Within the Shalom Catholic Community, among the brothers called to celibacy, the Lord awakens certain vocations to the priesthood. Through their way of life, these brothers are called to be, within the body of the Community, an image of Jesus Christ, instruments of reconciliation, an example of dedication to the shepherding of souls and a total offering of themselves for the Kingdom of Heaven.
Above all, priests are called to be Shalom. Whether in the Life Community or in the Covenant Community, these intimate friends of Jesus, amid the demands of their ministry, embrace the charism radically, in a deep and intense living out of the threefold pillar of the vocation: Contemplation, Unity and Evangelization.
This week, immersed in the month of vocations, the portal comshalom.org has prepared a list of 5 curiosities about the priesthood in the Shalom Community that you may not yet know.
1 – The Vows
The Shalom Priest, during his entry into the seminary, makes his vows of Celibacy for the Kingdom of Heaven. Before God and the Church, he takes on a radical living out of the Evangelical Counsels of poverty, obedience and chastity according to the Statutes of the Community.
Radically, he embraces Poverty through the total renunciation of the ownership of personal goods and the sober, detached use of community goods. He takes on Obedience as a great gift, through which he conforms his will to the will of the Father, recognizing it, in an attitude of Faith, in the final word of his legitimately constituted authorities. And he lives the vow of Chastity through the total gift of his heart, body and time to Jesus, to the Work and to others.
2 – Two styles of life, one single vocation
In the Shalom vocation, priests may live their ministry both in the Life Community and in the Covenant Community.
Those called to the Life Community are to live in the “Community Houses, fully embracing community life, poverty, obedience, chastity, spirituality, fraternity and the apostolic service of the Community, in communion with the other members and forms of life, according to the present Statute. Let him be dedicated to the charism and mission of the Community and, with it, be available to be sent on mission to any part of the world where the apostolic needs of the Community and the missionary urgencies of the Church require it.” (Shalom Statute, art. 115)
Those called to the Covenant Community, with the bishop’s authorization, are to live the Shalom vocation amid the commitments they have made with the diocese to which they belong. Like the other members of the Community, priests are called to live the charism radically, even amid their daily activities, being salt of the earth and light of the world wherever they go.
3 – “A brother among brothers”
The Shalom priest is called to be a brother among brothers. But what does that actually mean?
As a member of a body, the priest is called to share his own life as a brother, just like all the others: lay people, families, celibates, young people… He does not seek merits or privileges on account of his ministry. Whether in the Community Houses, in the Life Community, or in the Community Cells, in the Covenant Community, the priest becomes one with his brothers.
4 – One mode, one expression, one charism
Within the Church there are many charisms and forms of expression. As Pope Francis reminds us, we are not a circle but a polyhedron, with different faces that reflect beauty and unity.
The Shalom Community, as one of these faces, also expresses in the liturgy the fundamental experience of the charism: the encounter with the Risen One who passed through the Cross. Thus, the Shalom Priest presides over the Eucharist with the Community’s own Spirituality, through songs, prayers and gestures that manifest the charism — always in communion with the liturgy of the Church.
5 – Always ready to set out on mission
The Shalom Priest is, above all, a Missionary. He is called to be a Minister and Disciple of Peace, going out to meet those who do not yet know the love of God. Wherever he is, he is called to be a joyful witness of the Risen One who passed through the Cross. In making his promises in the vocation, he professes his readiness to go on mission wherever the Community and the Church may need him — whether in Brazil or in Mozambique, in Asia or in Europe, in Latin America or in North America.
Read also: Shalom mission priest in Taiwan describes the impacts of Typhoon Danas
Help form new priests!
Did you know that you can help form new priests? Become a benefactor of the seminarians of the Shalom Community. Help us by donating to:
Caixa Econômica:
Branch (Agência): 0578 | Account: 857-3 | Operation: 003
Banco do Brasil:
Branch (Agência): 1369-2 | Account: 7508-6
PIX key (E-mail):
sacerdotes02@comshalom.org
Beneficiary:
Associação Shalom | CNPJ: 07.044.456/0001-00
More information: HERE
