Madrid, España. From the 15 – 17th of November the XVIII General Assembly of the Spanish Conference of religious (CONFER) was celebrated in Madrid. Joining together were more than 300 Major Superiors of Men and Women from the various Institutes of consecrated life in Spain.

Present were the Nuncio of Spain, Mons. Renzo Fratini, the Bishop of Santander, Mons. Vicente Jiménez, President of the Episcopal Commission for Consecrated Life, the Bishop of Oviedo, Mons. Jesús Sanz, and the Bishop of Tarazona, Mons. Eusebio Hernández, together with the President of CONFER, Fr. Elías Royón, SJ, and other members of the General Council.

The central theme of thee Assembly revolved around the Vocation Ministry in Spanish religious life. The interventions of members of the Claretian Family were impressive. On the 15th Fr. Juan Carlos Martos, CMF, Secretary General of Vocation Ministry, gave a talk titled: “Can We Fit the Vocation Ministry Within Our Projects? Helpful advice in times of despair…and hope”, humming keys of the Vocation Ministry in today’s reality.

On the 16th Sr. Rosa Ruíz, RMI described the work done by the reflection team of the Vocational Youth Ministry section of CONFER and showed how Congregations could “stimulate” in adolescents and youth the discovery of the call of the Lord, and what tools they can use in their vocation ministry teams

After her speech, four young religious, among whom was our student, Adrián de Prado, CMF from the Province of Santiago, shared their vocational experiences and how they see vocation ministry, bringing a new and enriching insight to the Assembly.

On the 16th in the afternoon, Félix Jesús Martínez, CMF, Provincial Superior of Bética, along with other Mayor Superiors, presented the Vocation Ministry highlights of his province, emphasizing the most critical elements in this era of new evangelization. (Photos)