The list of new postulants of the Catholic Community Shalom was released this month. The number exceeds one thousand.
In the Covenant Community alone there were 955 people who spent, at least, one year deepening the call to participate in groups of the Community. 120 people entered the community of life. 40 people entered for the “young mission” experience. In addition to Brazil, postulants from Paraguay, Peru, Argentina, Chile, Portugal, the United States, Italy, Poland and Africa have entered.
The Shalom community counts, in its evangelizing action at the service of the church and of humanity, 1199 missionaries of the Community of Life (between consecrated persons and disciples, without considering the postulants), 6374 members of the Covenant Community, of which, 2613 members of the Covenant Community reside in Fortaleza. In the diocese of Fortaleza alone there are 29 centers of evangelization, of which the oldest is the Shalom of Peace, where it all began. There are 70 seminarians among those who are studying and those who are doing pastoral internships. There are 58 priests.
The Postulancy is the first phase of a process where formation is permanent and culminates in the perpetual vows of a path of consecration. The new postulants will be placed in the community cells where there will be 2 weekly meetings. Each person will be accompanied by a Personal Formator, a person with more experience of the vocational experience, and will begin to live in accordance with the Statutes of the Community.
The phase prior to the Postulancy is the vocation, an in-depth experience to discern the will of God and the personal calling. In this period, those discerning their vocation deepen their knowledge of the Church, the ecclesial expressions throughout history and the way of life of the Shalom Vocation. With criteria that takes into consideration growth in human, emotional, spiritual and missionary maturity; the vocational nuclei, in unity with the competent authorities, discerns the call for the next phase of this journey.
Translation: Veronica Volzone