This April took place the meeting of formation in Charism “Vedruna Roots” in Vic, organized by the formation teams of Fundación Vedruna Catalunya and Fundación Vedruna Educación.
Twenty-nine educators participated, with a history of commitment and responsibility within our schools, between the two foundations, and it was a time to unite ties, to deepen our educational style, to reaffirm our identity and reinforce our shared mission.
A journey to the roots to become more aware of the legacy received from Joaquina and the sisters, a reflection on our present as educators and as an educational community, and an embrace of the future from creative fidelity and trust.
The experience has been highly positive at all levels, formation, testimonies, living together, pilgrimage…; and especially this year “Roots 2026”, which is being a very special year to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Vedruna family.
Some of the educators who participated in this training meeting share their testimonies with us:
Roots 2026 in Vic, a gift, a privilege.
Days of training, reflection and experiences. To be where it all began. To get to know our foundress better. And to live together with companions from so many different places and realities. I return with the conviction that we are a big family in which we all seek the same thing: to follow this path that St. Joaquina started. And she would also do it with doubts, fears and difficulties but with great enthusiasm and confidence. With the uncertainty of the future, but with the commitment of an ideology. We leave here with a heart full of the “Love that never says enough” to bring to our centers a new impulse, trusting, like her, in the Good Jesus, to make the world a little better through education and care. Confident and committed to the idea of continuing the legacy of our Carmelite sisters. Heartfelt thanks to all the people who make this meeting possible, thanks to all those who have participated and contributed so much in this week and thanks to St. Joaquina de Vedruna, example of a woman of trusting yes. For 200 years more of the Vedruna family!
Valle Ruiz, Nuestra Señora del Carmen School, Toledo
A gift from the heart – In the footsteps of Joaquina
Participating in the “Roots 26” meeting in Vic was, above all, an unexpected gift and a privilege lived in humility. This trip was not limited to being a historical tour of the places where St. Joaquina de Vedruna founded the Congregation; it was, in essence, a spiritual immersion in a charism that beats strongly and continues to transform realities today.
From the hand of the formators, the learning transcended the books. Through their testimonies, laughter and personal experiences, it became tangible what it means “to be and to do Vedruna”: a way of being in the world defined by simplicity, closeness and absolute dedication to others.
Their reflections invited us to vibrate with the essence of what is human. In a world that sometimes pushes us to hurry, they reminded us that our daily work makes sense through welcoming: “I was waiting for you”. That phrase resonated strongly within me, making me feel that this journey was not a coincidence, but an appointment that the charism had with me to rediscover my vocation, to embrace my childhood again and to be aware that I am part of a love story that continues to be written.
As we toured the cradle of the Congregation, the memory of the untiring work of the Sisters was present in every corner. This certainty of feeling accompanied by them prompts a return to the educational community with a “suitcase full of faces” and a renewed flame. This testimony concludes with a firm commitment: to be born again to Light, Life and Love, assuming with gratitude the responsibility of keeping alive the path that Joaquina began two hundred years ago.
Laura Sanchez, Colegio Santa Joaquina, Cartagena
