Bicentenary of the Congregation

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The Bicentenary is an opportunity to remember with gratitude, to renew our spiritual and community life, and to project the Vedruna charism to the new generations. We do it as a universal Family, in synodal key, discerning together and together new ways of mission, presence and commitment to justice, care for life and fraternity.

During the year 2026 we will hold celebrations in all the Vedruna Provinces of the world, of which we share the stories in the news section of this page. In addition, there will be several significant celebrations at the general level, such as the solemn opening and closing in Vic, the Extended General Council, the International Meeting of Vedruna Youth and other educational, pastoral and cultural initiatives. Through all these proposals, we will renew our shared identity and our desire to continue to respond boldly to the cries of the world.

General Programming

February 26 - Solemn Eucharist, Vic, Spain

We want to celebrate these 200 years of shared history and generous service from Vic, the place where Joaquina de Vedruna embraced a new way of life and where our Charism began. From there, united as a Family, we also want to renew our mission and project ourselves into the future with creativity, fidelity and shared hope.

It will be a solemn, festive day, with international, intergenerational, intercultural presence of the Vedruna Family in Mission and other persons and institutions invited for the occasion.

The Eucharist will be transmitted live through this link:

https://youtu.be/E16V7gwNHoE

Afterwards, a recording of the celebration will also be available for viewing.

February 26th - Inauguration of "Casa Manso. Joaquina de Vedruna", Vic

This space is the foundational starting point of the Congregation of the Carmelite Sisters of Charity Vedruna. Here the novitiate of the first young women who followed Joaquina was born and the first school was created.

On the occasion of the Bicentennial, this house has been rehabilitated after the multiple transformations suffered over the years. Now, the space is reopened to the public with the desire to make known the life and work of Joaquina de Vedruna, as well as the institution founded by her, with a new design.

The objective of this renovated space is to provide an experience around the life and work of Joaquina de Vedruna, highlighting the most significant spaces of the house and highlighting the foundational elements; as well as giving access to the spiritual itinerary lived by her and the presence of this Family spread throughout the world in its wide and diverse interculturality. The tour also offers a reading in dialogue between the past, the present and the future of the Congregation.

The official inauguration will take place on February 26, 2026.

“Casa Manso. Joaquina de Vedruna”.

March 9 to 23 - Enlarged General Council, Vic, Spain

This is a government meeting of a consultative nature, held three years after each General Chapter. Its purpose is the progress of the Institute since the last General Chapter and to foster unity through the intercommunication of the entire Institute.

On April 5, 2026, the Final Charter of the EGC is published. Available at:

All news from the EGC

Illumination by Mariola López, RSCJ: “Consecrated life: a hope that transforms”.

Illumination by Liliana Franco, ODN: “Synodality: embracing evangelical minority”.

March 21 - Oratorio "Joaquina Luz de caridad", Vic

An oratorio is an opera-like composition, often with a religious theme, performed by solo voices, choir and symphony orchestra.

This work was composed by Luigi Pastoressa, a musician with a long career in organ, piano, composition and Gregorian chant, with the accompaniment of the Sr. María Dolores Aguirre. She herself is the director of the choir “Iubilate Deo”, which performs after more than a year of rehearsals.

The performance takes place on Saturday, March 21, 2026, in the church of the Motherhouse, in Vic, framed in the Extended General Council, and is also included in the celebrations of the Vedruna Bicentenary.

Available resources:

- Complete recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYpVqGKtW7I
- Photo gallery: https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipPGLnAbgl1IpI9xPLZWoGz0YhUta5-YkWd4D7bD

July 16 to 22 - International Meeting of Vedruna Youth, Vic, Spain

Vedruna youth from all over the world will meet in Vic from July 16 to 22, 2026, on the occasion of the Bicentenary of the Carmelite Sisters of Charity Vedruna.

Events held

Celebration of the 26th!

The long-awaited February 26, 2026, the exact date of the 200th anniversary of our Congregation of our Congregation Carmelite Sisters of Charity Vedruna, has finally arrived. We celebrated together throughout the day, beginning with a solemn Eucharist in the Church of the Mother House, in which more than 350 people joined us online, making us feel their support, affection and prayers. After the Eucharist, in the auditorium of the Vedruna Escorial School, we attended the presentation of the Manso House Project, in which the different teams that participated presented their work and shared their feelings. Then, we moved to the sports center of the same school, where we enjoyed a festive meal, served by the young people of the Vocational Training of Vedruna Gràcia, Barcelona. After sharing not only the meal, but also numerous greetings and congratulations, we moved to the Casa Manso for its official inauguration .

News

Extended General Council

The Extended General Council (EGC) of the Congregation of the Carmelite Sisters of Charity Vedruna. It is a meeting of government that takes place between two General Chapters and allows us to evaluate the road we have traveled and to project the steps of the Congregation towards the future. It took place between March 9 and 23, 2026.

This EGC is celebrated at a particularly significant moment: the Bicentenaryof the foundation of the Congregation, started in 1826 by Joaquina de Vedruna in the city of Vic.

Two centuries ago, Joaquina gathered a small group of women with the desire to respond to the needs of their time, especially in the areas of education and care for the sick and vulnerable. Since then, the congregation has spread to several continents, keeping alive the charism of educating and healing.

News

Oratorio "Joaquina: Light of Charity".

Sr. Mª Dolores Aguirre, Luigi Pastoressa, choir “Iubilate Deo”.

An oratorio is an opera-like composition, often with a religious theme, performed by solo voices, choir and symphony orchestra.

This work was composed by Luigi Pastoressa, a musician with an extensive background in organ, piano, composition and Gregorian chant, with the accompaniment of the Sr. María Dolores Aguirre. She is the director of the Iubilate Deo” choir, which performs after more than a year of rehearsals in Rome, where they are based. Some of its artists were the solo voices, and they joined in the Sr. María Gracia Gil and Ramón Rialwho participated as narrators. In addition, several sisters participating in the EGC took part, playing the role of the first sisters who followed Joaquina.

The performance took place on Saturday March 21, in the church of the Mother House, in Vic, framed in the Extended General Council (EGC), and also within the celebrations of the Vedruna Bicentenary. About fifty people enjoyed the live show: the sisters participating in the EGC, sisters from other communities in Catalonia, and friends of the family.

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