Pope Francis received Moyses, the founder of the Shalom Catholic Community
(Vatican City, 15 February 2014) Pope Francis on Friday received in a private audience Moyses de Azevedo Filho, the founder of the Shalom Catholic Community, at Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican. The Pope met the Shalom Community in 2007 during the Conference of Aparecida, Brazil. In the same year, Pope Benedict XVI gave papal recognition to Shalom and in 2012, saw its birth with the approval of the Holy See. Born in 1982 in Brazil in the footsteps of the visit of Blessed John Paul II in the South American country in 1980, today the community is present in 22 countries and has more than 40 thousand members, especially young people. After the audience with Pope Francis, Vatican Radio reached ...

The courage to disappear
I know a woman who voluntarily disappeared. No! It’s not one of those thousands of names on a “missing person” police list. On the contrary! She disappeared so much that wasn’t reported in any list, not even in her own family genealogy. She knew that in order to disappear in such a way that she would never be found she needed help. She couldn’t disappear on her own and continue to live. She asked then for the necessary help and ever since was only seen and heard in really important matters. In some occasions, when her presence was vital, she simply disappeared. Would you have courage enough to disappear like that? To disappear in a way that no one else ...

European Youth Meeting in Avila
Avila, Spain, will be the hosting city of the I European Youth Meeting organized by the Spanish Episcopal Conference and its Youth Department. The event will be held from the 5th to 9th of August, 2015, and has as its theme “In difficult times, strong friends of God” (free translation). As the city celebrates this year the 5th Centenary of St Teresa of Avila, the organizers wanted to offer an event to be a sign of ecclesial communion around the life and spirituality of St Teresa of Avila, doctor of the Church. It will be a great opportunity to gather young people from all Europe to witness their faith in God and love for the Church. A personal encounter with Jesus Christ ...

Pope Francis: Judge not and self-accusation
(2nd March, 2015) It is easy to judge others, but we can only progress on our Christian journey in life if we are capable of judging ourselves first, said Pope Francis at Monday morning Mass in Casa Santa Marta. The readings of the day focused on the subject of mercy. The Pope, recalling that “we are all sinners” – not “in theory” but in reality – said that the ability to judge oneself is “a Christian virtue, indeed more than a virtue”, it is the first step for those who want to be Christian: “We are all masters, professors of self-justification: ‘No it wasn’t me, it’s not my fault, maybe yes, but not so much…that’s not the way it is…’. ...

Message of Pope Francis for World Youth Day 2015
MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS FOR THE THIRTIETH WORLD YOUTH DAY 2015 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God (Mt 5: 8) Dear Young Friends, We continue our spiritual pilgrimage toward Krakow, where in July 2016 the next international World Youth Day will be held. As our guide for the journey we have chosen the Beatitudes. Last year we reflected on the beatitude of the poor in spirit, within the greater context of the Sermon on the Mount. Together we discovered the revolutionary meaning of the Beatitudes and the powerful summons of Jesus to embark courageously upon the exciting quest for happiness. This year we will reflect on the sixth beatitude: “Blessed are the pure ...

Emmir Nogueira of Shalom visits Sophia
Exchange of gifts during the “culture of encounter” “It’s a joy to be at Sophia today and to testify also through this short visit, to the deep unity which links the Shalom Community and the Focolari Movement. Chiara Lubich is a reference point for us.  Hearing about your experiences gives me the impression of seeing here the fruits of that “culture of encounter” society greatly needs today. We must support one another reciprocally so that we can be faithful to our calling and donate abundantly what we have received from God.” These were some of the warm words expressed by the co-founder of Shalom, Maria Emmir Nogueira, when she visited Loppiano on 24 November at the end of the Third World Meeting of Movements ...

More than 50 priests participate of a retreat promoted by Shalom
More than 50 priests participate of the Annual Retreat for Priests, promoted by Catholic Community Shalom at Fortaleza. The 3rd edition of the retreat, that started this Monday (01), has overcome the other years in number of inscriptions, and has participants from many dioceses of Brazil, from Latin America and from the Holy Land. The theme ‘’They were glad when they saw the Lord’’ is going to be preached by the founder and the co-founder of Shalom,  Moysés Azevedo and Emmir Nogueira. The meeting continues until Friday (05). Based on the page of the 20th chapter of the Gospel of John, the proposal of the retreat is the renovation of the sacerdotal ministry by the experience with Resurrected Jesus Christ. ...

Community Shalom at the III Congress of Ecclesial Communities and New Movements
This November 20th, at Rome, began the III Congress of Ecclesial Communities and New Movements, organized by the Pontifical Council for Laity, with the theme ‘’ The Joy of the Gospel:  a missionary joy.’’ Cardinals, bishops, founders and representatives of more than 100 movements and communities, coming from 40 different countries of the 5 continents, get together to deepen many themes of great relevance for life and mission according to Pope Francis’s apostolic exhortation  Evangelii Gaudium. The first edition of the meeting happened at the Pentecost solemnity at 1998, culminating with a beautiful and prophetic encounter between the new movements and communities and Pope John Paul II, at San Pedro Square. At 2006, also near the Pentecost solemnity, took place ...

III Congress of Ecclesial Movements and New Communities
Last week, November 22nd, The III Congress of Ecclesial Movements and New Communities got to its peak after an audience with the participants and the Holy Priest, the Pope, at the Clementina room, Vatican. The Pope encouraged the communities to maintain their fresh charismas, in a constant posture of conversion and mission, always evolving, never staying still. The founder and the Co-founder of community Shalom, Moysés Azevedo and Maria Emmir Nogueira, in the occasion , were able to personally greet the Pope, as well as others founders, presidents and moderators of other ecclesial realities.