Chiara Lubich’s spirituality and her Trinitarian theology were discussed by Maria Voce and other scholars gathered for World Catholicism Week, held at DePaul University.

“I will show you the way of wisdom” is DePaul University’s motto and it shows up here and there on its campus. The university was founded at the end of the 19^th century by the Congregation of the Mission of St. Vincent de Paul, with the goal of providing proper education to the children of Catholic immigrants to Chicago. Today it has 25 thousand students and it has been ranked among the “top tier” universities in the United States.

“Fear has gone. Now we must continue on this path.” These are the words Maria Voce addressed to the 200 faithful of various religions gathered in the Kehilath Anshe Maarav Temple on April 10.

The Kehilath Anshe Maarav (KAM) synagogue of Chicago, built in 1847, was the ideal place for the gathering of 200 faithful of different religions. Located in Hyde Park on 50^th Avenue, it was the first synagogue ever built in the Midwest. Its very architecture seems inspired by a desire for dialogue. Lutherans, Armenians, Presbyterians, Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, and Zoroastrians were present to the meeting.

The Chicago leg of Maria Voce’s US tour, April 9: A visit to Mariapolis Centre in the Hyde Park neighborhood and a meeting with about 300 young people. The youth who organised the event dedicated it to sainthood: a possible goal even in today’s society.

When you arrive in Chicago from the East Coast you immediately realise that you’re in another world.

The city runs along Lake Michigan for 50 km. Despite our night-time arrival at Midway Airport, the urban skyline of modern, lit-up skyscrapers was truly striking.

On 7 April, Maria Voce launched a challenge at the conclusion of her meeting with the Focolare Community in Washington DC: unity in diversity.

“Americans always see a new frontier to be crossed. This is how they reached the moon. Wouldn’t you like to reach unity?” Maria Voce said wrapping up her informal address at a meeting with Washington’s Focolare Community on the evening of 7^th April.

300 local members of the Movement had come to spend two days together in the nation’s capital. Their meeting held at the Catholic University of America was enriched by an encounter with the country’s history.