Many of the communities and missions in our Province are currently being positively challenged by its multicultural reality. This is not only because they experience this reality first-hand in their mission, but also because we live it daily, and that is truly wonderful.
We would like to share some testimonies.
In the hymn to Father Claret, it says, “you reached even the most distant islands, announcing to men the forgiveness.” From this corner of the Atlantic Ocean, from our Canary Islands, the Las Palmas-Rabadán community is fortunate to live alongside missionaries from three different countries: Spain, Vietnam, and the Philippines. We live this reality as a richness that builds and strengthens the community. At the same time, it is a call that invites us to Jesus’ desire in His prayer: “Father, that they may be one” (John 17:21-23). And amidst this desire, our community, just as Padre Claret did 175 years ago in the Canaries, continues to announce that God is love in the parish, in the school, and in the various ministries we undertake. Different faces, different cultures: but one Lord sends us to keep proclaiming the Gospel.
Community of Las Palmas – Rabadán (Spain)
In my life as a Claretian missionary, one of the most profound changes has been the transformation of my own heart through the interculturality I have had. The Spirit is at work, not just in me, but through the diverse cultural experiences and communities I come across.
As an Indian Claretian missionary, my journey of living interculturality has been both a challenge and a blessing. Coming from a deeply rooted cultural and spiritual tradition, my experience of mission in a multicultural and international community has opened my eyes to the richness of God’s presence in different cultures. Our Claretian charism emphasises mission through service and a deep commitment to evangelisation.
As a missionary, my understanding of interculturality is not just as a concept but as a lived reality—one that deepens my experience of faith, community, and mission. My journey in intercultural living began the moment I entered the Claretian family.
I was born and raised in India, where faith and culture are deeply intertwined. Coming from a land rich in tradition, my spiritual practices and worldview were shaped by the cultural context in which I grew up. Initially, I understood my mission to be primarily for my own people, my own culture, and my own language. But when I joined the Claretian family, a family that emphasises the universal mission of the Church, I soon discovered that the true meaning of being a missionary was much broader. It was about embracing and encountering Christ in all cultures and all people by learning from them and adapting my understanding of faith in light of their experiences.
The first challenge I faced in intercultural living was the diversity of the Claretian community itself. Our community in Spain was composed of brothers from different parts of the world-Asia, Africa, and Europe. Everyone brought with them a multitude of languages, customs, and ways of being Christian and Claretian. At first, I struggled with the rhythm of our daily lives. I realised that my experience of faith in India was quite different from the reserved forms of worship practiced in Europe.
For instance, the Indian tradition of offering aarti (a prayer with light) and singing bhajans was very different from the solemn and structured prayers that some of my European brothers were accustomed to. There were moments when I felt disconnected, as though the warmth and openness of my culture could not find its place in the broader international community. I struggled with the fear that my own cultural expression of faith might not be valued or understood in the same way by others.
However, our Claretian charism, emphasises the importance of universal mission and the value of each person’s experience, helped me see that interculturality is not about one culture dominating another but about learning from the richness that each culture brings to the table. Over time, I came to see that each culture, with its strengths and weaknesses, offers something unique to the Body of Christ.
In my personal journey of interculturality, I have often reflected on the words of Ezekiel 36:26: “I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you.” Living in an intercultural community, I have experienced this new heart, a heart that has expanded to embrace not only the people from my own culture but also the peoples of the world, acknowledging that the Spirit of God is at work in every culture.
Community of Hayes (United Kingdom)
The Claretian educational offering in Portugal, particularly at Carvalhos, has always been deeply influenced by diverse, enriching social and cultural environments. This is a result of its educational vision and the circumstance of providing boarding school services to students from distant origins who sought quality education to enable them to look to the future with hope and optimism.
Colégio Claret continues to embrace this experience and challenge today, notably through the presence of many students from Africa—particularly Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Guinea—as well as from Brazil, Spain, and other parts of the world. This is indeed a challenge, as it compels us to let go of our certainties and convictions and allow the cultural richness each student brings to “disrupt” and deconstruct everything we took for granted.
Naturally, the “cultural shock” in areas such as family values, the value of work and human dignity, personal and social development, and differences in educational systems—leading to challenges in the teaching and learning process—are difficult issues to address and work through. Yet, by engaging with each student personally, meeting their gaze with closeness, demanding rigour without paternalism, we manage to help each one develop, work on, and deepen a meaningful life project.
However, it is essential to emphasise that despite the difficulties and challenges, the richness each student brings to relationships, the diversity of perspectives on the world and surrounding realities, and the fraternal closeness with which we embrace one another in this joint challenge of teaching and learning together enrich us all. We emerge with greater confidence and hope for the future.
If it is true that unity is built in diversity, paradoxically, that unity also ensures that the diversity and unique gifts of each person are never lost but instead remain their distinct mark on the world. Unity should never mean erasing diversity or the individuality of each person, and profound respect for who each one is must always prevail. If education is about growth, educating in and for diversity allows for a more complete form of growth. Education and culture are the two sides of the same coin: humanity.
We are a house with wide-open doors, unafraid of diversity, interculturality, and the construction of a shared home where everyone has their place and is “a place for the other,” as the poet Daniel Faria once said.
Colégio Internato Claret
