By Jacqueline Santana Pinto, Partner-in-Mission, Brazil (Province of South East Latin America)
At the end of October, sisters and partners-in-mission from across Brazil and Paraguay came together in Mairiporã, São Paulo state, Brazil, to set new goals together and strengthen their spirit of collaboration and fraternity.
The event was the dream of the Province’s Good Shepherd Partnership Committee (GSPC), which was established in 2019 in light of the Congregational report Zeal Calls Us to Respond, which calls for the full engagement of partners-in-mission.
Having previously been postponed due to Covid restrictions, the four partners-in-mission and five sisters who form the GSPC worked tirelessly in their preparations to bring this enriching and inspiring experience to fruition – and were delighted to be able to welcome Congregational Leader, Sr. Joan Marie López and members of her leadership team to the event.
The theme of the meeting was: The Spirit Calls Us to Live New Relationships in Collaboration, in the context of a global Congregation in which we cultivate and sow the spirituality of Jesus the Good Shepherd in the light of integral ecology.
The meeting provided an ideal environment to strengthen partnership, broaden reflection on the meaning of this word in the current reality, and give value to the work of sisters and partners-in-mission together for mission.
I saw how people were favorable to living positively in a welcoming partnership and were open to the transition process we will experience with the Congregation’s New Governance Structure.
By sharing stories and listening to our various lived experiences of partnership, our commitment to the Good Shepherd mission found new inspiration and was renewed – something essential to keep frontline workers motivated, especially in difficult contexts.
One of the culminating moments of the meeting was coming to define and celebrate the essential values of the life of a Good Shepherd partner-in-mission. These discussions were rooted in the restructuring and consultation process with the province’s partnership groups over these past few years.
Other aspects of the program included practical and theoretical training to ensure we would return better prepared to carry out the mission.
It was truly joyous to be together with people who share the same charism and spirituality. Every conversation, reflection, time of prayer, and table group work was enriching. It helped deepen our understanding and appreciation of how valuable each one of us is to the mission.
I am so grateful to have experienced the unity and shared purpose that was alive during these meetings. I left with my heart full of hope and more certain than ever that by working together, we can make a difference as we serve, live, and practice the Congregation’s values in today’s reality.
