Welcoming New Faces

By Kristine P., in Brooklyn

At the close of our Saturday dinner, which was also the evening our newest member, Liliana, arrived with her friend to join us, something special happened. As Liliana’s friend prepared to leave, he stood, paused, and quietly looked around at each of us in our beautiful Brooklyn home. With a heart clearly moved, he said, “Thank you for this time together tonight. This is a special place, and each one of you is special.” His words, simple yet profound, captured the essence of the fruitfulness of a communion we’ve been blessed with here.

It’s a communion that continues to grow in its universality, diversity, and number, breaking past any previously known limits.

Our home is now more full than ever. Liliana, from Colombia is now starting a Master’s program in Biotechnology. Nieves, from Argentina is approaching the end of her law studies and was offered the opportunity to experience a semester at New York University. Sofia, from the U.S., just finished her beautiful mission in Argentina and has agreed to become our new outreach coordinator. And I, from the little-known Latvia, am continuing my love for philosophy and my desire to study it further at Fordham University.

How could such diverse backgrounds and lives ever result in such a communion, recognized as a gift by both our friends and ourselves? As always, Giussani goes straight to the heart of this beautiful paradox. “What did they hold in common? They shared a single reason for living—the reason for living, which is Jesus Christ.”