What began as a simple friendship between two priests who met at a CL priest retreat, has become an unexpected embrace of charisms.

Four years ago, here in New York, I began spending my days off hiking with Fr. Michael Kmiotek, a Franciscan Friar of the Renewal. Fr. Michael asked that school of community become part of our day. Later, Fr. Christopher Metzger, another friar, would join us in hiking and reading Giussani. Fr. Michael and Fr. Christopher spoke to other Friars about Giussani's writings and charism as a help to living out religious life as a Franciscan. The friendship grew and I was later invited to give the community’s annual retreat.

Fr. Christopher also spoke to his own sister, Sr. Maria Rose, O.P., of the Dominican community of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist. Sr. Maria Rose was moved by her brother's enthusiasm, but was serving as a school principal in Sacramento, California, and didn't see how her community of sisters could have the same weekly "school of community" experience that the Friars and I were having in New York.

I called Holly Peterson in Sacramento, who was immediately attracted to the proposal of meeting with the sisters and studying Giussani. Very soon the same friendship arose among the sisters and Holly, and Dominican Sisters were experiencing Giussani as a help to living their own Dominican charism as religious.

Giussani once said that he simply wanted to re-propose the essential elements of Christianity. Because the charism of CL originated with this essential proposal, Giussani said that any charism could find a home in our charism. Our Franciscan and Dominican friends bear witness to this; Holly and I are continuing to discover, with the help of our friends, that our charism can be welcomed and lived deeply and harmoniously in other charisms and communities.

This past year Fr. Christopher was transferred to a friary in London, and in June Holly moved from California to New York. However, recently she, Fr. Michael and I were able to spend a day together in Pennsylvania with or dear friends Sr. Maria Rose and Fr. Christopher when they were home for their family visit. Our friendships continue, regardless of distance, because what binds us to one another is more precious than the distances that divide us.