By Alex Vásquez, Communications Officer, Good Shepherd International Foundation America Latina

On February 12 and 13, 2026, the workshop “Co-Creating an Inter-congregational Response to Migration in Central America and Mexico” was held in San José, Costa Rica. Convened by Good Shepherd International Foundation Latin America, the purpose of this gathering was to strengthen coordination and a joint response to the realities of migration in the region, promoting inter-congregational collaboration as a path of communion and shared action.

Participants included the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, the Company of Saint Teresa of Jesus, and the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, who together continue weaving networks of collaboration and commitment in support of people in situations of human mobility.

In a joyful spirit of profound communion, the workshop was a concrete sign of hope and shared commitment in the face of a reality that profoundly challenges the Church and our congregations.

During the working sessions, sisters, brothers and partners-in-mission from different congregations came together to listen to one another, recognize one another, and jointly build a response rooted in the Gospel and in concrete experience within local contexts.

Each moment of the agenda—from the opening reflection, the presentation of local realities, thematic working groups, to the development of agreements and future projections—fostered encounter, discernment, and coordinated action.

The objective that brought participants together was clear: to jointly analyze the migration situation in Central America and Mexico, identify the most urgent needs, recognize existing capacities, and open pathways for inter-congregational coordination that would enable a more organized, prophetic, and impactful response.

The complexity of the migration phenomenon requires a broad perspective and collective action; no single congregation can respond alone. For this reason, participants reaffirmed their commitment to complementarity, collaboration, and network-building to strengthen presence and service in local territories.

The workshop was also a space for dreaming together. Dreaming of a Church that goes forth, close to those who migrate, capable of building bridges, offering hospitality, and generating processes that transform realities of exclusion into opportunities for dignified life. Dreaming as a community made it possible to look to the future with hope and to take on concrete commitments that will ensure continuity in this process of inter-congregational collaboration.

This article was first published (in Spanish) in the Newsletter for the Region of North Latin America, accessible here