From February 8 to 19, the General Council of the Shalom Community will gather in Fortaleza, Brazil, for a time of prayer and discernment.
Alongside the founder and general moderator of the Shalom Community, Moysés Azevedo, and the co-founder, Emmir Nogueira, the retreat will also include the participation of councilors elected and appointed for the 2024-2029 five-year term during last year’s General Assembly.
Notably, this is the first extended retreat of the newly formed General Council.
To provide more insight into the retreat, our editorial team spoke with Father Saulo Dantas, a priest of the Community of Life and General Assistant to the Council.
Listening retreat
During the first five days of the retreat, the General Council dedicates itself to intense prayer, seeking to listen to God’s plans for the Shalom Community.
According to Fr. Saulo, the Listening Retreat is a time when the entire General Council pauses for five days solely to listen to God. “We do this through adoration, deep prayer, attentive listening to Sacred Scripture, the Magisterium of the Church, and mutual sharing. This sharing allows us to immerse ourselves even more profoundly in the grace that God wants to pour out upon the entire community. And all of this is done with a focus on the mission,” he explains.
Based on this time of prayer and listening, the founder preaches the Listening Overflow Retreat—this year scheduled for June 21 and 22—whose purpose is to guide the community’s life and actions throughout the year.
“From what God speaks to us in this retreat, which we will begin next Saturday, the community has the opportunity to adjust its sails, so to speak, to catch more fully the wind—the breath of the Spirit upon us. This enables us to venture into deeper waters and rescue those whom God has always chosen and redeemed through the shedding of His blood,” says Fr. Saulo.
Following the Listening Retreat, the Council will engage in vocational discernments for members who have requested to make their first or final promises within the charism. It will also work on approving budget plans for the missions and the general governance of the Community.
Additionally, the councilors will review past resolutions of the General Council and discuss key matters related to the life and mission of the Community.
Intercession for the General Council
Until the conclusion of the retreat, the entire Shalom Community throughout the world is encouraged to join the General Council through intercession.
“We want to ask you to collaborate in this divine work, in this work of God’s grace, and to collaborate through intercession. I invite you who love the Shalom Community to bend your knees, pick up your rosary, place yourself before the Blessed Sacrament, put in the intentions of the Holy Mass that you will be attending during this time: the intention of the General Council of the Community, so that our fragility does not prevent the omnipotent action of God’s grace and mercy on behalf of all humanity,” asks Father Saulo Dantas.
What is the General Council?
The General Council of the Community must seek full communion with the General Moderator to ensure a harmonious and fruitful direction for the life and mission of the Community. The latter plays a fundamental role in collaborating with the General Moderator in the ongoing reflection and evaluation of the Community’s journey. This includes analyzing and discerning, always in the light of the charism of the Community and the deliberations issued by the General Assembly, the guidelines that will be implemented to lead the life and mission of the Community.
This process of collaboration and common discernment is essential to ensure that the paths taken are aligned with the community’s identity and mission, promoting its fidelity to God, the Church and the people to whom it has been sent.
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List of the General Council 2024-2029:
Founder and General Moderator: Moysés Louro de Azevedo Filho
Co-founder: Maria Emmir Oquendo Nogueira
Elected members of the Community of Life:
Herico Gabriel Silva Ribeiro
Jeovana Freitas Alves
Fr. Cristiano Pinheiro Campelo Bede
Fr. Vitor Aragão de Carvalho
Elected members of the Covenant Community:
Antônia Dilce Rodrigues Feijão
Daniel Albuquerque
Denise Landim
Hildeberto Barroso Neto
Members elected as geographical representatives:
Africa: Fr. Jean Fernandes Costa
North America: Hilda Yara dos Santos Pires
Hispanic America I: Larissa Recalde Orrego
Hispanic America II: Maíla dos Santos Santana
Asia: Lorena Cavalcante Gadelha de Oliveira
Europe I: Marie France Riche
Europe II: Marco Mencaglia
Appointed members:
General Assistant: Fr. Saulo Maia Dantas
General Treasurer: Fr. Adauto José de Oliveira Júnior
Apostolic Assistant: Paulo Henrique de Albuquerque
Community Assistant: Enne Karol Venancio de Sousa
Missionary Assistant: Kleber Cosme Marinho
General Trainer: Angélica Cunha Teixeira
Priest responsible for Priestly Formation: Fr. João Wilkes Reboucas Chagas Junior
Couple responsible for animating the state of life of marriage in the community: José Felipe Barbosa Júnior and Fabiana Moreira Lima Barbosa
Celibates responsible for animating the state of celibacy in the community: Roneide Monteiro dos Santos and Antônio Leandro Araújo Tavares
