What is Agape?
Agape defines itself as an ecumenical center and applies the term, “ecumenical,” in a very open sense. The word encompasses the given encounter between believers of different faiths and religious confessions, but also takes on a secular character, meaning that even those without religious confession can feel at home. The word also includes the encounter between atheists, agnostics, and believers, in a dialogue in which everyone is invited to let go of his/her presumptions of knowledge and of possessing the truth.
Agape is located in one of the Waldensian Valleys, the only area in Italy where protestants constitute a significant presence in the population. The center is tied to the Italian Protestant world and organizes and hosts encounters and conferences, both national and international.
Construction of Agape began in 1947 with the initiative of a select group of protestant youth guided by the Waldensian Pastor Tullio Vinay and sustained by the international ecumenical movement. Hundreds of youth came from all over the world to help with the construction of Agape. For a generation newly emerged from war, Agape was a sign of reconciliation, of the collective power of manual labor, and of community life and ecumenical experience.
The name Agape recalls the love of God for humanity, which is then reflected in the life of those who believe, and is affirmed in the words of the Apostle Paul, “Love never ends” (1 Corinth 13).
From volunteer-based beginnings and a never diminished reliance on volunteer labor that lives on to the present day, Agape very quickly found the need for and soon thereafter instated a resident group to oversee the practical daily organization of the center, and to contribute to her cultural development and expression.
The resident group is made up of approximately 12 people, of young women and men who come from different countries and diverse religious positions including atheism/agnosticism. The communal life is a life-enriching experience in which one learns to grow through the difficulties of encounter and of engagement and exchange with one another. It is in knowing the benefits and the struggles of communal life, that the resident group is the first place in which Agape is able to attempt its promise to build a multicultural society.
During times when Agape hosts a significant number of people in her center (during the summer, Christmas vacation, Easter), a group of volunteer workers called ‘campolavoro’ made up of Italians and those from other countries who come to work side-by-side with the resident group. Because volunteering at Agape is less a generic volunteering experience and rather more closely tied to the very project of Agape, those involved expend much energy in building together its sense of community.
