Vic, Spain. From May 1 to 13, 2023, the Claret Spirituality House in Vic, Barcelona, hosted the Claretian Discerning Leadership Training, organized for the members of the Claretian Conference of Europe (ECLA). Fifteen Claretians from the Major Organisms of Santiago, Sanctus Paulus, Fatima, Poland, and four from the General Teams -the Coordinator of the Communication Team of the General Curia and the Local Superior of the Claretianum in Rome and members of the Claretian Spirituality Center (CESC) in Vic- participated in the said workshop.
The workshop focused on promoting personal growth and training to exercise “discerning leadership” within the framework of ecclesiastical and congregational orientations. Through various pedagogical dynamics, participants were able to deepen their understanding of leadership and apply the recent contributions of the human sciences in its practice.
The active participation and fraternal integration of the attendees, who represented various cultures and languages, stood out. The spirit of collaboration and interest was manifested in the liturgy, the services, the interaction spaces, and the coexistence throughout the days.
At the midpoint of the workshop, participants had the opportunity to visit the CESC facilities and attend the film “Libres“, a documentary that offered the vital and believing testimony of contemplative monks and nuns from some Spanish monasteries.
After a day of rest, the second week of the workshop focused on topics such as governance management, processes of change and transformation, leadership roles and tools, compassionate, generative, and spiritual conversation, and the treatment of polarities and conflicts.
On the last day of the workshop, participants had an online meeting with the Superior General, P. Mathew Vattamattam, CMF, who shared words of encouragement with those present and reported on the latest news from the Congregation. The participants also had the opportunity to present various projects, such as the WYD Claret Way, the upcoming workshop for cybermissionaries, as well as the CESC website.
The workshop officially concluded with an evening prayer enriched with personal sharing and reflections.
