The founding of the Shalom mission in Granada, the first mission of the Shalom Community in Spain, took place on January 23, 2013. Five missionaries from the Life Community and the Covenant Community were the first to arrive in Granada, announcing the “Charism of Peace” to the Spanish people on the same streets that St. Cecilius, disciple of St. James the Apostle, Servant of God Isabella the Catholic, and St. John of Avila once walked, and where St. John of the Cross wrote his famous “Living Flame of Love”.
On February 18th, in the heart of Granada, the Shalom Mission celebrated its 10th anniversary since its foundation on Spanish soil. With great joy, the missionaries from the Life Community and Covenant Community, members of the Work, and friends of the Community – the “Shalomite” people – gathered together in the Monastery of the Incarnation, in the center of the city, to celebrate a Eucharist in thanksgiving for the work of God through the Shalom charism during these 10 years of evangelization in Granada.
The Mass was presided by the Vicar General, D. Francisco Javier Espigares, who gave special thanks for “the joy, the closeness and the apostolate” of the Community, and for being an “evangelizing novelty” which is very necessary in today’s world.
The celebrations continued later at the Evangelization Center, which is located very close to the church, where a fraternal agape was held with the presence of diocesan priests, families, youth and children united to the Shalom charism by the bonds of the Spirit and friendship.
During the dinner, messages of congratulations from brothers and sisters from the Community from different missions including Setubal (Portugal), Montevideo (Uruguay), Asuncion (Paraguay) and Rome (Italy) were projected by surprise. The guests were also able to hear the testimonies of two missionaries who have been part of the mission since its foundation: Rafaela Luzia Freitas, a consecrated member of the Life Community, and Rosileno dos Anjos, a consecrated member of the Covenant Community and seminarian in the diocese of Granada. Both wanted to express their gratitude for all that the Lord has done in the mission during these 10 years and for all the experiences that they’ve had there in Spain since the beginning of the mission. For Rosileno, staying in Granada after 3 years as “Covenant Community on Mission” and discovering his call to the priesthood was a sign that God can do anything.
In the case of Rafaela, it is the evangelization of the youth of Granada that has most marked her memory and her missionary heart: “I remember the first times we evangelized in the streets, in places where the youth were partying. Giving my testimony of encounter with Jesus in this “hostile” environment marked me a lot and I discovered that the Spanish youth have a thirst for God, deep down, and that their receptivity towards us is greater than we think.”
“Let Us Exalt with Joy” was the theme of the 10th anniversary of the mission, which inaugurated a year of grace for the Community in Spain, impelled by the Holy Spirit to live as a Community and family even more intensely, with the promise of God to make the people He loves, who were chosen, and in whom He sowed the Shalom charism – a charism of peace, a charism for the whole world – grow.