Print40 years of networking: celebrating history, opening new paths in community.
This was the theme of the Continental Network for Popular Education - JPIC meeting, held from October 26 to 31 in Bogotá, Colombia. Thirty participants from across the continent attended, including nine RSCJ members, alongside representatives from the Stuart Center for Transformative Learning (Clara Callahan and Jennifer Morfin), Barbara Dawson rscj (who connected the four apostolic priorities), Harving from JCOR, and Rachel rscj, representing the international JPIC team. The meeting was facilitated by Monica Ghirelli, a passionate advocate for popular education.
Each country shared its local realities and ongoing initiatives, followed by a collaborative planning session. The Province of Colombia offered an extraordinary welcome. We also enjoyed an evening with the Madeleine Sophie community, explored the San José workshop, prayed with the community, and visited the city.
This meeting deepened everyone’s commitment to popular education, emphasizing it as a way of life where each individual becomes an agent of their own transformation.
It was a truly inspiring gathering and approach for today’s world.
The JPIC International Team
Watch the heartfelt and inspiring opening video and welcoming remarks from Maruja rscj:
“Education is an act of subversive love.”
It was with this certainty in our hearts that we concluded the meeting. During these days, we shared experiences, reflections, and paths where popular education is renewed as a living force that liberates, humanizes, and transforms. Inspired by the intuition of Saint Madeleine Sophie, we confirm that an education based on love and an open heart remains a profound response to the challenges of today's world.
We celebrate and give thanks for the life of this network that continues to weave hope, community, and commitment among our peoples.
Maricruz Trigueros rscj – Maria Luisa Moreno rscj (Mexico)
Three videos inspired by the community and experiences during this meeting. We are pleased to share them below: