Six residents of the Alliance of Mercy Shelters completed the Monitors Course on September 11th. The course, held over 20 days at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Shelter in Barbacena (MG), prepared the participants to take on a new mission within their own homes, supporting the missionaries and coordinators in monitoring the daily routine of the residents.

Gabriel and Israel, from Casa de Acolhida São José, in São José dos Campos (SP); Bruno and Ricardo, from Casa Sagrado Coração de Jesus, in Barbacena; and Israel and Éder, from Casa Cordeiro Imolado, in Piracicaba (SP) participated in the course.

The training combined theoretical content and practical activities. Topics covered included spirituality, human development, listening, awareness, first aid, work management, and leadership. In practice, participants were guided through everyday household situations, developing skills to delegate tasks, handle conflicts, and find new ways to care for their siblings.

According to Angela of the Eucharistic Heart, a Life Missionary who oversees the work in the shelters, the selection of participants takes into account the path they have already traveled. “The coordinators evaluate the leadership profile, someone who, within the house, is already making choices of integrity, seeking a new life and holiness. Those who are already halfway through the process are also welcomed, because they already have an understanding of how the house works and its rules,”, explains.

The evaluation also considers the interaction with other residents and the ability to exercise leadership that serves their siblings.

From welcome to monitor

For Éder, from Casa Cordeiro Imolado in Piracicaba, the course provided lessons that go beyond his role as a monitor, also impacting his professional, family, and spiritual life. “"It was a course where I learned how to deal with people and my own feelings. I learned how I should really treat people, treat people better than I had been doing. It was a course that greatly affected my spiritual side and brought me much closer to God.", witness.

Israel Messias, also from Casa Cordeiro Imolado, highlights the human growth experienced during the training, especially through the practice of listening and openness to fraternal correction. “God has tremendously changed my life. He made me a new man, he made me work on my listening skills and learn that I must be humble in accepting corrections. The person who truly loves you corrects you, a correction with love, a correction that will lead you to the light.”, he says.

The training was conducted by missionaries working in the Shelters, including Leonardo, coordinator of the Barbacena Shelter; Vanessa da Cruz, missionary and also coordinator of the shelter; as well as missionaries Luana, Ângela, and Marcos. Invited professionals also participated in specific sessions requiring technical knowledge.

After completing the course, the six new monitors return to their respective Shelters. Their mission will be to support the missionaries and coordinators in organizing their routines, helping them to keep to schedules, commitments, tasks, and prayer times.

In situations that require specific intervention, especially relationship conflicts or other issues beyond their scope of practice, the monitors turn to the responsible missionaries.

+ Alliance of Mercy and the welcoming spirit that generates new beginnings – Alliance of Mercy

Shelters: a path to restoration and new beginnings

Working with adults experiencing homelessness, abandonment, and social vulnerability has been part of the Alliance of Mercy's mission for over two decades. The Shelters are part of a process that begins in the Screening Centers and aims to provide conditions for rebuilding self-esteem, personal values, and social bonds, as well as physical, psychological, and spiritual recovery.

In the Shelters, those being sheltered follow a path of at least one year, marked by occupational therapy activities, community actions, physical activities, and training. The goal is to facilitate their separation from situations and habits related to life on the streets and contribute to their readaptation to the norms of coexistence and mutual respect.

Currently, the Alliance of Mercy maintains shelters for adults, distributed throughout the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Ceará. Among them are the Sacred Heart of Jesus House in Barbacena (MG), the Saint Joseph House in São José dos Campos (SP), the Lamb of God House in Piracicaba (SP), and the Saint John the Baptist House in Barbalha (CE). The work also includes a women's shelter, the Mother of Tenderness, in Tremembé (SP).

The welcoming process is followed by a reintegration phase, in which those being welcomed receive support to start a professional activity, provide for their own livelihood and, when possible, resume living with their family. The goal is to accompany them until they can achieve greater autonomy and return to life in society.

You too can be part of this mission. 

Maintaining a shelter means offering more than just a place to live. It means guaranteeing presence, care, food, support, and opportunities so that each person can rebuild their life and regain their dignity.

This work is only possible with the participation of many people. If you wish to contribute to the Alliance of Mercy continuing to welcome and support brothers and sisters in vulnerable situations, please collaborate with the mission through [link/method]. PIX: doe@misericordia.com.br.

To learn about other ways to support our projects — such as donations via Nota Fiscal Paulista (a Brazilian tax incentive program), income tax deductions, and institutional partnerships — visit our social media page. Covenant of Mercy and find out how to contribute.