Catholic lay movements discover commonality during Vatican congress

Published: 2006-06-02

ROCCA DI PAPA, Italy (CNS) -- Whether they meet for prayer daily or monthly and whether they live together or spread out around a city, members of Catholic lay movements and communities are discovering what they have in common. "We all want to grow. We want to make a difference. We want to witness," said Lorna Mueni Kilonzo, the international Marianist Lay Community's representative in Africa. Kilonzo, who lives in Nairobi, Kenya, was one of about 300 participants representing some 100 lay movements and communities at a May 31-June 2 congress sponsored by the Pontifical Council for the Laity. Participants at the congress in Rocca di Papa, south of Rome, heard from founders and early members of the Focolare movement, the Sant'Egidio Community, Communion and Liberation, the Neocatechumenal Way, L'Arche and the Catholic charismatic renewal. The theme of the congress was "The Beauty of Being a Christian and the Joy of Communicating This."

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