Weaving paths of light and hope: II Virtual Meeting of the Vedruna Laity Peru

On Sunday, November 16, we celebrated, in a virtual way, the II Intermediate Meeting of the Vedruna Laity, with the motto “Moving forward in hope”.

At 8 o’clock in the morning we gathered punctually the communities “Walking with Joaquina”, “Spouses in the Vedruna Style” and “Followers of Joaquina” of Sullana; the community of Celendín; Gina Pardo and the community of El Ermitaño in Lima; together with the Sisters Companions of the Way: María José Gimeno, Rubelia Reto (liaison of Peru) and Alicia Zanichelli, Provincial of America. A total of 35 lay people and 8 sisters participated.

The opening prayer and greetings opened the meeting. Later we worked on the theme: “Preparing his coming, we welcome his arrival”, guided by Sr. Inma Eibe, ccv, and we made progress in the organization of the Bicentennial celebrations.

. Inma reminded us that Advent is a time of preparation and opportunity. Each year, the Church gives us an ample period to review our lives in the light of the Word and to contemplate the mystery of a God who becomes a child. It is not just a matter of waiting for a future event, but of recognizing that the Coming is also happening here and now. We are not mere spectators, but protagonists of an encounter that is already taking place, because the One whom we await has been given to us from the beginning (cf. Jn 1:1,9-10). His call was to welcome our inner noises, to present them to the Lord and to recover our amazement in order to open ourselves to the Mystery.

Next, we reviewed the Bicentennial Activities, evaluating those already carried out and promoting those that are still on the way. The new teams were presented, thanking with affection and gratitude the service of the outgoing teams and the country team -Ela Mondragon, Anita Cordova and Charo Alvarado-. We ask for everyone the blessing of the Lord and the accompaniment of the Vedruna Family, so that St. Joaquina and the Good Jesus may strengthen their mission.

Some challenges for this new era were raised:

• To deepen the work in integral spirituality, ecology and synodality.
• Read, reflect on and embody the chapter document Born Again.
• Actively participate in meetings and training spaces.
• Elaborate a joint project among all the communities of Peru to strengthen integral formation.
• Encourage fluid, back-and-forth communication.

Finally, Sr. María José sent out the missionary sending out of the new teams from the communities and the country.

With a grateful and renewed spirit, we reaffirm our commitment:

Let us work for the glory of God and the good of our neighbor!

Charo Alvarado, Vedruna Laywoman in Celendín