“Renewal of life and mission as we look to the future” is the general theme of the formation programme which, since June 2021, has brought together 15 Sisters up to 12 years of Perpetual Profession from the Areas of Brazil, Mexico, Mozambique, Portugal and Zambezi.
Our 2019 General Chapter and the 2020 Enlarged Institute Leadership Council (EILC) highlighted Formation as one of the current priorities for our Institute. In response to this call, the Institute Leadership Council convened the younger members, giving them the opportunity to continue to strengthen and sustain relationships, develop leadership skills, self-organise, share vision, and develop steps that would be meaningful and effective for the future.
Over the course of about a year, the Sisters met monthly, via Zoom, and shared with one another their stories, thoughts and feelings, experiences and wisdom, challenges, hopes and dreams around topics such as intercultural living; justice and ecology; midlife experience; finding the balance between spiritual life, community and apostolic life; preparing for leadership; vision for the future of religious life. The topic of the last meeting by Zoom was “planning and leading a meeting” and was graciously attended and excellently facilitated by the Institute Formation Commission.
This journey together has so far been a great blessing for all the participants and a bearer of hope for the present and the future of the Institute. This formation programme will culminate in a face-to-face meeting of the group at the Generalate, in Rome, 15-30 June 2022. Your prayers for this meeting will be greatly appreciated. More good news will come!
