On Friday January 20th, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, prefect of the Dicastery for the laity, family and life, visited the Diaconia, seat of the General Government of the Shalom Catholic Community in Aquiraz (CE), and also the Shalom of Peace in Fortaleza (CE), where the community was founded. These activities are part of the prelate’s three-day visit to Shalom.
The Cardinal is responsible for the Vatican sector that shepherds the Community in all its aspects, being a direct representative of Pope Francis, so the visit is of utmost importance for the Church to learn more about the spiritual, apostolic and formational aspects of the Shalom Community.
Visiting the heart of the Shalom Work
Early in the morning, the Pope’s representative visited the missionaries’ homes in Diaconia and was able to touch on the experience of complementarity between men and women; families, celibates and priests. Soon after, upon reaching the building where the government sectors are located, the first place visited was the Chapel of the Eucharistic Spouse, where there is perpetual adoration and which, according to Moysés Azevedo, founder and general moderator, “is where all the strength of evangelization of the Community springs”.
Continuing, Moysés, Emmir Nogueira, co-founder, and those responsible for the government, showed him how the Community is structured, the evangelization actions currently carried out, the expansion of the Charisma in the world, in addition to presenting each sector of government of the Community.
Holy Mass
The morning program ended with Holy Mass presided over by the Cardinal in the Church of the Risen One who passed by the Cross. In his homily he stressed the importance of evangelization, as the fruit of an experience with the Holy Spirit:
“All those who are part of the Shalom Community have always felt a great zeal for evangelization. Well, to evangelize is to announce that the new covenant promised was fulfilled in Christ! What we heard in the first reading was fulfilled in Pentecost and I believe that all of you have experienced this in their personal lives. The Holy Spirit that the risen Jesus gives us comes to dwell in us and “writes” in our hearts a new covenant, the new law of love”.
He concluded by emphasizing the importance of intimacy with God:
“Only those who have learned to ‘be with Jesus’ every day will have the strength to evangelize, because their thoughts, intentions and words will be the expression of a heart transformed by closeness to the Lord”.
“Shalom of Peace” evangelization center welcomes Cardinal Farrell
In the afternoon’s program, Cardinal Farrell visited the Shalom of Peace, the first Community Evangelization Center and Shalom’s mother house. He got to know the first snack bar in the Community and at a time with those responsible for the mission in Fortaleza, the pastoral action of the community in Fortaleza, in addition to hearing testimonies of young people reached by the Charisma in the city.
About Cardinal Farrell
Appointed in 2016 by Pope Francis to the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, which forms part of the Roman Curia, with the mission of advising and helping the Pope in dealing with Church affairs around the world, the Cardinal’s main work is to promote the Christian life of lay people, families, couples and young people, in union with the Church and civil society, so that they may be active witnesses of the Gospel and an expression of God’s goodness in today’s time.
In 2019 he was appointed Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, a function that is exercised only in the event of the death of the Pontiff: “The Camerlengo is the cardinal who presides over the so-called Apostolic Chamber, which carries out the office of safeguarding and administering the goods and temporal rights of the Holy See while it is vacant”.
