The Shalom Community is rejoicing because, on this Tuesday, August 20th, we celebrate the birthday of our co-founder and spiritual mother, Maria Emmir Oquendo Nogueira.
Famous for her kerygmatic preaching and for her books that promote a personal encounter with Jesus Christ, Emmir is more than just a great Catholic author and preacher; she is, above all, a woman of deep intimacy with God.
Moreover, she is passionately devoted to God’s will and the call He made to her: Daughter of God, Shalom, Community of Life, wife— and within her state of life, she also fulfills the role of mother and grandmother.
To discuss the many facets of her identity, comshalom.org spoke with people who live closely with Emmir and whose lives have been touched by her daily offerings.
Through the Eyes of Her Husband
The first person is her husband, Sérgio Nogueira. Before embracing the call to consecrated life in 1986, Emmir took on the mission of marriage, marrying Sérgio Nogueira in 1973. The couple has been married for over fifty years and remains steadfast in their witness of self-giving love.
In an exclusive interview with comshalom.org, Sérgio spoke about the virtues he witnesses daily in his wife’s life. Here’s what he had to say:
“Today, with great joy and enthusiasm, we celebrate the birthday of my wife, Emmir Nogueira. A wife, mother, grandmother, God-fearing, and consecrated in the Shalom Community of Life. She is an exemplary wife—loving, understanding, and caring in every situation, forgiving and asking for forgiveness when necessary for a harmonious life together. In everything Emmir does, she does it with great intensity, giving her all, even to the last consequence.
As a mother, she is constantly present in the lives of our children, worrying when they travel, for instance, and taking pride in every victory they achieve.
As a grandmother, she’s in a league of her own. According to our grandchildren, she’s the best grandmother in the world and plays with them as if she were their age.
As a consecrated member, she is dedicated to evangelization and the formation of the Shalom Community—something you might know even better than I do. She is tireless, and her intensity is such that it often makes her ill.
Surely, the mission God entrusted to her is far from over, and I take this opportunity to ask for everyone’s prayers for her recovery from this illness, which makes her very tired with any extra effort.
Emmir, I love you!” declares Sérgio Nogueira.
A Mother Who Gives Herself to Love
Sérgio and Emmir are the parents of four children: Felipe, Sérgio Filho, Regis, and Lia. They testify to how Emmir exercises her motherhood in light of her personal experience with God.
“Mom has the filter of love in her eyes. Her essence is charity, and as a result, she is all about self-giving. I grew up witnessing her example of fidelity to God and her commitment to following His path. My siblings and I are the fruits of God’s love that passed through our mother’s heart and actions. And now, our children experience that same joyful love from a grandmother who gives herself completely.
Her maternal nature is the same one she extends to the world: one of self-giving. She has this innate ability to go beyond herself—it’s her essence. I think she finds God in others, in us.
There’s no way not to feel gratitude for the good her life has done in mine. I love you, Mom, on this special day and every other day,” shares Lia Oquendo.
Little David, one of her seven grandchildren, insists that his grandmother is the best!
“My grandma is fun, playful, and kind. She prays so well on good days and has lots of grandkids too. I love playing games and swimming with her. And when I go to her house, she always has different fun activities. I love my grandma, Emmir!”
A Mother Attentive to All Her Children
Beyond her offering to her biological family, Emmir finds fulfillment in her spiritual motherhood, where, alongside Moysés Azevedo, founder of CCSh, she embraced the mission to shepherd and form witnesses of the Risen Christ who passed through the Cross.
Just like the other brothers and sisters serving in the General Government of the Community, Emmir lives with her husband in a Diaconia residence. Her community formator, Dora Lima, testifies that Emmir’s presence in the daily life of the community is a great grace. “We feel that her prayers and her maternal gaze accompany us with great affection. Emmir educates and forms us in the charism. Moreover, we are happy to be able to care for her a little bit on behalf of all the children of the Community,” she says.
A Mother to Many
Emmir’s maternal gaze is recognized not only by those who live with her daily but also by other members of the vocation.
This is the case with Paola Gadelha from the Fortaleza-CE mission. Since she joined the Community in 2013, she has felt treated as a daughter by Emmir. Now a member of the Covenant Community with definitive promises, she shares an experience that deepened her understanding of Emmir’s spiritual motherhood:
“Her attentive gaze, her tight hugs, and her questions about how I’m doing, if everything is okay, always made me feel like I had a mother watching over me. But I experienced something that made me feel that motherly care even more. Last year, I went through a miscarriage, discovered a problem that might prevent me from having more children, and even risked losing my uterus.
One night, in the middle of Halleluya 2023, my husband, Rafael Morel, and I asked for her intercession in this matter, so that she would include us in her prayers. Immediately, she stopped where she was, despite not feeling well that day. She didn’t just want to take the intention home but asked about the situation, empathized with our pain, and said she would pray for me right there at Halleluya. We set a time for the next day, and I had one of the strongest experiences of my consecrated life. Receiving prayer from the co-founder, who didn’t just pray for me but leaned in so that Jesus could speak and work a miracle. She literally offered herself up for us there so that God could work a healing in our lives through her! It was a powerful experience with God’s action and with Emmir’s motherhood, who gave herself completely for us!”
Thus, whether in family life or in the Shalom charism, Emmir gives herself entirely to what the Lord entrusts to her. We can attest that in her life, what she once said in a sermon comes to life:
“Love doesn’t divide; it overflows.”
A Rose for Emmir!
In gratitude for Emmir’s fruitful offering in our lives, comshalom.org invites you to give her a bouquet of flowers: by praying at least one Hail Mary with her in mind.
And don’t forget to leave your message for Emmir in the comments of this post.
