2019 – Panama
Laudato Si’ Concert at WYD 2019

Wednesday, January 23 at 7:00 PM
19:00 h
International School of Mary Immaculate

II Edition

The second edition of the Serata Laudato Si’ took place during World Youth Day 2019 in Panama. Together with the Global Catholic Climate Movement, we organized a concert featuring the group Alfareros, winners of the 2018 Latin Grammy for Best Christian Album in Spanish with their album “Seventy Times Seven.”

The Organizers

The Laudato Si’ concert at World Youth Day was organized by the Global Catholic Climate Movement (GCCM) and the Office for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) of the Franciscan Friars. The promotion and lived experience of the values of the encyclical Laudato Si’ brought these two organizations together, in collaboration with the Franciscan Family present at WYD 2019.

The Global Catholic Climate Movement (GCCM) is a worldwide network with nearly 700 member organizations and thousands of supporters. We share the Church’s Social Teaching on ecology and encourage individuals and institutions to put it into practice. Laudato Si’ is the foundation of our work. Climate change threatens life, and its impacts are already being felt. If we work together without delay, we can achieve the necessary solutions and respond to the Church’s call to live out our faith and address the crisis we face.

The JPIC Office is a branch of the Franciscan Order committed to ensuring that these values are part of the life and mission of Franciscans. In our commitment to caring for creation, we promote various initiatives and provide educational resources for the Franciscan Family, the Church, and civil society. Today, for the first time, we are present at WYD together with our friends from GCCM. We unite under the teachings and challenges of the encyclical Laudato Si’, which serves as a synthesis of the values we promote—not only in ecology, but also in climate justice and peace, as foundations for a more fraternal world and care for our common home.

The Artists

ALFAREROS is a musical group whose mission is “to evangelize through music.”

The spark that gave rise to ALFAREROS began during a Eucharistic celebration at a parish gathering for the feast of Corpus Christi in La Romana, Dominican Republic. The year was 1995, when a group of dreamers set out on a mission to evangelize through Catholic Christian music, while incorporating innovative musical elements not commonly used in churches at the time.

With their vibrant music, rich in tropical fusion, ALFAREROS has traveled throughout the Dominican Republic, across Latin America, the United States, and other parts of the world. Through their performances and concerts, they proclaim the Gospel, declaring with their voices and instruments that life in Christ is a life of joy. Their lyrics, filled with passion and love for Jesus Christ, connect with people of all ages and inspire them to surrender at the feet of Jesus, the only Hope of the world.

Albums such as “Un Canto Nuevo” (1996), “Hagan lo que Él les dice” (1997), “Pa’lante” (1999), “Ha llegado el día” (2004), and “De Bendición en Bendición” (2008) have earned the group numerous awards and nominations for their musical productions, concerts, and songs. They won the Casandra Award from the Association of Art Critics of the Dominican Republic in 2005 in the category of “Contemporary Religious Music.”

In 2006, they were nominated for the Casandra Awards for “Concert of the Year” with “A Chavón por ti.” In 2008, they participated in World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia, and later took part in the central events of WYD 2013 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, broadcast both locally and internationally.

In 2011, ALFAREROS released “Todo mi amor es para Ti,” and that same year made their music freely available for download on their website: www.alfareros.do.

In 2014, they launched the REVIVAL Tour, reaching many cities alongside preacher Pablo Bayona. At the end of that tour, Guatemalan singer Katia del Cid joined the group.

During 2015 and 2016, they carried out missions in many cities across Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, the United States, Guatemala, El Salvador, Paraguay, and Panama, among others.

In March 2017, a fourth vocalist joined the group, this time from Chile: Francisca Correa.

In 2018, ALFAREROS released a new production, “70 times 7,” considered their best work, featuring songs of great depth.

In May 2018, they released the music video “Nadie que no seas tú,” filmed in a hangar of the Dominican Republic Air Force.

As a musical group, they aspire to reach many more cities and are preparing for the “70 times 7” tour, bringing the Good News of Jesus everywhere.

Despite the many cities, travels, friendships, and stories, there is something ALFAREROS is especially grateful for: “the opportunity God gives them each day to serve Him, adore Him, and contemplate Him.”