WINDRIDER FORUM PARTNERS

FOCOLARE & MARY CASS

Mary V. Cass is co-director of the Section of Cinema/TV for NetOne, the International Communications Center of the Focolare Movement, whose headquarters is in Rome, Italy (www.focolare.org).

Ms. Cass is a graduate of Simmons College, Boston, Ma. in Social Sciences, with graduate studies accomplished in Florence, Italy. She has held numerable positions of responsibility in the field of Social Services, among which working with abused and neglected children for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, involving developing resources and training programs for caretakers, social workers, and professionals. She was also Director of Social Services for St. John of God Residential Center, Los Angeles, Ca.

She has held various positions of responsibility for the worldwide Focolare Movement in the United States from 1980 – 2001.

While co-director for the Movement on the West Coast, she collaborated on a project within the creative film community of Hollywood – organizing dialogue events between directors, screenwriters, producers and the young, student community of filmmakers.

The project created open forums (ecumenical and interreligious) on values in the Entertainment Industry; a number of these events have been held at the Directors Guild of America in Hollywood, California.

She was active in helping to organize the City of the Angels Film Festival, held annually, also at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles.

With NetOne, Ms Cass, among other activities, organizes encounters for the film community of Rome – evenings of dialogue with well known directors, screenwriters, or producers in the field with European filmmakers. With the team of NetOne, professionals in the various fields of communications, Ms. Cass has helped to organize international conventions in Rome, Italy, for media professionals from all over the world. Recently NetOne has been engaged in organizing week-long international seminars for young media professionals and students in the fields of computer sciences, cinema/tv, and journalism.

NetOne

“…At a time when the world is yearning for unity, for universal brotherhood, powerful means of communication have been made available to humanity.” - Chiara Lubich

NetOne (www.net-one.org) – Media and a United World: is a worldwide resource network bringing together ideas, projects, academic studies and experiences of thousands of media professionals and students - all of whom share the perspective of a united world. It aims to promote media that fosters universal brotherhood, creating a positive exchange among cultures that is mutually enriching, stimulating, and innovative.

It came to life in 2000 following an international congress held in Rome, of the international New Humanity Movement based on the theme “Communications and Unity – the media in the context of a united world.” (New Humanity is an NGO of the Focolare Movement (www. focolare.org) with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC, with general consultative statis.)

Today NetOne provides a forum for the exchange of professional experiences, insights, projects and proposals for the development of media and ITC operators, and organizes international courses and conventions.