Vedruna Europa Province
1826: Barcelona
All this generated the need to organize the Congregation in various provinces, until, in 2012, the Vedruna Europe Province was created, integrating also the presences in Italy, Albania and Morocco. Two hundred years after the founding of the Congregation, the weight of history is reflected in the numbers: the Europe Province continues to be the one with the largest number of sisters, Vedruna laity and works, mainly educational and social.
Discover the Vedruna Province of Europe from its web site
Vedruna Mission in the Province of Europe
Education
In the Vedruna Province of Europe there are more than 70 schools. Most of them are grouped in two foundations: the Fundació Vedruna Catalunya Educació and the Vedruna Education Foundation.
Joaquina’s educational project was born as a response to the poverty and marginalization of her time, especially among women and girls. Today, the Institutional Educational Project updates that mission, making Vedruna schools meeting places where students are formed in human relationships and values such as welcoming, joy and commitment to the most vulnerable.
Vedruna Youth Ministry
A space to share the joy of feeling young and announcers of Jesus, of Good News and of Meaning.
Center for Youth Vocational Ministry in MadridThe center is for young people, university students and professionals 18 years of age and older, who want to grow together in faith. Its meetings and gatherings are held at the Colegio Mayor Vedruna
Another important Vedruna initiative in the field of youth ministry is the musical group Ain Karemwhich defines itself as “a project of evangelization with the objective of announcing the Good News of Jesus to the youth”.
Social commitment and integral care
The Europa Province keeps alive the versatility of the first Vedruna foundations, responding to the diverse needs of the environment.
Its social work includes residences for sheltered minors, the elderly and women, community development projects and work in neighborhoods at risk of exclusion. It is worth mentioning the reception of migrants, with initiatives such as the Casa Vedruna in Tangier or the Antonio Felices project in Almeria. There is also collaboration in health, in the Asil Hospital in Granollers, and in the promotion of women.
In addition, many Vedruna communities are open houses for migrants referred by social or ecclesial entities. In Tangier, the Vedruna House offers temporary shelter and protection to women in transit to Europe, a work that is continued in Ceuta by the Elín Association.
Training and support
Formation and accompaniment are distinctive signs of the Vedruna mission, with proposals adapted to the different stages of life. Among the programs are Monte Horeb and Búsqueda for young people, Monte Carmelo for pastoral agents, or El Lago, for religious and lay women and men of different charisms who have passed retirement age.
There is also specific formation for teachers interested in the charism. Key spaces are the Vedruna Center of Valladolidthe Youth Pastoral Center in Madrid and the Casa Mare de Vic.
The Ruaj Team, a reference point since 1997, offers personal and spiritual accompaniment, as well as ongoing formation to people of different charisms, promoting an authentic culture of accompaniment.
Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC)
The JPIC team seeks to promote an integral ecological spirituality within the Vedruna Family, and at the same time to influence the Church and society. The Vedruna Province of Europe works in a network with various entities and congregations, and is a member of the Laudato Si’ Movement. From its web pageJPIC carries out a continuous outreach work, with monthly newsletters aimed at generating formation, reflection and awareness.
