From May 3 to 10, the First Meeting of Local Superiors of the Hospitaller Sisters was held in Guadarrama, an experience of formation, reflection, and communion lived under the motto: “On the Path of Revitalization: service of animation and hospitaller governance.”
During these days, 24 local superiors from seven provinces, accompanied by the Superior General, Sr. Idília Mª Carneiro, and sisters from the General Government, deepened their understanding of different aspects related to leadership, community life, and the current challenges of consecrated life and the hospitaller mission.
The days of May 7 and 8, the final days of the meeting, were especially dedicated to deepening charismatic leadership. The participants were joined by Sr. Anabela Carneiro, who invited the sisters to rediscover the style of leadership lived by the Founders of the Congregation.
Through different reflections and activities, they deepened their understanding of the figure of Saint Benito Menni and his way of exercising authority through faith, accompaniment, and the promotion of the mission. Likewise, the witness of María Josefa Recio was highlighted, with her humble service and attentive concern for the good of others, and that of María Angustias Giménez, as an example of a life deeply centered on Jesus and committed to fraternal life.
These testimonies gave way to moments of shared discernment, where the participants were able to confront and review their own way of exercising leadership in the local communities.
During the Eucharist celebrated on May 7, presided over by an Augustinian religious, the sisters were invited to deepen their reflection on the encyclical Dilexit Nos and to live a concrete holiness, especially present in the most forgotten and wounded places of humanity, where “the poorest among the poor” are found.
May 8 continued with reflection on charismatic leadership in the light of the Constitutions, the Directory, and the Chapter documents, guided by Sr. Mª Begoña Pérez. Afterwards, Sr. Idília addressed some final words encouraging the cultivation of an attitude of gratitude, listening, and openness to the Spirit during this time of congregational revitalization and restructuring.
The meeting concluded with the establishment of a common commitment that encourages the participants to continue seeking God’s will together and strengthening the service of animation and hospitaller governance in the different communities.
As the closing of this intense week, on May 9 the sisters experienced a particularly meaningful cultural and charismatic day. In the morning they visited the Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial and, in the afternoon, they traveled to the Mother House in Ciempozuelos, where they were fraternally welcomed by the community.
This return to the foundational roots had a profound spiritual and charismatic value for the participants, who were able to present before the Founders the realities and challenges of their communities. The day concluded with the celebration of the Eucharist presided over by Ginés Ramón Beltrán, the visit to different emblematic spaces of the Mother House, and an atmosphere of encounter and shared gratitude.
The participants now return to their communities carrying with them the fruits of this experience of communion, formation, and revitalization, grateful for this opportunity to continue growing together in the spirit of hospitality.
