SVD Province of Spain

Fr. David Antona, SVD

Report 3

I cannot give a detailed report because it is only a short time since I was appointed for this job of JPIC Coordinator of our SVD Province.
We want to create a team of four people, waiting for one more to come from the house of formation. I hope we will be able to work as a team.
This now is in brief what we are doing in the field of JPIC:
A - In Madrid:
- We have a Filipino chaplaincy with a SVD priest from the Philippines.
- We have a Polish chaplaincy with two Polish priests from Poland.
- The community of Madrid supports this one.
B - In other parishes:
We work for justice and peace, taking as a priority the care for migrants and the poor.
C - In the parish of Sevilla, where I am working:
1) Migrants
Seville and the South of Spain as well, is the entrance door for migrants coming from Africa: Morikis, Sub-Saharans, Magrebhins, Nigerians etc. Many of them coming in the "bateras" - small boats - died, drowned in the sea. Others were taken back to their countries.
But we have also migrants from Latin America, from China and Eastern Europe: Romania, Poland and Russia.
We help them when learning the Spanish language and with the work-centres and provide for their legalization. We support them with money for renting a house through the parish Caritas.
They attend our religious celebrations, especially the Eucharist.
On April 26, 2008, we shall celebrate Palm Sunday and Easter with the Orthodox Christians from Romania.
When there is any Muslim migrant attending our Eucharist, we take the first reading from the Koran.
We held to interfaith prayer meetings with Catholics, Orthodox and Muslims.

2) - People, addicted to drugs
We visit them in prison, helping them on the social and psychological level. We pay attention to their families. We go on the streets and to places with young people who do not attend school. We work in colleges in the line of prevention.

D Participation in the issues of JPIC with CONFER - Confederation of religious congregations.
Thanks a lot for your understanding for not speaking English. For me it was like a new Pentecost because "love is the language that all people can understand". Although 1 did not understand so much, I have learned a lot.

David Antona, SVD