The 23rd Assembly of the UISG: “Consecrated Life, a Hope that Transforms”
The 23rd Assembly of the UISG: “Consecrated Life, a Hope that Transforms”
The 23rd Plenary Assembly of the UISG opened today in Rome at the Ergife Palace Hotel, with the participation of over 900 Superiors General from around the world.
The event is taking place at a crucial moment for the Church, marked by the recent passing of Pope Francis and the anticipation of a new Pontiff, which makes the chosen theme even more significant: “Consecrated Life: Hope that Transforms.”
Sr. Mary Barron, President of the UISG, inaugurated the proceedings by urging women religious to be “pilgrims of hope” in a wounded and fragmented world. She recalled the pillars of Pope Francis’ pontificate, such as personal encounter with Christ, synodality, authority as service, and vulnerability as a path to renewal.
The 60th anniversary of the UISG and the Jubilee Year make this journey of reflection and discernment even more profound.
During the morning, the UISG Report 2022-2025 was presented, documenting the concrete action of the UISG and its more than 1,900 member congregations.
Among the main initiatives are leadership and protection training programs, the global Talitha Kum network against trafficking, the Catholic Care for Children International project, commitment to migrants and refugees, and ecological activities inspired by the integral ecology promoted by Laudato si’.
Feedback from participants highlighted the global impact of the UISG, which is able to reach remote contexts and respond concretely to local crises. From Indonesia to Congo, women religious testified that hope, lived in communion and solidarity, is a transforming force. The assembly recognized the value of internationality as a gift and a challenge, praising the prophetic commitment of the UISG.
In the afternoon, theologian Sr. Mariola López Villanueva, rscj, offered a meditation on hope, understood as a “cords stretched out by God” to which we can cling. Not an abstract feeling, but a living bond that invites consecrated women to build networks of care, welcome, and beauty. It is a call to walk together, as humble pilgrims, in fidelity to the Gospel and in service to wounded humanity.
The day ended with an intense moment of dialogue and mutual listening: the more than 900 participants, divided into more than 90 tables, shared reflections and responses arising from the presentations and their common experience. The method of conversation in the Spirit guided this profound exchange, which concluded with a choral prayer, a sign of communion and hope.