WEAVING NEW HORIZONS OF INTERCULTURALITY IN COMMUNITY LIFE

The Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Chambery is an international Congregation who welcomes different nationalities and cultural diversities. Interculturality is an integral part of the Congregation from the beginning. Guided by the Charism of Unity, we have been able to insert ourselves in many cultural realities to open communities for mission.

We, the Region of Bolivia, are responding to the challenge given by the new International Commission on Interculturality. We reflected on Interculturality and welcomed four sisters from different cultures and nationalities into our Region in the year 2021.  We felt the urgent need of deepening this theme and invited Sr. Eliane Costa Santana, the member of the International Interculturality Commission to give us online input session in the month of October and November. This opened up new understandings and challenges for our intercultural living.

 THE COMMON PROJECT WE CARRY WITHIN US

Interculturality is a vast, complex and challenging issue for all of us. No one is left out of this common issue, for we are all involved. For consecrated life, today, interculturality is the key to build new community relationships. The synergy of the members who live interculturality make their space sacred and a space for growth, understanding, maturity, compassion and communion. It is a COMMON PROJECT that we carry within ourselves. It is fundamental and necessary to make an effort to live interculturality. It requires determination, decision and vocation. It leads to a process of personal and community conversion.

Inspired by Trinitarian Spirituality and the Eucharist which welcome everyone without distinction, “Let us dream, then, as a single human family, as fellow travellers sharing the same flesh, as children of the same earth which is our common home, each of us bringing the richness of his or her beliefs and convictions, each of us with his or her own voice, brothers and sisters all.” (FRATELLI TUTTI, n. 8).

  Sister Antonia C. Mandro