13th December 2019. The inauguration of SH82 began with the celebration of Mass, presided by Bishop Paolo Ricciardi, Auxiliary Bishop – Delegate for Health Pastoral Care, who invited those present to make a gift to Pope Francis in his 5oth year of priesthood:
“the growing commitment to immersion in this humanity. You come from so many places and you are here, in this centre of Rome, in this somewhat special neighbourhood of our city, where today you are invited as a Community to be a sign through the meeting, through a dinner, a pizza, to welcome young people and to announce to them the joyful presence of the Lord”.
As Moysés, founder of the Shalom Catholic Community, had done in 1980 bringing a gift to Pope John Paul II by offering his youth and his life for the evangelization of young people, the Community of missionaries and young people of the Work present in Rome have also donated and renewed their offer of life.
“Let us renew our offer of life to God, to the Church and the concrete sign of this total gift and of this spousal love is the Center of Evangelization: a visible place where we offer ourselves, all our life in view of so many young people who do not know God and the Church, as we know and experience Him every day” – Father Edie, local responsible of the Community in Rome.
Again Mons. Paolo Ricciardi: “And Jesus, of whom it was said: ‘Behold a man, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and of sinners’, here I hope that it can be like that also for you, to be able to eat together with those who are considered excluded from the community, from society, perhaps even from the Church, which has some fear of approaching the youth of today. May you be companions of these young people who perhaps for various reasons have no longer had anyone who spoke to them about Christ, who spoke to them about the Gospel, who bore witness to the Gospel and Joy.”
“A history of conflicts and victories, anxiety and mystery. The impression is that of an ancient and teeming landscape”: this is how Lorenzo, a young student of La Sapienza, describes it; a young man who wishes all those who will pass through the San Lorenzo district, especially the young university students, to be able “to meet a place that is born with the promise of welcoming and surprising them”.
Johanna Climacosa
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SH82
Via degli Equi, 10 – 00185 – Quartiere San Lorenzo – ROMA
tel. +39 347 314 1746
e-mail: roma@comshalom.org