On November 22-24, 115 Claretian lay members, along with a guest from Hayes, nearly 30 children, and five Claretian missionaries, participated in the XVI Assembly of the Bética Region, held in Seville. This area of the Movement is comprises 18 communities plus one in discernment from Andalusia, the Canary Islands, and Extremadura, totaling 216 members and seven more in discernment.
Fr. Gabriel Ponce, the outgoing Regional Advisor, gave a formative talk on concepts of sin that lead to the exclusion of individuals rather than their inclusion in the community. After approving the operational proposals of the four action lines under discussion (reaffirming identity, promoting transformative evangelization, prioritizing the most vulnerable, and strengthening fraternity), the new Regional Council to serve for the next three years was elected. Cristina López de Vergara from Tenerife continues as Coordinator, and Mariola Sosa from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria remains as Formation Officer. New members Enrique Vázquez, as Treasurer, and María Jesús Pérez-Solano, as Officer, both from Seville, join the Council.
Fr. Antonio Venceslá from the Málaga community was elected Regional Advisor. Congratulations to the new Council, and we wish the Region a faithful journey in the Claretian lay charism.
