Silvia Lubich was born in Trent on 22 January 1920. As a Franciscan tertiary in the 1940s, and in honour of Saint Clare of Assisi, she took the name of Chiara (Claire).

She inherited a deep Christian faith from her mother, Luigia, and a strong social awareness from her father, Luigi, who was a socialist and a steadfast anti-fascist.

They had four children: Gino, the first-born, Silvia (Chiara), Carla and Liliana. In an interview, Chiara, recalls the harmony which reigned in her family despite their divergent views: “I had a very normal family. Of course, everyone had their own ideas but there was always great harmony among us. […] My father was a socialist, an idealist like me. He was against fascism, that’s why we were never rich: at first, we were well off, but afterwards things deteriorated. Instead, my mother was a really convinced Christian”.