Nov 28, 2020. Bogotá, Colombia. On the eve of the beginning of Advent 2020, the Claretian Missionaries of MICLA started the Theological Institute of Consecrated Life of America (ITVCA). This project, which is based in the Curia of the Province of Colombia Oriental – Ecuador, in the city of Bogota, Colombia, was born from an intuition that had been developed by several generations of religious men and women. The specific mission will be to offer a possibility of theological formation with and for consecrated men and women, laymen and women and other pastoral references who are on a pilgrimage in the “Continent of Hope”.

During the virtual transmission of the inauguration, numerous communities throughout the Americas were present to support this initiative of the Claretian Missionaries. Among the interventions, there were two presentations by Sister Gloria Liliana Franco Echeverri, ODN (president of CLAR) and by Sister Teresa Maya, CCVI (former president of LCWR and current Superior General of her congregation). Both confirmed the needs of an integral and articulated formation for the different forms of consecrated life in America that is motivated by a matrix thought from the needs of the Continent. There are calls that require answers, and this is the time to give them.

There were also many greetings, including the words of the secretary of the CIVCVA, Msgr. José Rodríguez Carballo OFM, and the good wishes of the president of the UISG, Sr. Yolanta Kafka, RMI.

It remains for us then to thank the confidence placed in our Congregation which is facing this mission with the best wishes and in a time of searching to renew prophecy.

We recommend visiting the Institute’s website www.itvca.org to find out about the training proposals available online during this first period.