The Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration left the 2022 Mission Assembly, "A Revolution Through Encuentro: Our Journey Into Onenesss," June 10 through 12 in La Crosse, Wisconsin, filled with inspiration by the culture of every encounter they experienced with affiliates, partners in mission and invited guests. Fueled by too many encuentro moments to count, they walked together toward mutual transformation and conversion at the FSPA 2022 General Assembly, July 29 to 31, a meeting for sisters during which the commitment to mission and direction is deepened.
With the lens of encuentro found at the mission assembly meeting focused on all in the Earth community, FSPA succinctly discerned the Provocative Movements proclaimed at the FSPA 2018 Mission Assembly, "A Revolution of Goodness." The ministerial movement of building bridges of relationships that stretch us to be people of encounter who stand with all suffering in our Earth Community through Relationships, and finding freedom through Joyful Gospel Living to be transformed in love and goodness for community and mission, was resoundingly affirmed.
After considerable and careful reflection and discussion, FSPA’s third provocative movement — Unity in Diversity — was refined and rewritten to proclaim "We celebrate authentic unity in diversity by challenging our white privilege and working toward equity and inclusion of all." Says FSPA President Eileen McKenzie, "We addressed the gap between what we say and do: racism calls out our unconscious bias. ‘Challenging’ is an action that reflects the deeper work, calls us to expect discomfort. Deepening change will impact our outward, focused ministry and mission that must start with ourselves. And working toward ‘equity and inclusion of all’ addresses the power differential and inequity that is beyond racism including inequities of gender, sexual orientation, physical and neurological abilities and age. This movement speaks to our Franciscan spirituality and ‘minoritas,’ our attitude of humility."
This emergence, most certainly, is a new encuentro moment and chapter in FSPA history.
FSPA mission assembly invited guest, Chin Idriss, director of the Cameroon Education Foundation, attended the meeting in La Crosse and reflects upon his experience there — his new encuentro moment.
A Revolution Through Encuentro: Our Journey Into Oneness "was my first opportunity to attend an occasion with hundreds of sisters, [affiliates, partners in mission and other invited guests]," shares Chin. "I learned a lot from the group I was assigned to regarding encuentro. I was the only one from a Muslim background and from Africa attending. The two presenters [Ted Dunn, facilitator, and Sister Hilda Mateo, animator] were great and made me love the strange word "encuentro," which I heard for the first time during the great meeting. In fact this helps me to better under the mission of FSPA and partnership with Cameroon Education Foundation. I hope I will be given another encuentro."
Are you finding yourself in the experience of new encuentro moments as you walk your journey into oneness? Reflections? Photos? Video? Artwork? Song? If you're willing to share these encuentro experiences, contact Jen Pick at jpick@fspa.org.
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