Workshop on Interculturality

The physicist Isaac Newton once said, “Unity is variety, and variety in unity is the supreme law of the universe”. At this stage of our missionary life, we should be clear that “unity” and “variety” go hand in hand. Interculturality is a gift that enriches us, while also presenting us with great challenges. Wherever a claretian missionary sister is, whether in the community or in the mission, she encounters sisters and brothers from different cultures.

For two months, Bertha, Cathy, and I have been working as tutors in the Interculturality Workshop organized by the Claretian Missionaries, which, on this occasion, was opened to the members of the Claretian Family. In this edition, 32 sisters from various places within the Congregation participated.

The workshop has been a space for fraternal encounter, where we have learned from one another through shared experiences and reflections. It has also been an opportunity to grow in the perspective of the universal mission, and ultimately, it has been a proposal for ongoing formation that has helped us grow both personally and communally in life and mission.

Bertha, as a member of the coordinating team, highlights the fraternal atmosphere and teamwork with our claretian brothers, marking yet another step in walking with others.

Being a claretian sister in other cultures is an opportunity to grow both as women and as evangelizers. The dynamics of “inculturation” require time and patience to understand the new, while bringing out the best of ourselves; at the same time, it confronts us with our limits and failures. The workshop has helped us become more aware of this.

Over the course of eight weeks, the tutor introduced a weekly theme that we were required to work on, deepen, and pray over individually, before sharing it in the group. We explored the following topics: The richness of diversity and all that unites us in nature, culture, and the Christian community; our vocation as a treasure to be shared with others; cultural differences and how they affect communication; the cultural shock that impacts us when we live in different cultural contexts; how to move from ethnocentrism to ethno-relativism; interculturality as an opportunity for congregational life; and concluding by reflecting on ourselves as missionaries in the mission of the Church.

Bertha continues: “Being a tutor has been enriching. Sharing with the group members has allowed me to keep discovering new contributions to the topic of interculturality, which is a field that expands both in theory and in practice”. Opening the workshop to the entire Claretian Family in this edition has contributed to a greater richness in the sharing process. This innovation was highly valued in the evaluation.

We encourage you to participate in the next edition… DON’T MISS IT! You can join in English, French, or Spanish.