any interest in sales, forexample. On the Day of theChildren we had a lot of specialsales and we had to hire part timeworkers. This year, on the otherhand, the production workers choseto collaborate and the atmospherewas very beautiful; we were able tosave money and we made a recordsale.The new atmosphere among allmade it possible, following the sug-gestion of one of the workers, toreserve a moment during work forthe dance. It is called the WorldDance Cup. And those who tookpart in this were not only the youngbut also the 60 year olds.Suspended their work to dance,.Everyone laughed a lot. Also thecustomers had lots of fun seeingthese life scenes and they begantaking photos of the dancers. Loveamong everyone kept growing.Joseph: Lately many people whohave a bakery come to our place tovisit us from all over Korea to disco-ver the secret of our growth in thelast year. We welcome them happi-ly but we do not consider themcompetitors because we see andlove Jesus in them.

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Report on the Management of the EoC funds At the conclusion of the meetingthat took place in October with thosewho are responsible for the FocolareMovement,at the international level,it was possible to make an annualreport of the EoC project’s activities,for the year 2006/2007.We listed thenumber of businesses, the sharedprofits, the number of indigents forwhom a contribution was asked andthe development projects in whichthe poor are.

Business Profits and extraordinarycontribution for indigents we helpThe amount of the profits shared bythe businesses at the EoC Center,plus those given directly to thenations where there are indigentsto help,plus those given by the busi-nesses themselves to the EoC localprojects of Action for a United World(AMU), was 721,507.42 Euros. Thetotal amount above and beyond theordinary gift shared by the Focolaremembers was 884,000 Euros.Keeping in mind that 50% of theprofits goes to the indigents and50% goes for the structures of trai-ning and formation, the amountavailable for the indigents was:883,999.82 + 721,507. 42/2 =1,244,753.52 Euros and the amountfor centers of formation was:721,507.42/2 = 370.753.71 Euros.

The indigentsThis year the number of indigentsfor whom there was a request forcontributions diminished from theprevious 5000 to 3788.This does notmean there were fewer needs inthe world zones that have the lar-gest number of poor. It means,rather, that those zones reduced theamount requested counting on lar-ger contributions by their local com-munities. This shows the concreteand positive effects of the re-laun-ching of the communion of goodscarried out in all the zones all overthe world.The total amount requested by thezones was, as a consequence,1,143,058 Euros which, for the firsttime since the launch of the project,was 101,695.52 Euros less than theamounts available. That amount

was set aside for emergency situa-tions that may arise during the year.

EoC – AMU ProjectsSome businesses share their profitsdirectly with Action for a UnitedWorld for assistance and develop-ment projects in favor of personswith special and particular needs,chosen in common agreement withthe AMU and the EoC CentralCommission. AMU manages thedisbursement of the money assu-ring that the local Focolare mem-bers have the necessary guidance.Often those resources given directlyare contributions in food, medicalcare, home repairs and study com-pletion for young people. Othertimes they are funds for the remo-deling and restructuring of Centersfor meetings, where people are offe-red an integral formation. Oftenthose businesses support the startup cost for new productive activitiesso that the people benefiting fromthis can have a dignified life forthemselves and for their families.For the period 2006/2007 the totalamount assigned in this directionwas 293,855.05 Euros. Many projectsare still in the formulation phase butthey have already been defined for atotal of 120,296.83 Euros.These projects include:• four projects in Brazil (Recife,Belem, Brasilia, and Sao Paulo) forwhich it is requested from localorganizations 42,400.00 Euros tocover from 30 to 45 % of the cost forschooling 77 young people,• a project for 10,077.60 Euros forfood integration for 26 familiesnear San Paolo,• two projects for 17,269.23 Eurosfor the restructuring of the homesof seven families for a total of 40people,• a project for 27, 820.00 Euros formedical treatment and food inSerbia• three projects for 11,450.00 Eurosfor food and medical care inBulgaria, for 4,800,00 Euros formedical care for 5 people inBrasilia and for 6,480.00 Euros forschooling, medical care and livingquarters in Macedonia.

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The EnterprisesDuring the year, the local peopleresponsible for the EoC project inthe different zones had been invitedto do an accurate and severe chec-king of the real number of busines-ses adhering to the EoC projectparameters and we were expectinga reduction in the total number.Instead the number was confirmedat 754, even if, in the counting, a fewbusinesses were excluded, becausethey were too small or were discon-tinued.We also became aware of 54new enterprises added to theProject.

The Structures of formation and training Thanks to the generosity of theenterprises, it was possible torespond positively to all therequests for financing the structu-res of formation received by thedifferent Zones of the world. Wealso were able to finance thedevelopment of a video on theEconomy of Communion accom-plished by Charism Productionsand Città Nuova, conceived as atool for formation into the cultureof communion.But the great news this year is thefact that the EoC is assigning200,000 Euros to the SophiaUniversity (see next page) that willbegin its activities in October 2008.It will have its base in Loppiano.Thiscontribution will be continued alsoin the future years, considering theculture that this new university willbe able to give to our young peoplewho will attend the two years of aMaster’s Degree after college. It is areal strategic investment at theworld level for the culture of com-munion and of universal fraternityof which the humanity of the 3rdMillennium has an urgent need.

The Sophia University Instituteis an academic formation labo-ratory of study and researchwith a strong relational system...Its objective is to train youngpeople so that they are preparedto face the complexity of the pre-sent day world. It uses an inte-grated approach that frameseach specialization in a muchbroader perspective than loo-king at it only for its individualfields of knowledge. The appro-ach is also open to dialogue withothers and there is an expecta-tion this will be reflected in thespiritual and intellectual growthof each person.The Institute, promoted byChiara Lubich and an internatio-nal group of professors, is loca-ted in the small city of Loppiano,Italy, where the 900 residents of70 different nations will offerthe students an opportunity formeeting and dialoguing amongcultures. The Institute is endo-wed with a library,smart classro-oms, sports activities, lodgingand cafeteria. Near Loppiano, atthe Lionello Business Park, thereare twenty three EoC businessesthat will offer work and trainingto the students.

The courses With the participation of fiftystudents, the Institute will offer,starting in 2008, a two yearMaster’s degree and the corre-sponding Doctorate in “Funda-mentals and Perspectives of aCulture of Unity” .In the first year the anticipatedcourses are Theology, Philoso-phy, Logical-Scientific Reasoning,and Science of Social Living. Inthe second year there will becourses in Philosophy-Theologyor in Economics-Politics, andother courses that address indepth all other areas of kno-wledge.

The Methodology“It is a study based on anotherconcept of culture and man, aunified man, whose worth is nei-ther for what he has nor for 17

For a culture of UnityThe Sophia University

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what he knows, but for what heis.” (P. Foresi).The Institute plans to bring allfields of knowledge into a rela-tionship with each other,without negating their autono-my. It plans to capture the com-mon roots and purposes of each.The cycle of studies, along withclasses, anticipates moments ofsharing and dialogue in the com-mon pursuit of divine wisdom.Students and teachers committhemselves to make a pact ofmutual warm welcome, both inthe spiritual and intellectualsphere, placing it at the base ofall educational and formationalactivities. They also commit toliving a Word of Life taken fromScripture, given periodically toall, and to communicate theexperiences from putting theWord into practice. They willthen verify together, regularly,each one’s growth, with all beco-ming aware of it through everyo-ne’s contribution.Studies,research and lessons aimat establishing a constant dialo-gue among professors as well asamong students and professors.This will result in teaching withthe voices of many professors, atthe same time,and an active andpersonal contribution on thepart of students toward com-mon research.

Studying and living Theoretical lessons are integra-ted with exercises, guided visits,meetings with experienced wit-nesses and periods of in-servicetraining, especially in placeswhere cultural and social profes-sionals are committed to a“Culture of Unity”; as, for exam-ple, the EoC businesses.Meetings with civil and ecclesia-stical persons, communities ofdifferent Christian traditions,exponents of various religionsand representatives of the multi-form expressions of the contem-porary culture, are also planned.The method of research andstudy of the Institute has beenfor years an experimentation

and an experience in the AbbaSchool. Founded by ChiaraLubich in 1989,it has about thirtyuniversity professors from diffe-rent cultures who meet regularly.They are experts in the fields oftheology, philosophy, ethics, law,political science, economics,sociology, medicine, psychology,the natural sciences, mathema-tics, communication, art, lingui-stics, literature, ecumenism anddialogue among religions.

What of the future? The Master’s degree offers a solidcultural competence of a huma-nistic and anthropological cha-racter. Formerly acquired univer-sity knowledge will be given highconsideration through its inte-gration with new and specificareas of knowledge of interdisci-plinary, intercultural and relatio-nal natures.Such competencies add a precisevalue to their former specialty,offering them ample possibilitiesfor employment and applicationin their professional field.This prolonged and diversifiedexperience of learning throughdialogue and communion,equips the student with extratools and frames of reference.They will be able to organizegroup work and to coordinateresearch groups among them.They will manage interpersonalconflict situations, channelingthem towards constructive solu-tions.They will open themselvesto cultural diversity, understan-ding the specific identities andacquiring the basic tools of themethod for cultural mediation:profound listening, empathy,dialogue and communication.Tomorrow’s world, alwaysbecoming more and more glo-balized, interdependent andconflictual, will have a greatneed for persons with theseabilities. People like this will beneeded in the realms of cultu-re, education, research, publicadministration, mass media,management, ecology, health,law, economics and politics.

The “I” and the “You”:from economics to lifeRecently Luigino Bruni hasbecome a basic point of refe-rence in the field of humanrelations economics. His books– from Economics, happinessand other people to The Price ofgratuitousness to Reciprocity,together with his other booksmore exquisitely scientific forexperts in the field – are bynow best sellers.

He is well known authorwhose saliency stands outabove the negativism of themajority. He is someone whohas something to say.“Salient” is a term I like verymuch because we recognize itas having a relationship withthe salt of the Gospel.The field of relationships espe-cially, in full developmenttoday, has caught many,mostly contemporary econo-mists, by surprise.As Bruni writes in a recentessay, these are lions, interper-sonal relationships are thetrue unexplored territory ofpolitical economy.The book by Bruni, The Woundof the other: Economics andHuman Relationships, waspublished (The Margin 2007,212 pages) last Fall. It containsthe most effective synthesis ofhis thought and the concep-tual framework for a vivaciousdebate on the subject.

The economy, it is often said,has to do with competitionand today we live in an erathat exalts the merits of com-petition; that is, the benefits ofcompeting and of the freemarket. Today they have beco-me almost obsessively pervasi-ve and Bruni’s book certainlydoes not negate their value.The problem, if there is one, issomething else all together. Isthere a space in today’s econo-mics for forms of cooperation?Must competition excludecooperation?The issue now moves from theprocesses of economic rela-

tionships to the motivations ofactions and thus the problembecomes understanding whattypes of motivations areaccepted by our present dayeconomy. The concept of reci-procity enters the picture as aconceptual framework inwhich to place the many possi-ble dynamics present in toda-y’s economy. In effect, the eco-nomic system can be viewedas the arena in which a wholeseries of cooperative dynamicscan be applied.If this way of looking at thingsappears strange to us, it isbecause a long tradition ofeconomic thinking taught usthe idea that the economy isbased solely on self-servingmotivations; in other words,on self-interest which is reallyegoism. What needs to hap-pen first is the development ofthe concept of reciprocitywhich is the basis of whatBruni, together with StefanoZamagni, called civil econo-mics, in a book published a fewyears ago.

According to Bruni’s frame ofreference, the idea of reciproci-ty is like a large containerembracing a plurality of moti-vations to acting. They go fromself-interest to other-interestand everything in between.On the other hand, a variednumber of motivations tohuman intervention hasalways belonged to the eco-nomic thought’s tradition.Our re-reading of AdamSmith’s texts, for example, tur-ned completely upside downthe public image of Smith’seconomics as a celebration ofthe necessary symbiosis bet-ween the competitive marketand self-interested motiva-tion.For Smith, in fact, what con-nects an economic system andallows it to function is, as eve-ryone knows by now, the ideaof simpatia (Italian word), thatis the capacity to share and to

relate. Simpatia also furnishesthe anthropological support toexplain the marvelous fate ofthe commercial society. Allthis, however, has been oblite-rated by a reductionist andpartial reading of the econo-mic phenomenon that cameabout, above all, with Ricardo.

It is easy to understand, aboutthis point, that the examplesthat can be drawn from thetradition of economic thoughtare very many. It is sufficient todo a historically founded rea-ding and not just proleptic.Bruni has a special predilec-tion, not unfounded, forAntonio Genovesi whom heconsiders the father of civileconomy. Bruni is not wrong infollowing the footsteps ofGenovesi, searching for acade-mic fortune, because Genovesiwas a man of great humanist,scientific and philosophicalculture. He was the soul andthe intellectual guide of thereform-renewal of the Neapo-litan Enlightenment of the1600s. He expressed a vitalityand creativity of which Brunifeels he is a pupil. Genovesiwas also the first in the worldwho held a chair in economicsat a university, using the nameof civil economics for his cour-se.

Together with some of themajor scholars of the economyof relationships, the first beingRobert Sugden and BenedettoGuy, Bruni contributed inter-nationally to spread the verynew reading he gave toGenovesi’s thinking.The fundamental dimensionof Bruni’s thinking and writingis, however, the part he dedica-tes to the philosophy of econo-mics. In his chapter on eros,filìa and agape he shows clear-ly how human motivations areread through the varioussemantic natures of the word“love”. The progression eros,filìa and agape marks the pas-

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sage from the contract, frien-dship, and giving.In this light, economics can beviewed from the opposite end,opposite in regard to what weare used to, i.e., as the scienceof gratuitousness, with a defi-nitely provocative and scanda-lous inversion for all the liberaltradition as for the Marxistone, since both welcome theidea that gratuitousness is theopposite of doing economics.

The Wound of the Other, car-ries, on the front cover, thefamous painting by Rem-brandt that represents thefight of Jacob with the Angel.Bruni develops the symbolicmeaning of the Bible story(Chapter 32 of Genesis) andalso the specific interpretationthat the Flemish painter givesin his painting. Modern philo-sophy marks, certainly, animportant progress in its indi-vidualistic accents and war-ranty tones. But these accentsand tones also bring immenseburdens that the current cul-ture hides and refuses tostudy; from the Marxist radica-lity (maybe ignored too lightly)to the Philosophical radical-ness discussed by the greatscholar, Elie Halèvi.The true problem of politicaleconomy, in the last two cen-turies, is the negation of the“you”, the refusal of the other’sface, the need to study thesystem’s functioning under aveil of ignorance. We are afraidof the other ( just think of thehomo homini lupus by ThomasHobbes): this is the wound ofthe other. We have to sterilizehim in order not to be infected.Bruni draws energy and inspi-ration from his favorite philo-sophers from whom he quo-tes, such as Giuseppe Zanghìand Piero Coda.

It is clear that, at this point,Bruni’s writing faces thetheme of the dynamics of asociety which is pluralistic

because it is multiethnic, in adangerously provocative man-ner, to be completely created.This a theme also discussed inthe recent contribution byAmartya Sen on identity andviolence to which Bruni’s workstands side by side.To a society in which the rightworry about the elimination ofprivileges and of “unearnedincomes” is not always accom-panied by an adequate aware-ness of the challenges waitingfor us, above all in the ecologi-cal field, Bruni brings a stron-gly prophetic word that can’tleave people indifferent.

The study of economics, here,became a new adventure.I also want to add that, in 19

doing so, he also takes in thenew category of economicgoods invented by a few scho-lars, that is the relationalgoods. It is an idea, with a dou-ble edge in reality, that maybring the risk of weakeningprecisely the most innovativeaspects of the research on reci-procity and more in general on“relationality ”.

Bruni’s book is an importantcontribution that has to beincluded among the readingsfor people who have, at heart,the future of social economicsin their different forms. But itis also for those who are readyto be confronted and to recon-sider the foundations of nowa-days’ economic rationality.

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The Association “For Everyone”

The 13th of last November (2007),the Association of SocialEnterprises of the Economy ofCommunion “For Everyone” wasfounded at the headquarters ofthe Industrial Association ofAscoli Piceno (Italy).Those who signed the establi-shing act were the TassanoConsortium, the Consortium“The Woodpecker”, the Coope-ratives Angelo Boni, Spring 83and Formap with a total of 76coops where over 2000 workermembers work. They are fromLiguria, Tuscany, the Marches,Sardinia, and Campania.This was the result of almost twoyears of meetings,projects, inter-vals, starting over, and studies.The establishment of the Asso-ciation “For Everyone”marked animportant step in the develop-ment of the Economy ofCommunion in the sectors ofsocial enterprises and non-pro-fits. It makes us anticipate veryinnovative scenarios regarding,above all, the aspect of forma-tion and training of EoC actors:entrepreneurs, managers, trai-ners and educators as well asemployees.The new President, Franco Bruni,said that to form this associationthey all turned to social coopsand their consortiums, to foun-dations, to Public Institutes ofAssistance and Beneficence, toreligious institutes,and to aggre-gations of voluntary service.They wanted to form an associa-tion capable of participating toaccomplish as their final objecti-ve, the Economy of Communion.To decide the name of the asso-ciation we turned to ChiaraLubich, who was the first tohave had the idea of theEconomy of Communion inBrazil in 1991. Precisely one weeklater we received this message:“for the association that dedica-tes itself to the world of socialservices Chiara chose the name“Per Tutti” in the sense that noone must be excluded from yourlove”.

The name and the indicationsoffered by Chiara – goes on Fran-co Bruni – sealed the birth of theassociation.It plans to focus on the inspiringand founding principles of the

culture of giving and reciprocityand to accomplish the specificaims of the Economy of Com-munion with all the actors whobring them to life in their dailylives.

Was this new experience bornnow because the times aremature for it? What does itbring to the EoC that is new ? “The Economics of the Work ofMary is not only the Economyof Communion, it is muchmore. It is sufficient to think ofwhat was done before the EoCproject began. The EoC expres-sed a part of economics, a cul-ture related, most of all, toentrepreneurs. However, thisspirit gave life to many otherpeople in economics and intro-duced many other social acti-vities. The EoC recognizes allthis preexisting part and nowit expresses this new maturitywithin the Work of Mary.The Economy of Communionshares the business profitsalso with the poor: but who isthe poor nowadays, who is vul-nerable? We cannot think onlyof the poor of the favelas ofthe developing world. Wemust also look at the povertyand exclusions that we havenear our homes, in our so-cal-led opulent countries. “ForEveryone” responds preciselyto these forms of poverty soclose to us”.Is our hope then that this asso-

We asked Prof. Luigino Bruni a few questions:

ciation may become an interlo-cutor of the EoC also in regardto politics and civil society? “I hope that it will be a matu-ration for all economics. TheEoC was born as a detail, but ifit expects to become an econo-mic culture it must also look atother realities, it can’t stop atthe standard enterprise.Economics is naturally inclinedto dialogue with institutions.Economics is the Other of poli-tics and vice versa. The State orFederal Government musthelp civil society to meet itsneeds. Today for me it is a dayof celebration for the wholeWork of Mary and for all thosewho wish a better world”.This experience does open the-refore new ways…“I expect that this associationwill host many subjects, notonly in Italy but rather at theinternational level. Economicsis not only enterprise in itself,it is an enterprise open to anytypes of poverty found at anylatitude of the planet. It is ananswer much broader than topoverty, and much broaderthan the enterprise itself. Irepeat it. Today I’m very happy,it is a great day”.

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After a conversation at a gathe-ring of New Humanity inCastelgandolfo, in March, 1997,during a dialogue, what cameinto evidence, in all it dramaticaspects, was the problem of thelack of jobs. A young man fromSouthern Italy, in his talk, wassaying that despite him being 35and having two doctorates, hewas not able to have a workexperience. Many other partici-pants were sharing that sameexperience.Because of my past experienceas a union leader, I was asked if Icould take to heart the problemthat came to the surface. Ianswered yes although I hadmany questions within me andalso I did not want to create falsehopes.I did not know in fact any busi-nesses that needed new person-nel. I began to collect data andsome resumes, among thosewho were present. Already atthat meeting I was offered someadvice and collaboration.When I was a union leader I wasaccustomed to utilize the pro-blems inherent in the work envi-ronment to unite the workers ina fight against the “bosses” butin the spirit of fraternity in whichI was immersed I felt the need toconvert. The problems of thoseyoung people were mine and allthe schemes and tools I usedbefore in the factory, had todisappear. In front of me I had aperson: his lack of work was atool that bonded us to resolvetogether the problem.From that moment on, withthese feelings and perspectives,we began, with some of thosewho were there at that meeting,to put these resolutions intopractice in our native regions.Wewere so new at this that we feltoverwhelmed by the arrival ofmany resumes to which wecould not find a solution. Slowly,however, coordinating the infor-mation we had with the needsand the opportunity for work,wewere able to find some answers.

The following year at the sametype of meeting we met again,managing this time, with thehelp of people who had joined usin the meantime, to have repre-sentatives in all Italian regions.Also an expert in computerscience helped us, at that point,to develop what we then calledthe “Net for work” with two dif-ferent levels: the National Netand the Local Net.The “National Net” is formed byone or two appointed people ineach Zone with whom weexchange information of natio-nal character and share expe-riences and contacts: a secretarycontributes to look for solutionsat the national level for problemsfor which we can’t find solutionslocally.The “Local Net”is a more detailedstructure. It is formed by volunte-ers who serve freely and whoestablish direct relationshipswith anyone in need who pass bythem. They help them to resolvethe problem locally, thanks alsoto the information received fromthe National Net and trustinglocal structures such as the CPI(Council for Public Education),and the work employment agen-cies, who substituted for the oldEmployment Offices.While organizing this project allover the national territory,a needsurfaced. That of getting toge-ther in person. And that’s how,starting in 1999, we held a mee-ting in Loppiano once a year forthe regional key people.In those meetings we becameaware that the Net was most ofall a tool to make mutual love

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grow among everyone, throughthe exchanging of news, expe-riences, opportunities of jobs orneeds for work. Most of all it wasour love for an unemployed bro-ther or sister what kept us toge-ther and made us feel part of avery large family also with thosewe encountered.We also saw with amazementand joy that the people comingin touch with us regained trustand often found in themselvesthe strength and the initiative toresolve the problem but not onlythat. They in turn opened up tohelp other unemployed people.The action always starts from anencounter, from a personal con-tact, but the Net, thanks also toemail, has a capillary expansionthat we do not know exactlywhere it reaches.In the contacts we have, we seecoming to the surface manywounds of the work world andwe feel impotent to resolvethem because they are so big.The experience we live is limitedto facing out of love the pro-blems for the person in front ofus. We also feel, however, that inorder to overcome the dualismthat still exists between theworld of work and economicsthere is still much to do on amuch larger scale.It seems to us that it is necessaryto give more dignity to work andto workers: we think that onlywith this premise the economywill become “of communion”and contribute to elevate today’ssociety at a larger and morehuman level.

Toward a Society of Being

Excerpts from the speech bySenator Marco Maciel, ex VicePresident of Brazil, on the occa-sion of the inauguration of theGinetta Productive Park of theNorth East of Brazil. to theBrazilian Federal Senate onAugust 24th 2007

Ladies and Gentlemen of theSenate,

I’m coming to youtoday to speak about theFocolare Movement, born inItaly during the second worldwar from a group of youngwomen around Chiara Lubichand landed in Brazil in Recife in1959.Back then, in the early 60s, as ayoung university student Iencountered the FocolareMovement, today present in183 countries with more thanfour million adherents, ofwhich two hundred and fiftythousand are in Brazil. Amongits activities there is the buil-ding of Mariapolises, littletowns where the inhabitantstry to live according toChristian principles. Thereyoung people can spend theirvacation or take part in volun-tary work. They also teach artsand crafts in schools. In Brazilthey are in San Paulo, inPernambuco and in Parà.Next to them some ProductiveParks are built for small andmedium size businesses ani-mated by the spirit of theEconomy of Communion (EoC)that aims at generating a cul-ture of solidarity, to help thebusiness grow and to help theneedy.The Economy of Communionassigns the profits to theentrepreneurs, to the workersand to the poor within andoutside the Focolare, adoptsan equal treatment for theworkers of the business, a cor-rect behavior with the compe-tition and a great respect forthe enviroment.

Every Productive Park hasfinancial directors, technicians,administrators, managers forcommunications and for mar-keting. The first ProductivePark is the one near SaintPaulo. It was followed by apark in Argentina and by onein Italy.Now, the first Mariapolis ofthe Americas just inauguratedin Igarassu its Productive Park,called Ginetta, in homage toGinetta Calliari, the ItalianPioneer who brought theMovement to Brazil.The inauguration took placelast Saturday, with the partici-pation of many people fromthe Pernambuco society, entre-preneurs adhering to the pro-ject and two Bishops: Mon-signor Bernardino Marquiòfrom Caruaru and MonsignorFrancesco Biasin from Pesqueirawho blessed the first businessready to be installed in the Park:the Licitar Farmaceutica.The entrepreneurs of the asso-ciation for an Economy ofCommunion act with the prin-ciple that it is not sufficient tomake profits but that it has tobe shared. In a time of wildcapitalism, this experienceproves that we can create aneconomy with more solidarity,with more homogeneity andmore compatible with socie-ty’s aspirations, less unjust.The shares of the ProductivePark are on sale to the public,in a grand experience of popu-lar and productive capital, inagreement with the SocialDoctrine of the Church.Talking about this, I also wantto mention the EncyclicalRerum Novarum by Leo theXIII, the first Encyclical of theChurch with an eminent socialcharacter. Among the move-ments inspired by the doctrineof Leo XIII, I could cite that byJoseph Lebret, the FranciscanFather who carried out thefirst survey of the social andeconomic reality of the State

of Pernambuco and drew adevelopment plan that mar-ked the years between 1950and 1955 in the North East ofBrazil. He was a great thinkerand he left remarkable worksand gave life to the movementEconomie et Humanisme,Economy and Humanism, for asocial justice based economy.Mr. President, the State ofPernambuco cannot but behappy to have been the first inAmerica to welcome theFocolare Movement and tohave in Igarassu one of theMariapolises and now also aProductive Park of the EoC. I’msure that it will give a positiveand important contribution inthe fight against unemploy-ment, in the formation ofsmall and medium entrepre-neurs and in the professionalqualification of workers. It willalso offer an example of socialand environmental develop-ment of which Brazil and theworld have need.All this in a climate of brother-hood capable of distributingincome and to overcome classfights with an internationalresonance, demonstrated byall the prizes given to ChiaraLubich in the United Statesand in Europe, like the recentUNESCO Prize.Mr. President, I ask that thesewords of mine may be atta-ched to the other speechespronounced at the inaugura-tion of the Ginetta IndustrialPark by its Director, Mrs.Socorro Sobral and by theItalian entrepreneur, AlbertoFerrucci who came all the wayfrom Italy to take part in theceremony.I conclude, Mr. President,expressing my conviction, buteven more, my certainty thatexperiences such as the EoC,are one of the ways throughwhich we will be able to gofrom a society of having to asociety of being. That is, to bemore than to have.

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00

The theses we present in thisissue are ten, four were donein Brazil, five in Italy and one inCroatia. There were all discus-sed between 2006 and 2007.Two are of the first level (bac-calaureate), seven of thesecond level (master‘s) andone of 4 years of the oldsystem.

The themes discussed are asalways very varied but what isevident is the interest towardthe new paradigm of econo-mic rationality emerging fromthe EoC, i.e. the relational oneseen from the viewpoint ofeconomy, pedagogy, financialmanagement, etc.Highlighted in a particular waythe innovative meaning of“profits” in the EoC, “SocialCapital”, “Communion”; EoC as“Evolution of Social Responsi-bility of the Enterprise”, EoCand game theory. Finally theanalysis of a specific S.p.A., the

EoC S.p.A. born for the con-struction and management ofthe Lionello Business Park, wasvery interesting.

We point out the prize recei-ved by Irene Brundia from theProvince of Bergamo for hertheses on: “The Economy ofCommunion and its role ineducation”.

I conclude inviting once moreall those who think about thisproject to share their theses,once they are completed. It issimple doing it. You just haveto fill out the form of theabstract that you can downlo-ad from www.ecodicom.netand send it together with thefiles of your theses to theEmail:antonella.ferrucci@prometh.it

The judging commission, for-med by the Provincial Councillorfor Social Policies as thePresident and by the membersof the Scientific Committee ofthe Study Center of the SocialPolicies of the Province ofBergamo, assigned the 7th edi-tion of the Prize ”Theses in theSocial Field” to four new gra-duates, among whom is IreneBrundia, for her theses on “TheEconomy of Communion andthe role of education”.The ceremony of the distribu-tion of the prizes took place lastOctober 16th (2007).“Four theses, four young

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Ten New Theses

Province of Bergamo,Prize for Theses written in social fieldVII edition

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World Archives for EoC Theses

Antonella Ferruccic/o Prometheus SrlPiazza Borgo Pila 4016129 Genovatel +39/010/5459820 – 5459821(Monday and Thursday from 10 am to 1 pm)e-mail:antonella.ferrucci@prometh.it

The theses available from theauthors can be consulted on theWeb site www.ecodicom.net.As of today the site lists 264theses, written in 26 countriesand in 13 different languages;of all these 204 can be viewed.The site can be viewed in 5 lan-guages on www.edc-online.org,selecting “news and events” inorder to be updated on allevents regarding the EoC andall other sections to obtainbibliography, statistical data,articles and much more.

youthful dynamic reality thatknows how to capture and readin between the lines of life andevents and distinguishes bet-ween what is good and what isbad”.The theses will go to enrich the“Study Center of Social Policies”in the Province of Bergamo.

women newly graduated, fourprecise signals of sensitivityand attention of a world oftenfogotten or even emarginatedin the name of efficiency andproductivity.But the world is not just theone of which the media tell usevery day. There is, luckily, also a

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Thesis: The Importance of the Profits in the Economy of Communion Enterprises

Thesis advisor: Prof. Silvana Aparecida Kowaski Faccio

This thesis analyzes and evaluates the paradigm changes to the area of the rela-tionship with profits proposed by the Economy of Communion (EoC) and theEoC’s importance to the businesses that adhere to it.The purpose of this work was to understand the new type of economic rationali-ty and the new ways of management and profits distribution spread by the EoCproject. All the material utilized for this the research was studied inside the busi-nesses that are part of the EoC.

Benedito Lima Junior junior@avnembalagens.com.br

Master’s Degree in Administration Sciences Paulista University, San Paulo,Brazil January 23rd 2006Language:portuguese

Thesis: The Economy of Communion and the Role of EducationThesis advisor: Prof. Felice Rizzi

This thesis highlights the central role that educational processes carry out in thedevelopment of further complexity in the current economic thinking and also thegradual re-convergence of the economy with ethics. Through the analysis of theepistemological-anthropological-ontological assumptions of the current econo-mic thinking, I highlighted the rationality paradigm enlivened by all the presentday economic thoughts and actions.From the description of the enterprises and Schools participating in the Economyof Communion project, what emerges is a new relational paradigm and a diffe-rent way “to do science” based on sharing.Finally, I underlined the current relationships between economy and educationand the possible contributions that education and formative processes may offerto the economic sciences. The comparison between the assumptions that holdthe thought and practice of the standard economy and those that support thethought and life style of the EoC highlights two strategic aspects for the re-con-vergence of the economy to ethics. It lies in Chiara Lubich’s words, i.e., in the for-mation and training of “new men and women”and the communitarian dimensionin which to frame the meaning of working together.Opening the dialogue between economy and education along with the researchof common objectives become ever more important in the building of sustaina-ble development and in the formation of human beings capable of living and ful-filling themselves in “a common destiny”.

Irene Brundia irene.brundia@tiscali.it

A four year doctorate with the old system inPedagogy of InternationalCooperationUniversity of Bergamo,Department of Literature andPhilosophy, Educational Sciences March 31st 2006Language:italian

Thesis: Solidarity and Market.One Experience: the Economy of Communion

Thesis advisor: Prof. Flavio Felice

The “non-profit sector”, the “fair trade market”, the “Economy of Communion”insert themselves in the will of the Catholic world to create an economy at theservice of people and of society. After conducting an excursus on the SocialDoctrine of the Church on the themes “Solidarity and Communion” and“Communion of goods,” I approached the EoC project, whose basic novelty lies inwho are the receivers of the distribution of the profits.From the anthropological point of view, the Economy of Communion welcomesthe person in his or her wholeness and gives the person a maximum value. Fromthe economic view point, the EoC harmonizes the right to freedom for the priva-te initiative with the demand for a universal distribution of goods. Work is giventhe highest dignity and pushed at the same time toward professionalism, com-petence and self-initiative. From a cultural view point, the EoC underlines that theproductive subjects, although they are operating in the market economy, areinspired to a culture different from the capitalistic one, i.e., the “culture of giving”.Inviting people to participate with money, creativity and professionalism in aneconomic project that requires solidarity and the culture of giving revealed itselfto be a powerful means of evangelization. It is also demonstrated that it is possi-ble to propose an economy of communion understood as the application of theGospel according to the Social Doctrine of the Church.

Osvaldo Morelli osvaldomorelli@libero.it

Master’s Degree inSocial Doctrine of the Church Pontifical Lateran University,RomeFebruary 16th 2006Language:italian

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Thesis: Ethical Management and Financial Strategies of the Economy of Communion Organizations

Thesis advisor: Prof. dr. sc. Zelimir Dulcic

Distinguishing, in the sector of business ethics, between the Ethic of the Lawand the Ethic of Love from the view point of ethics management, both the lite-rature and the practice are based on the Ethic of Law, which, however, does notallow achieving true justice. The Ethic of the Economy of Communion is anEthic of the Spirit, an Ethic of Love. The founding objective of the organizationsthat adhere to the Economy of Communion is not only profit but also the ful-fillment of the business as a community of people who achieve their basicneeds in agreement with their principles and who place themselves at the ser-vice of the entire society. The business profit remains important as a source offinancial resources for the aims of the EoC project and it represents a kind of“good news” in the economic realm.

Mateo Busic mateo.busic@st.t-com.hr

Master’s Degree inFinancial managementUniversity of Split, Croatia,Department of Economy June 20th 2006Language:croatian

Thesis: Social Capital and Social Values, the CurrentRelational Challenge of Work Organizations

Thesis advisor: Prof. Roberto Cintra Martins

This thesis plans to identify in two enterprises that are part of the Economy ofCommunion project the different forms of Social capital and Values that flowfrom the interpersonal relationships among the employees. Through the collec-tion of data and the research in the field (questionnaires and interviews admini-stered to the entrepreneurs, managers and workers) I presented the concept ofSocial Capital as a tool to be used in understanding human relationships in workorganizations.In both businesses, the study showed the existence of different forms of SocialCapital,and it identifies interpersonal relationships rich in “social virtues”,at all hie-rarchical levels. For this reason we could take for granted the construction of inter-personal relationships in a work environment that is enriched by social values.

Thesis: To Fish and to Eat Together – Analysis of the Ethical-Theological Aspects of Communion in the Economyof Communion Project in Freedom by C. Lubich

Thesis advisor: Prof. Dr. Pe. Ney de Souza

The Communion, a relational model lived in the most Holy Trinity by the threedivine persons, is analyzed under the ethical, theological and economicaspect. I started with an historical analysis of the relationship between eco-nomy and ethics, of the capitalistic rationalism reinforced by the protestantvision of profits, of the market vision of Adam Smith, and of Max Weber’s pro-posal to humanize socio-economic behaviors. It is precisely today’s unsati-sfying results that make everyone look for new behavioral paradigms.The thesis examines the history of the Social Doctrine of the Church, all theway to John Paul II, who, in the Encyclical Centesimus Annus, proposes ananswer to the current world challenges. It is a moral and a spiritual answer,based on evangelical love. The EoC project is one of the new proposals basedon communion, confirmed by the 735 businesses that have it as the basis oftheir operations. In the EoC project, communion becomes a true ethical-theo-logical paradigm for every socio-economic activity.

Ricardo Antonio Pinto fscenaculo@uol.com.br

Master’s Degree in Practical Theology – Morals Pontifical Departmentof Theology of our Lady of the Assumption2006Language:portuguese

Thesis: Transformation in a business from a spiritual approachThesis advisor: Prof. Andrea Gandini

The objective of this thesis is to illustrate how the EoC economic model is ableto create reciprocal and fraternal relationships and to guarantee to everyone astandard of dignified living in which every person is both the beneficiary andthe producer of wealth at the same time. Thus research was carried out withkey people who were asked to design theoretical and then practical solutionsthat would confer a dimension of collaboration on work and that would havethe well-being of the community as the primary purpose. The most importantconclusion was that it is possible to conduct economic and working activitysuccessfully while at the same time respecting and appreciating the humanfulfillment of all those involved. Reviewing the company’s operations with theworkers, suppliers, customers, competitors, and public institutions will helpcreate a new economy oriented toward the common good. Such a new econo-my is not only just for the good of others but also for one’s own good.

Guido Gobbi guido.gobbi@tiscali.it

First Level Doctorate inBusiness Economics University of Ferrara, Philosophyand Literature DepartmentMarch 19th 2007Language:italian

Maria das Graças Gomesde Azevedo Medeiros mgracamedeiros@gmail.com

Master’s in Engineering of production Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil June 26th 2006 Language:portuguese

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Thesis: The Contribution of the Economy of Communion to a Culture of Responsible Enterprises

Thesis advisor: Prof.ssa Giampaolo Azzoni

The thesis examines the relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR) and the Economy of Communion, highlighting the contribution offeredby the latter.The sources of information utilized were the literature on the CSR and articles,books, questionnaires and interviews about the EoC.We concluded that the CSR suffers from a low level of stakeholder involve-ment and from the lack of a culture oriented toward social responsibility. TheEoC, on the other hand, represents a sort of evolution of its own. It is an ethi-cally oriented example of the integration and synergy between the cultureand the practice. It demonstrates that it is possible to have success in the mar-ket although wealth is considered as a means and not as an end.The knowledge and the spreading of the EoC project can therefore strengthenits value as a “sign”, stimulating, on the one hand, the enterprises which arenot part of the EoC, to raise their standards of reference and, on the otherhand, the stakeholders so that they request and reward behaviors that aremore and more advanced at an ethical, social and environmental level.

Tiziana Mazzon tiziana.mazzon@libero.it

Master’s Degree inCommunication Sciences University of Pavia April 18th 2007Language:italian

Thesis: The Spreading of the Economy of CommunionEnterprises in the Market in the Perspective of the Game Theory

Thesis advisor: Prof. Francisco S. Ramos

This study applied Game Theory to the ways in which EoC businesses behavetoward competitors and customers. The purposes of the study were to determi-ne whether taking part in the EoC is a good choice for an enterprise in terms ofits future development and also to analyze the future prospects of the project.After evaluating the meaning and the characteristics of the EoC, we studied theincentives for entrepreneurs to choose this managerial system as well as the deve-lopment of the project during its fifteen years of existence. Finally we carried outcase studies in all the EoC businesses existing in the Metropolitan Region of Recife.The conclusion is that it is possible for entrepreneurs to adhere to the project aslong as they are motivated not only by financial rewards, but also by non-mate-rial recompenses, also called “relational goods”.

Andreza DanielaPontes Lucas andrezalucas25@yahoo.com.br

Master’s Degree in Managerial Engeneering Federal University ofPernambuco, BrazilMay 3rd, 2007Language:portuguese

Thesis: E. di C. SpA (a public corporation):A Company of Capital for an economy of solidarity

Thesis advisor: Prof. Massimo Cecchi

The Purpose of the thesis was to analyze a new “type” of corporation , one whichis not different in its juridical form from most other public corporations,but ratheroperates in a much different way .The new entity is the not-for- profit corporationwhose goal is not profit for its own sake but rather whose goal is profit-makingto help the indigents.The business chosen to be the object of the study is the E. di C. SpA, born in 2001in Incisa Valdarno near the small city of Loppiano; its inspiration is the Economyof Communion in Freedom Project.An excursus on the EoC Project is followed by an analysis of the chosen business,highlighting its particular features, the reasoning behind its decision to be apublic company, its relationships with its stockholders, and its 2006 budget.The study concludes with a description of the construction process and the fini-shed building, of the businesses who took office there and of the experience of“fraternity” experienced within its walls.Then the strengths and weaknesses of the Productive park are outlined, and theresults of the study and the future prospects of the Park are detailed, emphasi-zing how the EoC can positively influence the socio-economic fabric. It was foundthat the Park attracts not only the active involvement of other businesses butthat it also generates virtuous behaviors more oriented toward the commongood. It builds a network of relationships among the various stakeholders, andsolicits, in addition to the enterprises themselves, all the other social componentsand institutions needed to review and renew the existing economic mechanismsin the light of a new value, that of communion.

Pina Filisettipina.filisetti@alice.it

Bachelor’s Degree inBusiness Economy – Generaland Applied Accounting University of Florence – ItalyJune 20th 2007Language:italian

The Economy of Communion a new culture

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“Francois Neveux,an economically incorrect entrepreneur and inventor”Utopia en Route“Cher Alberto”. This how Fran-çois, who was already suffering,greeted me in May 2006 as Iwas leaving for Brazil to attendthe EoC convention, an event hehad never missed. “This year mytask for the EoC is to remain inFrance to help write the story ofmy life”.This book is now in print in hisnative French through thepublishing company NouvelleCitè. I hope it will soon be availa-ble in other languages. Theauthor, Isaline Bourgenot Dutru(email: isaline.bd@orange.fr), isa French professor. She heardthe story of his life fromFrançois when he was alreadyaware that he was in the laststages of his life. After he diedshe decided to go to Brazil withFrançois’s wife to collect testi-monies of his works from theliving.

The book is happily entitledUtopia en route referring to theUtopia dreamed of and descri-bed by St. Thomas More fivecenturies ago, and now fulfilledin the Economy of Communion.The subtitle of the book is:“François Neveux, an economi-cally incorrect entrepreneur andinventor”. In fact, François wasan exceptional entrepreneurwho, from the beginning of hiscareer, ardently desired to workin a different way. Entering thework force as a young engineer,he invented a new technologyto purify water. After two yearshe decided to launch his ownbusiness “to create wealth forothers”. It was a business with aunique culture, one in whichevery problem is resolvedthrough dialogue and trust.Each employee was valued andpaid a salary that was thirty per-cent above the market. Therewas no need for strikes orunions.

In a short time he earned a lotof money and so he founded asecond business to construct

water purification plants. Allappeared to be going well,when the threat of a heartattack brought him face to facewith himself and with God.From that moment, Françoiswas filled with inexhaustibleenergy and would say:“Paradise, we are the ones whomust build it. God is impatient!”Two years later, Françoisencountered the FocolareMovement and immediatelycommitted himself to it, certainthat God waited for him there.He started a third businesswhich his wife Françoise named“Hundredfold”. He employedex-drug addicts and peoplemarginalized by society to fabri-cate little boats, windsurfboards and toys.His commitment was to createa new rapport amongst theemployees, customers andcompetitors placing humanbeings and not the “system” atthe center. When he heard ofthe Economy of Communion infreedom, he saw there the solu-

tion to all e-conomic pro-blems of ourtimes and heembraced itimmediately.He first offeredgratuitously histechnologiesand patents.Then he left hisactivities inFrance to moveto Brazil, star-ting a businessin the firstIndustrial ParkSpartaco anddonating hispatents, tech-nologies andmoney.He was a specia-list in the purifi-cation of waterand a naturalinventor. Heregistered 35

patents and was a recognizedexpert in normative standardsfor the European Community.He had flashes of genius accom-panied by an innate humor andhe charmed everyone with histenacious utopia that he neverabandoned: the creation ofparadise on earth.

Struck down in just a fewmonths by his disease, Françoisleft us in August of 2006. Oneyear later, Chiara Lubich gave hisname to the third IndustrialPark of Brazil in the Amazons. Itwas the one in which he drea-med of setting up a branch ofhis Brazilian business, Rotogine.

On the last page of Dutur’sbook, she describes the greetingshe received from Louis Carlos, aBrazilian entrepreneur, at theairport the moment she retur-ned to France. He said, “Isaline,tell the whole world thatFrançois was a giant, the firstamongst us all and the greatest.You must write this!”

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Alberto Ferrucci

The Economy of Communion a new culture

The Economy of Communion a new culture

A “school-business”of communion

and sustainableentrepreneurial

activity