The Shalom Community has prepared a special gift for Pope Francis, which will be delivered on September 26, the day of the private audience with the Pontiff at the Shalom 40 Years Convention. The gift is an image of The Virgin Mary, the All Little one, and was made by the hands of the children assisted at the House Ronaldo Pereira.
“The idea was to make a gift from the poor to the Pope,” explains Guadalupe Monteiro, iconographer of the Community. The project began with a sculpture of Mary, the All Little One, produced by the Liturgical and Sacramental Advisory. From there, it was up to the children of the House to make the mantle of Mary by gluing small stones, beads and other craft materials. The finishing touches were left to Guadalupe, who painted the face of the Virgin Mary.
The children also pasted on the image some stickers that represent their day to day life. According to Guadalupe, around ten children participated in the project, representing the 150 that are assisted by the House. “I found it interesting because it is the All Little One made by the little ones, by the children. I found this very significant, I believe that there is a mystery of the littleness of Our Lady that she herself wants to teach us” says Guadalupe.
Assisted children send letters to the Pope
Besides the image of the All Little One, the Pontiff will receive a box with letters written by the children of the House. According to Guadalupe, there are ten letters handwritten by the little ones. Located in Fortaleza, Brazil, the House Ronaldo Pereira assists 150 children from 5 to 12 years old. In the program, the House receives the children during the school’s second-shift. There, they have catechesis, school tutoring, French and English classes, dance, judo, arts, canvas painting, cooking, and also the great opportunity to learn and put in practice the values of respect, obedience, and forgiveness.
The children have daily breakfast, lunch and dinner there. The House Ronaldo Pereira also develops, in collaboration with the children, a follow-up and evangelization work with the families assisted.
The Pope’s gift:
Service
Shalom Convention 40 years
Date: September 23rd to 28th
Place: Rome
Theme: Shalom: Friends of God, Friends of the Young and Friends of the poor
More information: http://comshalom.org/40anos