OFFICIAL NAME
Contemplative Missionary Movement Charles De Foucauld
ALSO KNOWN AS
The Movement is known by different names depending on where it is located in the world:
Missionary Fraternities of Cuneo
Missionaries of Charles de Foucauld
Contemplative Missionary Fraternities
ESTABLISHED
1951
HISTORY
The Movement was founded by Rev. Andrea Gasparino (1923-2010) in the 1950s in Cuneo (Italy) as a ‘Boys Town’. Immediately after the Second World War, ‘Boys Town’ began to accommodate and educate street children. It continued until 1971 when the need had subsided.
1959 was an important year in the formation of the Movement. That was when they began perpetual Eucharistic adoration. It was to become a sign of the central role of contemplation in the Movement. From 1961, missions opened in Brazil, Madagascar, Korea and later in several other countries.
The first diocesan approval dates back to 1983. In 1990 the Pontifical Council for the Laity decreed recognition of the Contemplative Missionary Movement Charles de Foucauld as an international association of the faithful.
IDENTITY
At the heart of the Movement there are fraternities of brothers and sisters who commit themselves, through an act of dedication according to the evangelical counsels, to live in poverty, chastity, obedience and love for the poor. With contemplation having a central role, they live among the poor in friendship with them. They aim to communicate the love of God and to recognise in those people the same love that is working in their own lives.
Together with our mission among the poor and for the poor, and being mindful of the central role of contemplation, an essential activity is the “schools of prayer”. They are founded on the Word and the Eucharist, and are intended for young people, families, the poor themselves and all those who feel the desire for solid spirituality within the Church. They share in the spiritual charism of the Movement and in its openness to the poor. They do this in their homes and workplaces and in close unity with the local Church.
ORGANISATION
The Movement is headed by a Governing Council consisting of two brothers and three sisters. In each Region, a local Board consisting of three members is elected.
WORKS
The members of the Movement give particular attention to the quality of their fellowship with the poor and among the poor. Their mission in prisons, leprosariums, refugee camps and slums focuses on closeness in friendship and fellowship. Human beings are at the centre. They aim to bear witness to the compassion of Jesus and to recognise his presence in the poor.
There are soup kitchens for malnourished children, clinics, literacy schools and small jute workshops, among other works. These are facilities that foster close relationships with the poor.
PUBLICATIONS
“Pagine di fraternità”, half-yearly.
“Lettere dalle missioni”, quarterly.
Numerous publications on prayer (dedicated page on the website).
WEBSITE
HEADQUARTERS
Movimento Contemplativo Missionario “Padre de Foucauld”
Corso Francia, 129
12100 Cuneo
Tel. [+39]0171 491263
E-mail: cittadeiragazzi@centromissionario.org, info@centromissionario.org
