CA MSC Meeting: An Invitation to listen with the Heart

From July 13 to 20, 2026, the CA MSC meeting took place in Lima, Peru, bringing together the Provincials and Formators from the Americas. This meeting is held every two years, and its primary purpose is to evaluate the MSC mission in the Americas, as well as to propose a path toward greater collaboration among the entities, thereby strengthening the missionary identity and sense of unity within our Congregation.

The Facilitator of the meeting was our Superior General, Fr. Absalón, assisted by the General Councilor responsible for formation, Fr. Bram, and the head of the safeguarding office, Fr. Didier. The gathering included four days of joint reflection among Formators and Provincials, followed by two days of separate meetings for each group. We also spent two days touring Lima and visiting two MSC parishes, the provincial house, and the MSC Sisters, including a beautiful time of sharing and fellowship with the lay members of the Chevalier Family.

The facilitation during the gathering helped us to name our reality and listen to the movements of the Spirit within the group. We were called to look at “what is happening”—the joys and challenges we are experiencing—and to ask ourselves, “What new things are emerging” among us? The Spirituality of the Heart structured our reflections around its four movements: encounter, intimacy, conversion, and mission.

In short, the methodology used helped us perceive a reality permeated by hope—the CAMSC gatherings, the relevance of our charism today, the vocations that are emerging, the support of our leaders, and the desire to walk together— as well as the tensions and calls. The group identified the need to overcome issues such as activism that leads to burnout. The lack of leadership and missionary spirit through more caring and effective attention to fraternal life, greater collaboration among entities, and the ongoing accompaniment and formation of leaders.

A fundamental theme addressed throughout the process was safeguarding as prevention and protection. It was assumed that safeguarding is a concrete way of living the Gospel of love and care. Therefore, it is not merely a task for Superiors during times of crisis, but a responsibility for everyone—a culture that must be fostered in our religious communities and that embodies the greatest treasure of our Congregation: the Spirituality of the Heart.

After much reflection and sharing, enlightened by the Word of God and guided by the Emmaus Document, several priorities were identified for the emerging future: strengthening interprovincial and interinstitutional collaboration; consolidating an ongoing process of formation and accompaniment for Formators and Vocation Directors; establishing common criteria for formation; foster a culture of safeguarding; and strengthen the joint theological schools as spaces for shared formation and Continental co-responsibility.

Separate meetings of Provincials and Formators also yielded other concrete results: the appointment of Fr. Ronnie Anderson (Rio de Janeiro Province) and Fr. Marvin (Central America Province) as, respectively, Coordinator and Vice-coordinator of CAMSC, replacing Frs. Raul (Central America Province) and Messias (Peru Province); and the creation of a support and formation group for CAMSC Formators and Vocation Promoters.

These were intense days filled with hard work, prayer, and shared reflection, during which the group made an effort to listen to the Spirit from an ecosystemic perspective of the Congregation. They were also days marked by fraternity, joy, and a good sense of humor—characteristics that stand out at every MSC gathering.

We returned to our missions encouraged by what we saw and heard together. The warm and generous welcome from our confreres in the Province of Peru will remain in our hearts. May Our Lady of the Sacred Heart help us to continue walking together and building structures that serve the Church and, above all, the most vulnerable and least of this world.

Pablo Moura, MSC. Rio de Janeiro Province