4 August 2026. With great anticipation and joy, the participants in the Sixth Expanded General Council arrived in Ráquira, in the department of Boyacá, Colombia. Coming from Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa, the General Government and the Government Teams of the Congregation’s six jurisdictions, comprising 35 Sisters of different nationalities, brought with them the realities of the Congregation’s mission and presence in the 32 countries where it serves.
Convened by the Superior General, the Sisters are taking part in this gathering as a privileged opportunity for discernment, communion and shared responsibility. The Expanded General Council is a consultative body that meets once every six-year term, offering the Sisters the opportunity to pause along the journey, listen together to the voice of the Holy Spirit, read the signs of the times and strengthen the Congregation’s mission.
In harmony with the Franciscan Jubilee Year and with the journey of both the Church and the Congregation in fostering the care and nurturing of life, the Sisters were invited to open themselves to God’s action, allowing Him to lead them wherever and however He wills. In this spirit, they celebrate the Council under the theme: “Called to Revitalize Our Missionary Commitment to Repair the World in the Public Squares We Inhabit,” renewing their desire to respond with fidelity and hope to the challenges of mission in today’s world.
The integration celebration, entitled “Vessels of the Same Clay,” was animated by the Leadership Team of the Province of Our Mother of the Good Shepherd. Through moments of reflection, dialogue and fraternal sharing, the celebration enabled each Sister to recognize herself as a clay vessel: fragile and unique, shaped by hands that sustain her, softened by the water that makes her pliable, strengthened by fire and beautified by the Divine Potter.
The participants received a warm welcome from the Haskala Cultural Foundation through a beautiful presentation of traditional dances and songs. The colorful and graceful performances admirably reflected Colombia’s rich multicultural and multiethnic heritage, offering a meaningful glimpse into the country’s cultural diversity.
The day concluded with hearts filled with gratitude for the greatness of God’s work in the life of each participant. Enriched by the experience of community-building and inspired by the cultural richness they had witnessed, the Sisters ended the day with renewed joy and grateful hearts, ready to begin the work of the Sixth Expanded General Council.
With this interior disposition, the Sisters began the Sixth Expanded General Council, trusting in the action of the Holy Spirit to discern the paths that God is opening for the Congregation and to renew, with courage and hope, their missionary commitment to repair the world in the “public squares” they inhabit today.
