New Horizons

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OFFICIAL NAME

Nuovi Orizzonti

 

ALSO KNOWN AS

New Horizons Community

 

ESTABLISHED

1993

 

HISTORY    
In 1990 Chiara Amirante decided to go to Termini Station in Rome at night, driven by the desire to reach out to the 'people of the night'. These were lonely, marginalised and desperate young people who were victims of an addiction to drugs, alcohol and prostitution. They were often involved in delinquency and crime.

In 1993 she founded the voluntary association Nuovi Orizzonti. In 1994 the first residential community in Rome was opened. In just a few years the rehabilitation programme used was seen to be effective. It followed a path of inner reconstruction inspired by the Gospel. Chiara Amirante designed a path of self-knowledge and healing of the heart − the 'Art of Loving'− which she later called Spiritherapy. It was successfully followed by thousands of people who took part in training weekends, courses and local sharing groups. People were healed of their deep and damaging wounds.

From the very beginning, the young people themselves felt the urge to commit themselves to the charism. They spoke in schools and evangelised in places where youth gathered. The first ‘street missions’ gave rise to a new methodology for street evangelisation and evangelisation schools. Their formative and spiritual effectiveness was soon appreciated and this model was adopted in various dioceses around the world.

In 1996 the Cittadella Cielo project was launched.

In 1997 Cardinal Ruini recognised Nuovi Orizzonti as a private association of the faithful in Rome. A new community was opened in Piglio in Italy, and this served for many years as the headquarters and training centre for international voluntary work.

The year 2000 saw the opening of Cittadella Cielo in Brazil and Bosnia Herzegovina. From 2000 to 2010, the number of centres and groups multiplied in Italy and abroad, and in 2006, groups of Cavalieri della Luce [Knights of Light] were created and soon spread to other countries.

On 8 December 2010, the Pontifical Council for the Laity decreed recognition of Nuovi Orizzonti as an International Private Association of the Faithful.

On 6 November 2016, the new international headquarters was inaugurated at the Cittadella Cielo in Frosinone, and Pope Francis visited there for a whole day on 24 September 2019.

 

IDENTITY  

The general aim of the Association is the holiness of its members. The specific charism is to bring joy to all by emphasising the mystery of Jesus' descent into hell and his resurrection. The members are committed to bringing love to those who have not known love, life to those in the throes of death, and the joy of the Resurrection to those in despair. To this end, they expressly reach out to people who are in situations of hardship, marginalisation and material and moral poverty. They see in them the presence of Jesus crucified and forsaken who has taken upon himself the sin of the world. Aware of their own weakness, they abandon themselves into the hands of the One who can do all things, in order to become channels of God’s power and mercy.

 

 

ORGANISATION    
The governing body of the Association is structured as follows: the Central Assembly, the President, the Vice President, the General Spiritual Director, the Coordinating Council and the Council of the Piccoli. The various levels of membership are: full members, internal members and affiliated members. Full members and internal members are called Piccoli della Gioia [Little Ones of Joy]. They commit themselves to living according to the spirituality and the charism of the Association. They make temporary commitments (internal members) or definitive commitments (full members) with pledges of poverty, chastity, obedience and joy. The Little Ones of Joy are divided into: Little Ones of Joy living in community and Little Ones of Joy not living in community, married Little Ones of Joy, priests Little Ones of Joy, Little brothers and Little sisters of the Risen Lord, men and women religious Little Ones of Joy, diocesan priests Little Ones of Joy. Affiliated members are: brothers, aid-workers, Cavalieri della Luce and friends. All the members of the association are committed in a concrete way to living − at various levels − the communion of gifts and talents received from the Lord in the Service Teams composed of: the Love apostles, the Little Ones of Jeshua, the St. Joseph Team, the Minstrels of God, Little Ones of Mary, the Little Incendiaries, the Emmanuels, the Micors, the Harmony families, the Rainbow Kids. The Association is organised according to Zones.

 

WORKS    
Nuovi Orizzonti currently has over two hundred centres: residential rehabilitation centres for pathological addictions; centres for reintegration into the labour market; training centres for international voluntary work; counselling centres; families willing to extend hospitality to people; spirituality centres. There are more than a thousand service teams divided into areas: reception and orientation; prevention and awareness; communications and mass media; entertainment and recreation; training, cultural promotion, publishing; social services and international cooperation; finance and work; spirituality and prayer; harmony and artistic expression; environment, sport, health; education and childhood.

More than 600 prayer groups have been set up.

Further Cittadelle Cielo reception and training villages are under construction.

 

PUBLICATIONS   
Orizzonti News, bimonthly

 

WEBSITE

www.nuoviorizzonti.org
www.cavalieridellaluce.net

www.chiaraamirante.it

 

 

HEADQUARTERS

Associazione Nuovi Orizzonti

via Tommaso Landolfi 300,

03100 Frosinone, Italy  

Tel. [+39] 0775502353

E-mail: info@nuoviorizzonti.org