We are rooted in Prayer, service to the Poor and work for Peace The Community of Sant'Egidio began in Rome in 1968 in the period following the Second Vatican Council. Today, it is a movement of lay people and has more than 60,000 members dedicated to prayer and service, in Rome, Italy and in more than 73 countries throughout the world. The Community of Sant'Egidio is a "church public lay associati
on". The different communities, spread throughout the world, share the same spirituality and principles which characterize the way of Sant'Egidio:
Prayer, is an essential part of the life of the community in Rome and communities throughout the world. Prayer is central to the overall direction of community life. Communicating the Gospel, is the heart of the life of the Community. It is offered to all those who seek and ask for a meaning for their lives. Solidarity with the poor is lived as a voluntary and gratuitous service, in the evangelical spirit of a Church that is the "Church for all and particularly the poor" (Pope John XXIII)
Ecumenism is lived as friendship, prayer and an engaged search for unity among Christians the world over. Dialogue, was recommended by Vatican II as a way of peace and co-operation among religions, a way of life, and as a means of resolving conflicts. The Community takes its name from the small church of Sant'Egidio in Rome's Trastevere neighborhood. From its very beginnings, the Community has maintained a continuous presence of prayer and welcome for the poor and for pilgrims in the area of Trastevere and in Rome. The Community of Sant'Egidio began in Rome in 1968, at the initiative of an 18-year old Andrea Riccardi. He gathered a group of high school students, like himself, to listen to the Gospel and to put it into practice. The first Christian communities of the Acts of the Apostles and Francis of Assisi were the first reference points. The small group immediately began going to the outskirts of Rome to the crowded, impoverished slums and there they began an afternoon school. This first school was known as "Scuola Popolare" ("People's School"); nowadays, they are called "Schools of Peace" and are for children. It is now in more than 73 countries on 4 continents. The number of community members is also constantly growing. There are about 60.000 members as well as many more who are permanently co-operating in the service to poor people and in the various activities of Sant'Egidio without being part of the community in a strict sense. There is also a large number of persons reached by the various activities of service that the community performs.
