On October 11 and 12 we held the Provincial Assembly of Europe at the Vedruna Center in Valladolid. The theme that has accompanied us during the weekend has been:
“A concrete way of being, being and doing in mission.”
The opening prayer disposed our hearts, knowing that we stepped on sacred ground and that we feel called and sent to liberate, to give life.
Although we were called together by the Provincial Team of Europe, we experienced as a gift and with great joy the presence of María Teresa Cuervo, our Sister General, and María José Meira of her team, who came all the way from Rome to experience this important meeting with us.
Maria Teresa and Maria Gracia, Sister Provincial, opened the Assembly with words of welcome to the 80 sisters and some lay people who participated in person in this meeting, and to the more than 120 who joined us virtually.
Maria Gracia, with the metaphor of Chronos (the god of sequential time that takes us into the future with plans and objectives) and Kairos, (the god of opportunity, a qualitative time) guided us to the main objective of this PVE Assembly: to reflect on our mission today and to project another way of organizing ourselves .
The words of Teo Corral, Inma Gala and Laura Uriarte, each in her own style, put a special emphasis on our mission today.
- Teo, using the simile of the orchestra (to be in tune, to combine rigor and creativity) moved us to ask ourselves what we want our life in mission to be like today, seeking a balance between the individual and the collective.
- Laura Uriarte underscored the creativity required by our mission and summarized it in three keys: God creates and binds us to create. God sustains and invites us to care. God brings to fullness the horizon of love.
- Inma Gala led us to revisit the draft document: “Towards a unique mission network” asking ourselves “What can we sustain? How can we organize ourselves for it?”
Álvaro and Antonia Nadal informed us with more than just numbers and graphs. Throughout their intervention flowed the mystique, efficiency and deep affection that sustain such an arduous task as theirs and make it all more bearable.
In the afternoon, in small groups we analyzed the draft of projects to be supported in the next 5-7 years and established some general criteria to be taken into account. Then, to make things more concrete, two groups of 8 people representing all the teams, Axes, Networks, Commissions dared to design a possible new organization of structures for the mission in the short term.
The rest of the participants of the Assembly were able to enjoy the life stories of Maria Teresa Cuervo, our Sister General; Antonio Alcaraz, a lay member of the SEL Network; and Marta Nosás, a Vedruna sister in charge of the Llar Juvenil de Vic. We wish we could listen to these stories again! There are so many elements that we can extract from them! It highlights the importance of maintaining an attitude that knows how to “weave” and “accompany so many realities of mission”, collaborating, as we have been doing for some time, with lay people who can lead them, investing efforts so that the foundational Charism always survives in these works.
The afternoon ended with the presentation by the two working groups of a possible proposal for a new organization in the mission. There were several coincidences in the two models presented, a symptom of good progress, although more work still needs to be done. Saturday was a day of intense and profitable work.
After dinner, it was time to enjoy some regional pastries and a delicious sweet wine that M Carmen Montes brought from Andalusia. Most of us stayed to end the day with the movie “Divertimento”, which shows the difficulties, being women, on the way to make our dreams come true.
Sunday morning was one of open dialogue: proposals, various information from the different Networks, Axes, Teams, Commissions and many other topics that concern us as a Family. How good to capture so much life that happens in our Vedruna Charismatic Family!
María José and María Gracia closed the Assembly, underlining that we have lived two days of clear manifestation of God, thanking everyone for their participation and contributions, highlighting the strength of these meetings that help us to get to know and love each other more.
It has been two days lived in an atmosphere of celebration of the Bicentennial, whose summit will be on February 26, 2026 in Vic, the place where Joaquina de Vedruna began this great work. Ain Karem, and all of us, sang the Bicentennial Hymn and standing up we received the blessing of our mother Joaquina, Woman of the Trusted Yes:
“I remain, my daughters beseeching the three persons of the Holy Trinity to shower upon you their blessing.”
Trust, God the Trinity blesses you!
Trust!
Sr. Mila Elola, ccv
