With joy and gratitude, the Focolare Movement welcomes the news of Pope Leo XIV's recognition of the heroic virtues of Margaret Bavosi, known as Luminosa. With the promulgation of the Decree by the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, announced on October 24, she receives the title of Venerable and her cause for beatification advances.
Born in Buenos Aires on September 19, 1941, Margarita Bavosi graduated in History and, upon learning about the charism of unity of Chiara Lubich, through the then small community of the Focolare Movement in Buenos Aires, she discovered a way of living the Gospel that transformed her life and gradually matured in her the call to give herself entirely to God as a member of the Focolare Movement.
After his time in Spain, where he stayed for 14 years, leaving a deep mark on many people, his memory remains alive, especially in the Mariapolis "Luminosa" Center, near Madrid, which bears his name.
On the occasion of the inauguration of the Center in 2002, Chiara Lubich, Founder of the Focolare Movement, remembered her in this way:
«"She was no ordinary Focolare member; she possessed special qualities and virtues that have left a trail of light in the world, where many still follow her example. Her life, imbued with evangelical love lived in the present moment, was a swift race towards God. Her passing to the next life, on March 7, 1985, speaks of holiness, which we hope to see confirmed by the Church.".
Luminosa's life reminds us that holiness is not exclusively an individual goal reserved for extraordinary people, but is also built in everyday life, infusing relationships, actions, and shared commitment to unity with concrete love.
Her testimony continues to invite us to live the Gospel with radicalism and simplicity, making our own that desire of Chiara Lubich to "become saints together".
