In the parish, Fr Ponce De León, accompanied by a group of volunteers, offers food and shelter, but above all moments of sharing to people who are alone and in difficulty, who often live on the streets.
The Salesian has clear ideas on how to relate to the needy he meets: "When you see someone lying on the street because of his drunkenness, or who smokes, because of his drug addiction, he is always a person, not a thing. He is a person and therefore he has something to offer us. He is a person and can help us, in the measure in which we are able to honor him as a person."
And he continues: "He is a person and we must learn to respect him, starting from the principle that the door of the heart of that human being opens from within, not with arrogance. And there is no need to ask for external changes, but to wait for the big change to make someone smile because at that moment he can recognize himself as a person."
It is only in this perspective that one can understand the meaning of the "Shared Table", which is not a refectory or a table for the poor. He again explains: "'Shared Table' is not just a question of a name. The central elements of our activity are those people who sit with us at the table three times a week. We know each other's names, we access those pieces of history that allow us to know. And we respect each of their decisions even if sometimes we do not share them."
To bring forward for years an activity that is based only on generous solidarity is not simple, and sometimes even criticisms come forth. But Fr Ponce De León replies that "from within we can see and enjoy the simple results" of this initiative.
As a pastor and for his dedication to those who have less, this year the Departmental Administration of Soriano nominated Fr Ponce de León as candidate to the "National Award for Citizen Excellence", an award the Salesian then won and withdrew on 12 September in an official event held in Montevideo.
