COMMUNITY OF LAS REHOYAS (SPAIN)
We, the Claretians of the Las Rehoyas community, are deeply aware of our missionary identity and feel called to proclaim and make the Gospel present in a reality marked by marginalisation and poverty. Our physical location on the peripheries of society is not merely a matter of assignment but a deliberate choice. We are convinced that the ground we tread and the people we engage with shape our very lives.
Our vocation as missionary religious entails the imperative to go forth, to move beyond ourselves. We recognise the need for a triple movement, which we strive to undertake with ever-increasing intensity:
Towards the desert: Solitude, vulnerability, and detachment are conditions that enable us to nourish the contemplative dimension, leading to a dual deepening: into our own being, to immerse ourselves in the Presence in whom we live, move, and have our being; and into reality, to discern the humanising heartbeat of God within it.
Towards the periphery: Although we are already situated there, this movement presents a constant challenge that we must never consider complete. We seek to be existentially present in the periphery to remember Jesus from that vantage point—a memory that is always provocative. In this spirit, we endeavour, albeit with difficulty, to resist the temptation of settling into a comfortable, bourgeois lifestyle.
Towards the frontier: Convinced of God’s presence in all spheres, people, and situations, we strive to approach those who differ in culture, race, ideology, or religion with an attitude of listening, collaboration, and mutual enrichment. We aim to overcome fears, prejudices, and exclusionary or condemnatory stances, fostering hospitality, respect for others and for nature—with its rhythms and needs—and building a society characterised by cordiality, inclusion, and the defence of human rights.
Our community carries out its mission in various areas:
- The three parishes entrusted to the Claretians in the northeastern part of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
- Prison and migration ministry, and the Rehoyando Association.
- Collaboration and work with others aimed at achieving structural changes.
We choose to work in all these areas from a common transversal approach: creating inclusive spaces that serve as signs that another world is possible—signs of the Kingdom’s presence.
To seek is the verb of fidelity, even if it entails the risk of making mistakes. We strive to live our shared life with this key in mind. Therefore, we wholeheartedly embrace the words of Pope Francis:
“I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security.”
(Evangelii Gaudium 49)
CACEM COMMUNITY (PORTUGAL)
4 members:
- Fr. Ângelo Ferreira de Almeida
- Fr. Manuel Silva
- Fr. Domingos Carneiro.
- Fr. Joaquim Maia da Silva
Main activities entrusted to the Community:
- 3 Parishes:
. Agualva – (temporarily under the care of Fr. Abílio Ramos from the University College PIO XII).
. Cacém.
. Mira Sintra. - Claret Pastoral Centre.
- Spiritual assistance to several female religious communities.
- Chaplaincy at the Prison Establishment.
