EUROPE/SPAIN - Consecrated Life a “prophetic frontier presence”: 11th general assembly of the Spanish Conference of Religious - 6 inter-congregational projects to help socially excluded people

Madrid (Fides Service) - To conclude celebrations for the 50th anniversary of its activity, the Spanish Conference of Religious will hold its 11th General Assembly 10 to 12 November at the Virgen del Recuerdo College in Madrid, on the theme ““ Religious Life prophetic frontier presence”. The Conference members are 652 provincial Superiors of 391 congregations (291 female and 100 male), representing 64,500 men and women religious working in Spain and about 10,000 missionaries ad gentes. The Assembly will reflect on religious life as a prophetic frontier presence to give new impulse to missionary activity to proclaim the Gospel with credibility in every place and situation.
On Wednesday 10 November after the opening addresses the assembly will listen to a presentation of a project “Thinking CONFER”: which will illustrate this tool of animation at the service of religious life in Spain. In the afternoon there will be two conferences: “Mission in the heart of God. Memory and Prophecy” and “Living mission in fraternity”. On Thursday 11 there will be 2 conferences on the morning: “Religious life at human and social frontiers” and “The frontier: a place to encounter God”. In the afternoon participants will form 4 work groups to elaborate proposals to present to the general assembly on the themes: “Mission in intercultural and interreligious contexts: place for encounter”; “Mission in contexts of globalisation: a place for solidarity” “Mission in contexts of violence: place for reconciliation” , mission in spaces of exclusion: place for sharing. On Friday 12 November the assembly will draft conclusions and examine the findings of the work groups. The assembly will close with a solemn celebration of the Eucharist presided by the President of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference, Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco Varela, Archbishop of Madrid.
A particularly significant moment of the assembly will be the presentation of an “Act of Solidarity” of consecrated life as a concrete sign of commitment for peace and justice. Six inter-congregational projects to help socially excluded people aimed not at mere assistance or to replace social services but rather to transform society. In these projects different congregations, of men and women religious, collaborate as a sign of communion and to underline the difference in charisma: a project for immigrants at Cintra-Benallar, Barcelona; Centre for assistance and counselling women in Valencia; Atalaya project offering integral services to immigrants in Burgos; Life Project, educational-therapeutic programme to deal with problems of dependence. This project involves some 20 Congregations in Extremadura; Friends of Latin American Peoples a collaboration of 17 Religious congregations; in Almería and Encounter project to offer assistance to women caught in the trap of prostitution . (R.Z.) (Agenzia Fides 10/11/2004; righe 35, parole 445)