Los Negrales, Spain. The English edition of the Claretian Renewal Encounter, Forge, in its fourth phase, ended here at Los Negrales on June 21, 2018, with the Eucharistic celebration presided over by Fr. John Francis, Major Superior of St. Charles Lwanga Delegation. At the end of the Eucharist, Fr. Juan Carlos, Director of Forge Center, awarded the certificates of participation and Fr. Benjamin Elcano, Superior of the Forge Center community, presented the participants with a medallion of a cross with the Spirit.
The fourth batch of Forge in English – and the first to be held in Spain – consisted of 13 participants from 10 major organisms spread across seven countries. The encounter began on April 8, 2018 and progressed through the traditional three stages now reconfigured to coincide with the three processes of transformation mandated by the XXV General Chapter. Every phase had a core living experience: spiritual exercises at the 12th century monastery at Buenafuente, pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and tracing the footsteps of Father Claret and martyrs in Barbastro and Catalunya.
The participants expressed great satisfaction about the Encounter and gratitude to the Congregation for facilitating such an event. They expressed their wish that more Claretians will make use of the encounter as well as that the encounter will also move to the margins, being made available in adapted formats to major organisms in their respective locations so that bigger groups of Claretians can take advantage of the same. The letter of the participants to the Congregation can be read at: https://www.claret.org/en/letter-to-the-congregation-from-the-participants-of-forge-04-18-english/
The next full-scale Forge encounter at the Forge Center in Los Negrales is scheduled for April 1-June 15, 2019.
