Continuing his visit to the mother house of the Shalom Community, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, president of the Dicastery for the laity, the family and life, visited the Saint Francis House, where Shalom Friend of the Poor operates in Fortaleza. The prelate had the opportunity to visit the facilities of the house that welcomes homeless people and offers them meals, personal hygiene, medical and social assistance, as well as follow-up for social reintegration.
Cardinal Farrell walked through the premises of Saint Francis House accompanied by Moysés Azevedo, founder of the Shalom Community, as well as other members of the Community and the team that serves in the house. Pope Francis’ representative left his signature on one of the walls of the house that registers the names of volunteers and benefactors. His visit ended at the café at Saint Francis House, a space opened last year, which is open to the public and works with volunteers from the house, as a way of helping those assisted to return to the job market.
After listening to three testimonies from those assisted who are now volunteers, the Cardinal addressed a word to those present. His main message was one of gratitude for the work of the house that helps those present to fight against one of the biggest problems in the world today, which according to the Cardinal, is indifference.
“One of the things that most impresses me about Shalom in all the works I’ve seen these days has been this fight against indifference. This is something that everyone should be concerned about, and I say that everyone who is treated here. I also worked in a center like this one in the past, and I know that you must find a home here, and more than a place where you have social assistance or medical assistance, you must find a family. This is the most important thing that Shalom can give you. The very name ‘shalom’ means peace, and peace only exists when we respect one another,” Cardinal Farrell said.
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Find out about the first day of Cardinal Farrell’s visit to the Heart of Shalom Work