By Pelletier Community, Southern Europe Region
“Remembering the past, let us live and create anew in the present as we project into the future.”
(Sr. Fatima Pires)
On October 2, 2024, to coincide with the 144th anniversary of the arrival of our sisters to Spain in 1880, we traveled to Madrid from our respective communities across the Iberian Peninsula to celebrate the first assembly of the newly established Pelletier Community and the beginning of the mandate of its new community leader, Sr. Genoveva Marcos Urdiales.
There are now eight local communities in the Southern Europe Region, and this new community incorporates all former communities in Spain (except Badajoz).
In an emotional and participatory celebration, Sr. Genoveva pronounced her act of faith and fidelity, accepting her commission to be a spiritual and apostolic leader of the community in faithfulness to our Congregation, its Constitutions, and the Church. All sisters present embraced the opportunity to renew our vows on this historic day.
During the two-day assembly meetings, sisters unanimously voted that the community’s new local leadership team would consist of two councilors: one elected by the assembly of sisters and one appointed by the local leader, following which Sr. Mª Carmen Fernández and Sr. Leonor García were elected and appointed, respectively, to sit on the local leadership team.
Having joined the assembly meetings through Zoom, the link Congregational Leadership Team Councilors who accompany RES were able to listen to the ongoing and evolving reality of our lived experience in Spain.
As we reflected on our almost century and a half of presence in Spain and on what the future might hold, there was a shared consensus that – regardless of our age – our personal and shared testimony, together with prayer, should underpin our hope for more sisters to join the Good Shepherd flock – and buds are already emerging in the Region through new vocations.
Our assembly meetings ended with input from our Region Leader, Sr. Fatima Pires, who encouraged us to “find the seeds with which to sow” and urged us to be “sowers of hope, trusting in our prophetic call.”
Zealously proud of all that has been achieved over these many years, we find life in the new buds we see emerging in the presence of sisters and partners-in-mission – we go forward carrying in our hearts a hope that encompasses and motivates all of life!
