Conecta International nº 3

On the 2nd October, all participants

gathered for the Official Opening of

the General Congregation that had

place in the Basilica of Loyola, in

Guipúzcoa (Spain). A great place for

some days of interchanging ideas,

dialogue, reflection and sharing ex-

periences.

In the General Congregation there

were religious women from all the

CJ’s provinces (India, Argentina,

Korea, Mongolia, Rumania, Zimba-

bwe, Bangalore, Brazil, Hungary,

Slovakia, Ukraine, Italy, United

Kingdom, Nepal, Chile, Cuba…) and

also a few representatives from the

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Nº3

December, 2011

CONFER GENERAL ASSEMBLY Pág. 4

LOOKING BACK TO OUR VISIT TO GUAYAQUIL Pág. 5

EXPERIENCE IN THE WORLD YOUTH DAY Pág. 6

FAREWELL PARTY FOR ’SEVILLA ACOGE’ Pág. 11

NEWS FROM OUR SCHOOLS Pág. 12

CJs AND IBVMs, TOGETHER IN THE

GENERAL CONGREGATION

CONECTA

IBVM Institute.

During the gathering, which ended

on the 2nd November, different

topics were treated, like mission

and identity–; collaboration with

others, especially with the laity;

collaboration with the IBVM; for-

mation, spirituality; Integrity of

Creation; listening to the Word of

God; being prophetic and the life-

style.

During nearly four weeks, there

were meetings, reflection, debates

and a lot of work, but also some

time for enjoying the landscape,

visiting and relax. As well,

it was a great moment for

meeting new people and

greeting old friends.

Finally, on the 23st Octo-

ber, the CJ celebrated the

election of the new Gen-

eral Superior.

Sr. M. Jane Livesey

CJ, from the English

Province. S, was elected

as the new General Supe-

rior for the next nine

years. We wish her all

the best for her new

Página 2

GENERAL CONGREGATION

INSTITUTO D E LA BIENAVENTURAD A VIRGEN MARÍA

From le� to right: Stella Lecanda, Sandra Perret (General Consultor, IBVM, Australia), Pilar González Cano, Frances Orchard

(former Vicar General and recently named Provincial in the English Province, CJ) and Isabel Gortázar (Provincial in Spanish

Province), during the General Congrega%on of Congrega%o Jesu, celebrated in the Basilica of Loyola, in October.

Sr. M. Jane Livesey was elected as the new

General Superior of the CJs for the next nine years.

Nº3 Página 3

OPENING OF THE CONGREGATION

Blanca Bergareche was one

of the IBVMs presents in the

Opening ceremony. She told

us how it was:

“On the 3rd October, day of

St. Francisco Javier, Ana

Garrigues, Mª Ángeles, Flora

Magro, Milagrosa, Pilar, Ma-

ri Carmen and myself went to

Loyola for the inauguration

of the General Congregation

of Congregatio Jesu.

We gathered with the others

outside of the Loyola Santu-

ary. Most of them were

dressed in regional suits and

they had flags representing

all the countries where the

CJ’s are present. We went in

quietly, carrying a flag, as a

symbol of the presence of

Mary Ward. During the

Mass, we were talked about

the intuition of Mary Ward

about “taking the same than

the Company” and the Call to

an universal mission as col-

laborators of God’s Kingdom.

Each of us had the opportuni-

ty to meet again with lots of

friends and the privilege to

know new people and differ-

ent missions. We really wish

and pray for them to be open

to the action of the Spirit in

these days and fell the ‘call to offer

hope’ (motto of the Congregation),

wherever the Spirit lead to them.

Blanca Bergareche

IBVMs and CJs, together during the Opening Ceremony. It was a %me for friendship

and all the sisters enjoyed their stay and the fact of being with old and new friends.

Nº3 Página 4

CONFER GENERAL ASSEMBLY

The IBVM took part in the General Assembly of Confer (Spanish Conference of Religious) in which

there were two main topics: Reli-gious life and Pastoral Voca-tion.

The General As-sembly took place on Madrid, on the 15, 16 and 17th November, and the meeting began with an Eucharist, presid-ed by the papal Nuncio, Monse-ñ o r R e n z o Fratini, who re-

minded the importance of the Religious life in the Church.

During the meeting, there were different presentations. One of them, by Juan Carlos Martos, CMF, talked about the Pastoral vocation in our days, reminding that “God is still calling”, and assuring that “it’s not time for pessi-mism, but for hope”.

Next day, Rosa Ruíz, sister ‘claretiana”, exposed the re-search done by the Reflection Team of the Young Pasto-ral Area, explaining how Congregations can work to attract young people and provoke in them the Discover-ing and Calling of God.

Finally, four young religious, men and women, shared their vocational experiences and explained how they see the Pastoral Vocation, providing new ideas and a very enriching vision to the Assembly.

AFRICA EUROPE FAITH AND JUSTICE NETWORK

Africa Europe Faith and Justice Network is a Faith-based International Network present in AFRICA and EUROPE, established in 1988. AEFJN pro-motes economic justice between the European Un-ion and sub-Saharan Africa so that Africa may look forward to a better future. We defend the rights of Africa in topics like Food Sovereignty, climate change, water, arms trafficking…

The General Secretary of the AEFJN is in Brussels, but there are 13 branches (called ANTENNAE be-cause one of their roles is to receive and transmit information and ideas), based in: Barcelona, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Madrid, Malta, Denmark, Poland, Portugal, Switzerland, and Unit-ed Kingdom.

This antennae gather once a month in order to in-form about the work that each team is doing. In Madrid, where the IBVM is having an active partici-pation, there are three work-groups: Food Sover-eignty, Arms trafficking and Medicines.

This year, María López de Haro was in the General Assembly, celebrated in Rome. She told us her ex-perience: “On November, 11th, we celebrated the General Assembly of the AEFJN in Rome. Usually, is Carmen, member of the Council, the person who goes to this meeting, but this time it was me, be-cause she was in a meeting with L&P in Casa Lore-to. For me, it was an opportunity to know closely this organization in which I know the Spanish Province has a very active role. In the meeting we

gathered with the representation of the religious con-gregations in Roma, the Executive Committee in Rome, a member of the Commission based in Brussels, and two speakers coming from Ireland: Tom Campbell and Patrick Marren.

In the presentation entitled: “Lobbing for justice in the extraction of row materials and natural resources n Africa”, the speakers explained that we are living a new colonization of the African continent, as it hap-pened on the XIX century. Even worst, because now it’s not only the European countries, but also Asia and North America. This is the reason why the AEFJN is working to help Africa to look for its own development, improve its own industry and take control of its own commerce.

If your are interested in this issue, you can find all the information on the website: www.aefjn.com

Página 5 INSTITUTO D E LA BIENAVENTURAD A VIRGEN MARÍA

LOOKING BACK TO OUR VISIT TO GUAYAQUIL

Our first introduction to Ecuador was a front page pho-

tograph in a newspaper handed out as we boarded a

plane for Guayaquil showing journalists wearing masks

or with their mouths taped over. No, it wasn’t a health

scare, it was a protest by journalists at a law being de-

bated in the parliament, a law which, according to the

protesters, would curb the freedom of the press and the

right to free speech. ‘Oops,’ I thought, ‘doesn’t sound

good for President Correa. Not another dictator in the

making, surely!.’

The welcome we received at the airport from Isabel,

Louise, Macarena, Victoria, Cecilia and Maria José

quickly banished such gloomy thoughts and from that

moment we were led into a delightful celebration of our

unity in who we are and how we are with people. In our

few days together we looked through one lens and then

another, the lens of the reality of Ecuador today, and

specifically of the part of Guayaquil where Louise, Isa-

bel and Macarena live and minister, and the lens of 400

years of IBVM.

We were six of us from Peru, Irene Reynolds, Mercedes

Ocharan, Ann O’Connell, Deepa Biswas, Pilar Nores

Comeca and Mary Elizabeth Kirke. Our enjoyment and

delight were tangible at the time and expressed in so

many ways; and again, this evening, almost two weeks

later, I asked each one to tell me, what impacted her

most in the visit to Guayaquil. Here is a sampler of our

responses:

Irene: For me it was two things especially, one, the

Amistad, the friendship: Meeting and spending time

with sisters I have known for 50 years, two of whom I

taught as children; and two, that it was the first Latin

America IBVM meeting. I want to thank the Spanish

It was a deligh ul celebra�on of unity. Maybe the best way to end the 400 Years of Mary Ward.

Nº3 Página 6

Province for making all this possible.

Deepa: The sense of community in a larger group, all

of us together, I loved that. There they were, all of

them, Isabel, Louise, Macarena, Victoria, Cecilia and

Maria José waiting for us at the airport. And the way

they organized everything for us in spite of their work

commitments was impressive. It was great to see their

courage and how much they have achieved in the short

time they have been there.

Pilar: For me it was the recorrido, the tour of the are-

as where they live and work, meeting the children of

the Refugio, learning about the work of Hogar de Cris-

to and Fe y Alegría. The meals in the sisters’ house

were a real celebration. Along with these, the talk about

the economic, social, education and political reality of

Ecuador from Lucho Tabara helped us understand

more.

Mercedes: The capacity for organization and the wel-

come we received. Learning about the sisters’ work and

how close they have become so close to the people in

the short time they have been in Guayaquil. The Mass

on the Sunday afternoon celebrating our 400 years was

a beautiful celebration with Cecilia, Victoria and Pilar

sharing what Mary Ward meant to them.

Ann: I loved the guided tour of the ecological Park

which showed us four different tropical eco systems,

wet forest, dry forest, the mangrove swamp and a small

farming area with its house of reeds. The colonial style

house with its actors and actresses telling us about

their lives allowed us a peep at history. The drive

around the areas where the sisters live and work gave

us a bird’s eye view of the extent and depths of their

“Mee�ng of the Sisters in La�n America” for the Closing of the IV Centenary of Mary Ward in the five con�nents.



ministries. And to meet Gabi again, with whom I had

previously worked closely, was a delight. Lucho’s

presentation was excellent. Heartfelt thanks to each

one for such thoughtful preparations and warm wel-

come.

Mary Elizabeth: For me I was delighted to learn

something about another Latin American country

and to see our sisters on mission there. Yes, the park

was a special treat, as was, of course, the boat trip on

the river estuary on the evening of our arrival. The

balmy night couldn’t have been more in contrast with

the chill, damp Lima we had left behind a few hours

before. I was touched by the time the sisters spent

with us, and the lovely mealtimes we shared. Lucho’s

talk was a great help and it threw a new light on that

front page photo of journalists with facemasks that we

had seen on our flight. The dispute with the press isn’t

quite what it seems nor does it point to a dictator in

the making. The journalists are protesting against a

proposed law requiring them to check the veracity of

their copy before going to press. It doesn’t sound like a

bad idea at all, does it?

Mary Elizabeth Kirke

The celebra�on ended up with an Eucharist, celebrated in the new Capilla of María de Nazaret, and was presided by our

friend Tomás Serrano, SJ, director of Fe y Alegría (Faith and Happiness) in Guayaquil. As you can see in the pictures, the

decora�on was wonderful and the Church was full of people of all ages.


Nº3 Página 8

Katie Lynch and Meabh Grogan

Loreto College Swords

(Given as the Homily at the Opening School Mass)

We were privileged to have travelled to Madrid for World Youth Day in August of this year along with six fellow Swords students and other Loreto students from around Ireland including Loreto Kilkenny, Beaufort and Bray. For those who may not know what World Youth Day is; it is a gathering of millions of young people from all over the world to celebrate our faith. World Youth Day was started by Pope John Paul II in 1985 and is celebrated at a week-long inter-national level every two to three years at different locations throughout the world. It was celebrated in Sydney Australia in 2008, in Madrid in 2011 and in 2013 it will be celebrated in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.

WYD is open to all young people and is a fantastic opportunity to experience first hand the love that God has for each and every one of us. It was amazing that everyone at WYD spoke different languages, had different cul-tures and fam-i ly back-grounds but the one thing we all had in common was our commit-ment to God and serving others. It was a great way to deepen our faith but also to meet thou-sands of other young people sharing the same ambi-tions and in-terests as us.

Although we were there for nearly two weeks the main WYD celebrat ions were spread over a 4 day

programme beginning with an opening mass by the Pope in the centre of Madrid. During these 4 days we stayed in a Loreto school in El Soto with Loreto boys and girls from Spain and England. Each day we at-tended work shops which included video making, the life and teachings of Mary ward, Justice and Peace, equality issues and music and dance. In our works shops we worked along side people of many different cultures and these were definitely one of the high-lights!

In the evening we would travel into Madrid for the main celebrations with the Pope. These included Sta-tions of the Cross through the streets of Madrid and the all night vigil with the Pope. The vigil was an amazing and unique experience, especially when the sheer force of the hurricane winds blew the Pope’s hat off and a spectacular thunder and lightning storm made the night sky light up in a way none of us had seen before. At that time we saw the force, the com-plexity and the beauty of God’s world right before us. It was definitely an experience we will never forget. People danced and sang all night long and we had a

“OUR EXPERIENCE IN THE WORLD YOUTH DAY IN MADRID”

Two pupils from Loreto Swords Schools (Ireland) tell us their experience during the WYD in Madrid

All the Young people came together in the streets of Madrid, wai�ng for the arrival of the

Pope. It was a very hot day, but nobody wanted to lose this opportunity to see the Holy Father.


chance to meet some amazing and interesting people, people that we would never have had an opportunity to meet before. We also saw the Pope drive by us on a few occasions which was a surreal experience!

The atmosphere on the streets of Madrid and indeed at the Loreto School was incredible and none of us will ever forget the feeling: the singing, cheering, dancing everywhere we turned, the crowded trains full of excited pilgrims all dancing and singing. We even had sing-offs with other groups of pilgrims on the trains! The joy that radiated from each person there was spectacular. We speak on behalf of all the girls when we say it was the most influential and

most positive experience we have ever had in our young lives.

Not only did we fully participate in the WYD pro-gramme but we also got a chance to experience the

Spanish culture when we went on day trips to Sego-via, the home of the most significant and best-preserved ancient monuments left on the Iberian Peninsula, and to El Escorial the burial place of the Spanish Royal family and also into Madrid for some of the amazing shopping it has to offer. We got to ex-perience the culture, food and the history of these places in a depth that would not have been on offer to us if we did not go on the trip. We even had time to


The Irish pupils stayed a few days in our House of Spirituality in Cercedilla (North Madrid). They enjoyed the

good weather, the Nature and some relaxing days. And, as we can see, they didn’t forget their flag!.

INSTITUTO D E LA BIENAVENTURAD A VIRGEN MARÍA

rest and relax by the pool. During this time we had a chance to get to know the other Loreto girls and to reflect on our expe-riences. It has been said that “something as powerful and unique as world youth day can light a fire within us that will have a hold on in good stead for all our lives.” It centres us and gives us a fresh perspective on life in which no challenge or burden in life is too big for us to take on.

We would like to thank especially Sr. Kathleen McLennan for making this experience possible and who along with our Reli-gion teacher Ms. Sheelan and Sr. Phil looked after us with more love and compassion than we could have ever thought possible.


“We find it amazing

how being a part of a

community like Loreto

can make you feel like

you are part of a wider

family and network of

people”

We find it amazing how being a part of a communi-ty like Loreto can make you feel like you are part of a wider family and network of people. Even though we were sleeping in a school hall, a thousand miles away from Ireland and staying with students that we never met before, we still felt so welcome and so at home with our Loreto Family.

We would like to conclude by saying if you have never been to a World Youth Day or would have never considered going, someday give it a try. It is a small investment that will reap huge rewards and benefits for the rest of your lives and can have a powerful influence on the lives of others around you. For it is events like these that help us live out the vision of Mary Ward to be:

"Seekers of truth and Doers of Justice"

Now you can also join us in Facebook.

We are already 145 friends

Nº3

Elena and me went to Salamanca for the XIV Congress of the European Society of Women in Theological Re-search. This year, the subject was: “Feminist theology: listening, understanding and giving answer in a secular and plural world”.

In words of her president, it was a time of “deep re-spect for diversity and opening to understand the reali-ty of the others, being conscious that each of us have something specific that cannot be replaced by anyone else. Each one of our attitudes, each thinking, each omission, has a double aspect: the individuality and the community in which I am”.

There were different workshops, presentations, en-counters and rituals accompanied by Art and Music from Eastern countries. At the same time, we celebrat-ed the 25 Anniversary of the Col-lectiu de Dones en l’E-glésia, Women and Theology Madrid, European Foro of Women, and the European Association of Theologian Women.

It was a rainbow open to imagination, creativity and real practice for a wide range of women thinking and reflecting together in this secular and plurar world that we live in.

The European Society of Women in Theological Re-search (ESWTR) is a network of women involved in academic research in the areas of theology and reli-gious studies. The Society hosts a European conference every two years to discuss relevant themes in feminist theology. Between conferences, women meet at nation-al or regional levels and continue to work together in subject groups.

Blanca Bergareche

For ten years the Association Sevilla Acoge has been tak-ing care of immigrants in the former Internship of Cas-tilleja (Sevilla). Now, they are moving into two new hous-es, financed by the Institute.

It was on the 25th November when the farewell party took place. It was a day for a mutual gratitude, after ten years working together. It was a day for giving thanks to all the people that has been helping the association, and specially it was a time for being together.

For a decade, this association has taken care of men and women who have found in “Sevilla Acoge” not only a home to stay, but also a place that helps them to look for a job, to get education, to organize celebrations like the Lamb Celebration (typical for Muslims)… It was people from India, Morocco, Russia, Bolivia… some of then were sleeping on the streets; others came directly from the hospital, some of them had to fight to keep their chil-dren… There are hundreds of stories that we will never forget.

Imagination, creativity and real practice

XIV Congress European Society of Women in Theological Research

Farewell party for ‘Sevilla Acoge”

Ten years working with immigrants


Nº3 Página 12

This year we are starting to implement the Coeduca-tion Plan in all our schools in Spain. This new chal-lenge is an answer to the General Congregation 2006, in which we were called to “face up the power abuse, especially in matters related to Women, in the Church and in the World”.

We are very proud of this initiative because we are convinced that this action fits perfectly with the com-promise that all Provinces have with women’s em-powerment.

The idea is to develop this Coeducation Plan through what we call “key competences”. This way, we make sure of the participation of all areas and subjects, as well as the whole teaching staff, pupils and families. In order to take the right way, we will count with the advice of Javier M. Valle, an specialist in Education from the University (Universidad Autónoma de Ma-drid).

In fact, the project has already started: last July we made initial formation to the Directive Team and now we’ll do the same with the teachers. As well, we will do a diagnosis of every school, having into ac-count the particular situation of each one.

We will keep you update with the Schools’ progress.

CO-EDUCATION PLAN

NEWS FROM OUR SCHOOLS

The meeting had place on the 25-24th November, in Castilleja de la Cuesta (Sevilla), Spain.

During the gathering, we welcomed the new teachers and some members of the IBVM explained and shared with them the charisma of Mary Ward.

Between the speakers, we had Isabel Gortázar, Josefina de Miguel and María José Muguerza, all of them IBVM religious; Juan Rueda, in charge of the pedagogic area; and Javier de la Morena, responsible of Pastoral in one of our schools.

Each of them explained their experience working in IBVM schools and the vision and charisma of Mary Ward to the new teachers.

During this two days, there was time for working in groups, personal reflection and collective talking. It was a weekend for getting to know each other and sharing ex-periences. An excel-lent preparation for the coming year!.

MEETING WITH THE

NEW TEACHERS

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