TABLE of CONTENTS Beginning a New Initiative

Unitas: Come, rebuild my Church

Urbi et Orbi COmmUniCatiOns laUnChes a new initiative fOr Unity

Left, Unitas Retreat participants at the San Damiano Retreat Center; right, at Rappahannock Cellars winery with founder John Delmare

On October 3-5, 2021, at the San Damiano Spiritual Life Center in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, we held a three-day retreat during which we launched our new initiative: Unitas: Come, Rebuild My Church. After more than a year of reflection and introspection, this meeting was a chance for us to reveal the three pillars of our work over the next 5 years, which will build on the almost 30 years of work of Urbi et Orbi Communications:

To foster Unity of each soul with God we will establish, in 2022, a Unitas Center in the Washington, D.C. area, to be followed by other, similar centers in Europe. These will be spaces for prayer, liturgy, scholarship, and seeking God together, where, in the words of Pope Emeritus Benedict, “Christian life can assert itself in its own way.” They will also be “focal points of faith,” where we will host conferences and roundtable discussions to take on key issues within our Church, as well as concerts and other cultural events.

To promote Unity within the Catholic Church, we will deepen our coverage of key issues in the Catholic Church, in Inside the Vatican magazine and other digital and print publications. Through our Shine the Light project, we will support objective research into and reporting on abuse and financial corruption in the Church, as well as highlighting heroic examples of holiness, charity, and joy. In 2022, we will be transitioning to hosting all of our online content on a private server, a complex process that will allow us to operate independently of large digital platforms that have increasingly turned towards censorship of dissenting voices. We will also be continuing our Symposia and Virtual Events, such as our Writer’s Chats and Virtual Pilgrimages. In these, we feature inspiring personal reflections coupled with fascinating virtual tours, uniting our worldwide pilgrims and helping them draw closer to the Divine. To further Unity between Catholics and Orthodox we will continue the work of the Urbi et Orbi Foundation, established nine years ago to work for unity between Catholics and Orthodox. This work includes our support for Lebanese Christians, Maronite Catholic and Orthodox alike, through our Friends of Lebanon project, which brings these suffering people relief in the form of “shortterm help,” like food and water purifiers, and “long-term hope,” like scholarships and practical assistance. We are coordinating with several Orthodox partners on this project. We also will continue sponsoring Scholarships and Exchange Programsbetween the Vatican and the Orthodox Churches, as we have for many years, and other cultural and spiritual exchanges, such as concerts of sacred music. We will begin to hold meetings of the Women’s Council of the Heart, an international consortium of Catholic and Robert Moynihan with Gen. and Mrs. John Wakelin Orthodox women. Finally, we will

Left, Dr. Tim O’Donnell, Christendom College president, leads a tour of Christ the King Chapel, under construction; right, retreatants relax on our porch

continue translating and publishing books by leading Catholic and Orthodox authors.

In preparation for expanding our work with Unitas, we have established a parallel international non-profit organization in Switzerland to facilitate the implementation of our projects worldwide. This, coupled with our move to a new private server to host our digital content, creates a solid base for our work in a world that is unpredictable and constantly changing.

We have met with Pope Francis and Pope Emeritus Benedict multiple times and discussed this work with them. We discussed working for unity on multiple occasions with St. John Paul II as well. All of these popes have recognized the importance of unity, and of an organization like Urbi et Orbi Communications, which will continue working towards unity without compromising our deep Catholic faith.

UNITAS LUNCHEON AND RETREAT

The launch event was a success on both a spiritual and an interpersonal level. All who attended brought unique perspectives, and all were grateful to be there for this launch and wanted to support the continuation of this vital work. On the first night, after the arrival of our guests, we had a Mass and dinner followed by a reading of the Transitus of St. Francis (thanks to Dr. Rodney Allen for the inspiration!). The Feast of St. Francis fell on the second day of the retreat — an auspicious sign as Francis was the one whom God told to “come and rebuild” the Church of San Damiano in Assisi, which was “falling down.” The Transitus, a beautiful prayer service read for us by three Franciscan Tertiaries who attended the retreat, depicts the joyful final hours of the saint’s life as he goes to meet “Sister Death.”

After a long and fruitful evening of conversations, we held our Unitas luncheon after Mass on the second day. The luncheon was highlighted by a talk from Dr. Robert Moynihan and testimonies from several of our long-time supporters and collaborators. Following the luncheon, we enjoyed a wine tasting at Rappahannock Cellars, a winery owned and operated by a local Catholic family, whose owner gave us a beautiful glimpse into his personal journey of faith.

The final day began with Mass and then a visit to Christendom College where the president, Dr. Timothy O’Donnell, spoke about the Kingship of Christ as he led a tour of their newly-built Gothic chapel, which is nearing completion. Contemplating this extraordinary monument to faith was the perfect way to wrap up three days of encounters, testimonies, and, above all, unity. In the same spirit, with Francis as our model, we are excited to begin this new journey of Unitas: Come, Rebuild My Church in 2022. We would love for you to join us!l