On the third day of November, the Canção Nova Community completed three years of Pontifical Recognition

The Pontifical Recognition of the Statutes of Canção Nova is a great grace of God, not only for our Community, but for all the large family that today we are, of which you make part. The fact of being recognized as an International Association of Faithful means that the Holy See, through the Pontifical Council for the Laity, testifies that Canção Nova is able and sufficiently prepared for service to the Church, not only in a diocese and nor in a country, in our case, Brazil, but in whatever part of the world.

Today, she is international. She is at the service not only of the local Church, but the Universal Church. The Canonical Recognition of our Community means that the Pontifical Council for Laity attests that our community with the Church that we are realizing our mission in communion with the Holy Father, The Pope, The Successor to Peter, and with the bishops, the successors of the Apostles. It is a great victory: The Holy See recognizes that we are Church and  we are at the service of Her. But at the same time, it is a great responsibility. More than ever, we need to correspond to all that the Church expects of us. She welcomes Canção Nova as a gift of God, a useful charism for the good of the Church and of the world. A charism whose mission is a grace not only for a diocese or for an Episcopal Conference, but for Catholicism, for the Universal Church. A charism that is participating in the Apostolic Ministry of the Holy Father, The Pope.

It is a new time! It is a point of arrival and a point of departing! It is important to stress that with the approval, the Church wants that Canção Nova realizes its mission not only for a time, but that she perpetuates herself in her charism and realizes all of the mission that God confides to her, to the end. This depends alot on us, of our self-giving, of our correspondence and of our fidelity.

I need to say with much clarity that you are a participants of all this. You that love Canção Nova and, therefore, believe in her, that contribute in order that she may realize all her evangelizing mission, especially across the media of communication. You that pray for us, that pardon our failings, because you want to realize with ardor our mission, but we are humans and we error many times. Finally you that are the Canção Nova Family contributed efficaciously for constructing, together, this beautiful history of 30 years of our community. And justly this anniversary is  so significant, receiving the marvelous present of our Pontifical Recognition.

Thank you very much for all! May God reward you!

Upon 30 years, like Jesus, we begin our public life, I count on you to bring us in front of this adventure of faith.

God Bless you and your family.

Monsignor Jonas Abib
Founder of the Canção Nova Community

translated from Portuguese