From the 14th to the 21st of May, twenty ss.cc sisters from Latin America gathered in Cruz Pamba, Ecuador, to participate in a course on Leadership, Charism and Spirituality of our Congregation, updated to the times we live in. Convened by the Zone Council of Latin America, through Mónica Jiménez ss.cc, in collaboration with the General Government, the meeting was attended by Patricia Villarroel, our Superior General, Sandro Mancilla ss.cc, Raúl Pariamachi ss.cc., José Luis Domínguez priest of the Sacred Heart, Ascensión González of the Congregation of the Assumption, who were in charge of the different workshops that allowed to update and deepen the theme of leadership in its different aspects.
The workshops, which took place in an atmosphere of fraternity, joy, willingness to listen and participation, were very enriching for the participants, challenging them to build co-responsible, dialogical, inclusive and synodal leadership, so necessary for the Church of today as Pope Francis proposes to us.
The sisters organised themselves into different commissions to animate the welcome, liturgy, recreation and service. Each journey was marked by beautiful signs that shed light on the themes proposed for each day.
The invitation of this course focused on the importance of feeling called to be leaders who, from their fragility and vulnerability, can accompany processes, both in the communities and in the places where we are sent to serve, bearing in mind that resilience is a fundamental key. Another important aspect of the course was the possibility of sharing from the experience and the personal and community richness that each sister lives in the places of mission that have been entrusted to them.
Thus the conclusion was reached that what is essential for a leader is to grow in human, affective and spiritual maturity that allows him/her, in the key of service, to connect with the dreams and desires of the people, from empathy, optimism, ingenuity, courage, assertiveness and vision of the future, in a world in constant change and having as a backdrop the experience of trust in God of our founders.
The General Government, the Zonal Coordination and the speakers themselves encouraged the participants to prepare their hearts to accept, in an attitude of discernment, the different services that the Congregation needs today, knowing that it is the Spirit who sustains us in order to open ourselves to the new challenges that today's world poses to consecrated life.
We experienced two moments of gratitude, one offered by the sisters of Ecuador, one evening they surprised us with a group of Ecuadorian folklore, music and dances. And we ended with a trip to the thermal waters of Papallacta and a visit to the handicraft fair in Otavalo.
05/24/2023