Los Negrales, Spain. The 4th English Edition of The Forge, the Claretian Renewal Encounter, began on Sunday, April 8, 2018 at the Forge Center at Los Negrales in Madrid with a Eucharistic celebration presided over by Rev. Fr. Gonzalo Fernández Sanz, General Prefect of Spirituality, and concelebrated by Rev. Fr. Pedro Belderrain, Superior of the Province of Santiago, the community at Los Negrales, and the Forge cohort. Prior to the Mass was held an introductory session at 6:00 p.m. with Paulson Veliyannoor and Roland Onuekwusi, facilitators for the English edition of the Forge, initiating the participants into the 75-day program that will have 3 distinctive phases, each phase punctuated with a unique core experience.
The Forge Encounter that had begun in 1992, entered the fourth phase of evolution in October with the 22nd batch in Spanish. The English edition is only the fourth such event, and the first ever in the spiritual heartland of the Claretians. The current Forge cohort has 13 participants drawn from 10 major organisms (Bengaluru, Chennai, Germany, Indonesia-Timor, Nigeria East, Nigeria West, Philippines, St. Charles Lwanga, St. Thomas, and US-Canada) and representing citizens from eight countries.
During the Forge, the participants hopes to be led by the Spirit through the three processes of transformation that the Congregation has desired for itself: to be adorers of the Father, to be a community of followers of Christ, and to be a congregation going forth. Today, on the Solemnity of the Divine Mercy, the Spirit has begun a great work in the hearts of these men. And they look forward to and request the prayerful accompaniment of their brethren in this pilgrimage of the soul.
