In the most Catholic country of Europe, missionaries speak of the importance of cultivating ties in the midst of the Quarantine and fill the world with hope through the intercession marked by devotion to Divine Mercy.
Just like the Shalom prayer groups, missionaries in Krakow gradually touch the heart of the Polish people.
My name is Bogumiła and I am from Poland. I’ve known the Shalom Community for almost two years, attending the prayer group in Kraków. I went to the Acamps Summer Festival last year in August. It was truly a wonderful time of joy, praise and worship. It was a time of encounters – a diversity of cultures- with people, with God alive. Held at Balaton lake in Révfülöp, Hungary, the event was filled with enjoyable summer activities, such as various sport events, swimming, concerts, talent shows and dance parties. The Acamps Summer Festival was my first opportunity to ‘touch’ the essence of the Shalom Community: to learn about the charism of this movement, to see the beginnings of all of this in the persons of Moysés and Emmir. For me, the most significant experience was the sense of belonging, feeling and being a part of something greater, stronger and Godly. This reassurance of not being alone and on my own was special for me. As a member of the volunteer group of translators during the festival, I was amazed at how similar we all are, regardless of the language we speak, what we typically eat or the colour of our skin. We share the same desires, the same concerns, experience the same feelings. I could see how God finds ways to reach His children, despite the linguistic obstacles. He may be heard in a variety of languages, but His Word is firm and consistent. His love is universal and boundless. Bogumiła Skrzeszewska – Poland Translation: Jhoanna Climacosa Information: 2019 International Acamps From 7th to 11th August Place: Lake Balaton – Hungary Registration: From 15/04 to 09/06: € 180 From 10/06 to 06/08: € 200 Inscriptions: bit.ly/2UE7lG5 Website: www.acampsfestival.org Instagram: instagram.com/acamps.summer.festival Facebook: facebook.com/ShalomSummerFestival
The Shalom catholic missionaries from Brazil first arrived in the capital of Poland in 2015, just three years later the community has welcomed the first local vocation, Agnieszka Kluz the first Polish postulant of Shalom Life community in the land of Saint John Paul II. The foundation started with three missionaries of Shalom Life community and one of covenant Community. During the first year they worked as volunteers in the registration committee for the World Youth Day (WYD) 2016 with the French, Italian and Spanish pilgrims. “We can say that the house of the community was officially inaugurated in December 2016, after the WYD celebrations when we finally managed to live in a community house because before were living in the house of volunteers. During this time another missionary arrived and we began our initiatives of evangelization“, said Ada Nunes, missionary of Shalom Covenant Community. According to Ada, beyond the strength of the charism, the witness of the Brazilian missionaries in living joyfully the radicality of the Gospel, has attracted the young Agnieszka Kluz to Shalom. The new Polish postulant is going to Brazil in July to continue her vocational path there. With the entry of Agnieszka into the life of the community, the mission of Krakow Shalom Community currently has four missionaries of the life community and two of the covenant. Revision: Gabriela Gois
Shalom Catholic Community is also present in Krakow. Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz invited the Community to begin its work of evangelization in Poland after World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2013. Now we are here in Krakow, five Brazilian missionaries, the mission of the foundation on 16 May 2015 year. Our desire is to spread the spirituality of the Community by the prayer groups, Eucharistic celebrations, spiritual formation, science, retreats, social gatherings and evangelization. Please contact us and meet us to know more: krakow@comshalom.org
On Friday, 22, young people from Shalom Community gathered at Szczęśliwicki park in the heart of Warsaw. This modern and pleasant park was built upon the rubble that the Second World War left after destroying 75% of the city. Warsaw was rebuilt and the young people were able to celebrate the peace in this place. Young from German, Tunisia, France, Brazil, Italy, Israel, Hungary, Paraguay, Bolivia, Uruguay, Ecuador and China, which are part of Shalom Community, were gathered once again for the Holy Mass, the Chaplet of Mercy and the show with Shalom Community members. People who were there had been delighted by the joy that comes from God written in Shalom Community young faces. Dances, songs, smiles and hugs. Again, the dance of friendship joined the people. Polish local people also appeared. Families with children, the elderly, people of all ages were attracted by the party of peace. At the sound of ‘Everything in my life changed when I met you. You are, Jesus, the treasure that I always sought ‘ sung in Portuguese and other languages, including Hungarian, everyone were involved by the joy. Hungarian young people showed and proved that animation is in the heart of those who were filled by God’s love. The park overflowed with joy and mercy. No one was excluded, no one left the park without experiencing the Shalom of God.
It was nine o’clock in the morning in Warsaw when the group of young people from Israel coming with Shalom Community met a beautiful park with fountains of waters. The scenery inspired a song of praise to God and the joy involved them until one start to dance. Another group nearby saw them and left captivated by the music, then one of the young people from Shalom Community called your entire group to meet the other young group as they came to the week of missions before WYD. The israeli young group of Shalom Community sang and the other group answered also singing, but in Ukrainian. Until they approached each other and started dancing together in pairs, one Arab and one Ukrainian. What was the dance? The dance of friendship. In a sunny morning of Warsaw summer young people from countries that facing long conflicts of race, were engaged by the joy of being brothers. After the dance, they shared their experiences and took pictures. Then each group went on their way to the parishes and the activities of the week of missions. The polish people who witnessed the meeting were moved and the seed of peace was launched in that park. The place of this meeting was the Fontann Park. It’s a famous park where there is night presentations of water dancing in sync with lights and sound. But this morning who performed and danced was the friendship. What a joy to live with God! What a joy to see the love win in the lives of those who could have many reasons to not rejoice, but when the source of joy is God, nothing can steal our joy. Warsaw became the capital of friendship and hope.
The Week of missions up to one week before WYD is known also as “Days in the diocese”. It is catechetical sessions held in the host and in nearby dioceses. It began in the edition of Paris in 1997 as a proposal to involve all french people in World Youth Day. In the opportunity the Church of France promoted several meetings in order to find the best way to evangelize the youth of French with the young people who came from all over the world for Youth Day. The idea proved to be an inspiration of God and continues today as part of programming that precedes WYD in Krakow, Poland, in 2016. During the days of the Week of missions, the churches provide a great opportunity for the young pilgrims to know the parishes, the people and the culture of the country. Through moments of prayer and volunteer work with the people of the parishes, the young people will naturally sharing and strengthening their faith, also they live the uplifting experience of the cultural and spiritual exchange. Shalom Community groups live these days scattered in five parishes in Warsaw. The parishes are St. Jacob the Apostle, St. Mary Queen of the World, Divine Providence, The Annunciation of the Lord and St. Gregory the Great. The parishioners welcomed the young pilgrims in their homes by providing the lodging and meals. Each parish will have its own schedule with different activities but following common themes as the works of mercy proposed by the Holy Father for this Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy year, and cultural tours, lectures, concerts and everything else that only Poland can offer. An unforgettable experience in the land of mercy apostles: saint Faustina and st John Paul II
“There is an inner life inside each man no matter how much we alienate ourselves of it, it continues there, inside us, alive. As much as we want to destroy it, we can not. It is bigger and more real than everything we see. It always yell what is real inside of us, whether we want or not to know.(Excerpt from “The Song of Irias” musical) The “Song of Irias” musical ‘is not only a show recognized by critics and the public, goes beyond providing a great show with theater, dance and music. It is a new vision about the history of human being and His creator without prejudices. The show ‘The Song of Irias is a musical that has been presented by Shalom Catholic Community, in more than 20 countries. On July 27, “The song of Irias” opens the Halleluya Festival, part of the atracctions of WYD, and also organized by Shalom Catholic Community. The plot was born from the testimony of a man who makes the experience of choosing to distance himself from God, seduced by the claim to a ‘freedom’ that creates his own truth. It is a very current proposal because the modern man involved by the relativism has made the same experience of turning away from God to become the center of all decisions. God still loves and respects the human decisions despite suffering with the rejection of his own creature. In the story told in ‘The song of Irias,’ the man in the way far from God, along the way, knows the ‘Irias’ , enigmatic creatures who live in the darkness. It attracts him with its singing, involves him with pleasurable sensations, but at the end it steals his heart and his freedom. The man then lives the prison of the sensations and sin, and loss himself. He is disfigured. However God, in his infinite Mercy goes and meets the man going down to the human depths. He does not go meet the man to judge him, to condemn him or humiliate him. God goes to the man to show his love by proposing a path of maturity and responsibility before the choices of life.The subject is complicated, but the best of this presentation is the beauty and creativity when speaks of man’s sin and God’s mercy. It is not a moral approach with judge and blame. It is a story where human frailty meets God’s love that is able to restore man in any situation and give him a happy and full life. The Song of ‘Irias” provokes the attention of the viewer for the inner life that is real inside all of us. We cannot escape from what is in our depths, our sins, but also God’s presence. God may change everything and make us new. Check out the musical program of the event, day by day: www.halleluyakrakow.com July 27th (2pm- 11pm) Live theatre: “The Song of the Irias” (EN) RexBand Davidson Silva Hopen Missionarios Shalom July 28th (2pm – 4pm; 8pm- 11pm) Cardiac Move Masterplan and Acts of the Apostles Glorious Alto Louvor July 29th (2pm – 4pm; 9pm – 11pm) P.U.S.H. PJ Anderson The Sun Missionario Shalom e Davidson Silva
This is the first time a missionary of Shalom Community makes Definitive Promises in Poland, the country of St John Paul II whose blessing played a fundamental role in the establishment of the Community in 1980. Jose Carlos Pasternak, missionary of Shalom Catholic Community and a WYD 2016’ volunteer, has made his Definitive Promises in the Shalom Charisma as a Life Community member on Sunday 10th of January, the Solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord. The Eucharistic Celebration was celebrated at the Resurrectionist Congregation priest’s house, where many volunteers coming from different parts of the world are lodged. In the homily, Fr Grzegorz Suchodolski, General Secretary of WYD 2016’ Committee, mentioned, in a brotherly and encouraging way, the historical moment that Shalom lives, as the first member of the Community makes his definitive promises in Polish soil. The celebration was presided by Fr. Cristiano Pinheiro, Shalom’s International Assistant, who spoke about the importance of the Definitive Promises. According to Fr. Cristiano, the promises made produces a new and fruitful spirituality and apostolic work. It is when our lives become a tree rooted in Heaven, which will produce many fruits of eternity to feed many men and women, exhaling its perfume here on earth. The Gospel of the day, which described the Baptism of the Lord, says that “heaven opened itself”. The Eternity of God, once opened to the earth, receives the definitive “yes” of this missionary, before the Community and before the Church. The offering of a young man’s life to the youth of the whole world was the main theme of the celebration. “Our Charisma was born out of the offering of a young man at the feet of a Polish pope. Now, a young man, fruit of that first offering, makes the same thing at the homeland of St John Paul II, for the youth of the whole world”, said Fr Cristiano, who was there also representing the Community’s General Moderator, Moyses Azevedo, according to the Rite of Definitive Promises in the Community. “It was very meaningful to celebrate this moment in our first year of establishing the Community here in Poland”, said Michele Jordan, head of Shalom Mission in Krakow. “Great is the joy of a definitive ‘yes’ in our first year of foundation. We celebrate Jose’s definitive promises, not only in Polish lands but with the Polish people and to all of those to whom this has become a witness of joy, of a ‘yes’ totally given to God”, said Michele. Missionary Jose Carlos was raised in the city of Piraju, countryside of Sao Paulo (Brazil), and has become member of Shalom Community in 2001. He has lived as a missionary in Fortaleza (Brazil) for a few years and later was sent to Italy, where he lived for seven years. There, he served several Dioceses throughout the country. After living in Rome where the Community has another mission house, he was then sent to Poland, as part of the first missionary group to establish the Shalom Charisma there. He is also part of the Local Committee for WYD 2016. Today, Jose works in the subscriptions’ sector, attending especially the Italian speaker’s pilgrims. Alongside with him, three other Shalom missionaries also work in the sector: Michele Magalhães, Ada Nunes and Thamyres Gonçalves, who works with pilgrims of the English, French and Spanish languages, respectively. Click HERE to see more pictures.
