“The Holy Spirit came upon us and they began to prophesy”
“The Holy Spirit came upon us and they began to prophesy”, was the theme of the Priests of Shalom Covenant Community, which took place between in the Centre of Spirituality Saint Teresa of Avila, in Fortaleza, Brazil. Ten priests and a permanent deacon were reunited in this retreat, coming from missions of Rio de Janeiro, João Pessoa, Salvador, and São Paulo amongst other missions. The Shalom priest carries in himself the grace of Shalom charisma, and always has to carry with him a great ardor, a great compassion for those who are far from God and from the Church. As a priest, he has a special grace, to be an instrument of reconciliation of the mankind with God. His missionary ...

Cardinal Rylko, president emeritus of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, is the new archpriest of the basilica of saint Mary Major
Cardinal Rylko had led the Pontifical Council for the Laity from 2003 until it ceased to exist on September 2016. Pope Francis named the Polish Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko  to the post of archpriest of the basilica of saint Mary Major on last December. Shalom Community missionaries from the missions of Rome and Civita Castellana and many members of New Communities were in the Basilica in Rome for the Celebration of the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, the feast of Christ “light of the people” which is also known as Candlemas day, as a blessing and a procession of candles is included in the liturgy.  . Cardinal Rylko in his homily spoke about the importance to leave the light of Jesus enlight our heart and ...

Swiss Bishop offers 9 marriage sanctity rules based on Pope’s Amoris Laetitia
The Holiness of the Marriage Bond – A word on the post-synodal apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia (Chur, Switzerland) Dear brothers in the priestly ministry, In the discussion around the post-synodal apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia, the eighth chapter centers on the question of divorced-and-civilly-remarried persons. For this reason I give, in my responsibility as bishop, some advice on this to pastors (confessors). I would like to express the following: The Holy Father says in the introduction to Amoris Laetitia “that not all discussions of doctrinal, moral or pastoral issues need to be settled by interventions of the magisterium” (AL 3). This statement helps us recognize the level of authority of post-synodal apostolic exhortations. “If we consider the immense variety of concrete ...

Through Christ, God was reconciling the world
Every year Graymoor Ecumenical & Interreligious Institute (GEII) promotes Christian Unity by gathering Christians from many groups that are willing to engage in an interreligious dialogue. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in 2017 took place from January 18th to the 25th, and the theme was “Reconciliation – The Love of Christ Compels Us” (2 Corinthians 5:14-20). The theme was intended to reflect on the main concern of the churches marked by Martin Luther’s Reformation and to recognize the pain of subsequent deep divisions which afflicted the Church. The meeting, therefore, was an opportunity to take steps towards reconciliation, which is a gift from God given for all of  creation. The Shalom Catholic Community was invited by Natalia Pelicano ...

Pope Francis to the laity: go out and evangelize, or buy mothballs
When asked in a new interview what specific mission he has for the laity, Pope Francis responded with a frequent appeal: to go outside of oneself and take risks in evangelizing, rather than staying stuffed up at home while the moths move in. “Sometimes I think the best business we can do with many Christians, is to sell them mothballs so that they put them in their clothes and in their lives and aren’t eaten by moths,” the Pope said in the interview, published Sunday. The interviewer, journalist Noel Díaz, had questioned the Pope about a comment he had made to him on a previous occasion to “tell the laity to come out of the caves.” When asked about the ...

My missionary Life in Cape Verde
It was the 8 th October 2008, the first time I heard His Voice calling me : only after much fighting, resisting, and trying to run away, I surrendered and heeded His call. I started a great adventure to follow Christ wherever He would go, with courage, renunciation, and disposition, to announce Him to the world by my life. And today I am today in Africa, in this way of joy and of exigencies which is missionary life. With four other missionaries, we live in Cape Verde, in the city of Praia, on the island of Santiago, where everyday I get to know and love more the people, the culture and the cape verdean language. Women are strong and carry ...

Pope Francis: ‘never lose faith in God’s providential care’
Resuming his ongoing catechesis on Christian hope Pope Francis recalled the courageous figure of Judith, and of how, during the siege of the city of Bethulia by the Assyrian general Holofernes, she urged the despairing population to reinforce its wavering hope in the Lord and ended up proposing a plan that led to victory over the enemy. The example of this woman of great wisdom and courage, the Pope said, teaches us to trust in the Lord’s providential care, but also, in prayer and obedience, to discern his will and to do everything in our power to respond to the challenges that come our way. “How often have we felt our trust in God waver? How many times has each ...