“TOWARDS A TRANSFORMATIVE CLARETIAN EDUCATION”
Change of date of the IV Congress of Educators of the CF to 2021
Dear Leaders of the different branches of the Claretian Family (Superiors and Directors General), Authorities of Equatorial Guinea and Bishop of Mongomo, Major Superiors and Prefects of Apostolate, Members of the Organizing Commission of the Congress, Lecturers, Coordinators of the workshops and other Educators:
Greetings from Malabo and Rome, respectively. We hope you are well, as well as your families, communities and institutions.
After making a previous consultation and discerning together this matter and the context we are living, we have unanimously decided to postpone the IV Congress of Educators of the Claretian Family to 2021, in the same place (Mongomo – Equatorial Guinea) and dates (from November 2 to 6, but 2021).
COVID-19 continues to affect us deeply around the world. We need more time to overcome this epidemic situation, to normalize the official documentation procedures, as well as international travel and to ensure the other conditions for hosting and carrying out the Congress.
Unlike other initiatives and meetings, we think that a Congress like this should not be held online. In addition to the increased technical and logistical complications (due to the quality of the internet in the various geographical latitudes, the practical specificity of the workshops), we would lose the indispensable personal interaction, the fluid dialogue between participants and speakers, the fraternal sharing at all moments of the program, etc. that a face-to-face Congress favours. We opted to do it in person one year later than planned, on the same dates and at the same place previously announced, with the commitment of the Organizing Commission and taking advantage of the work done so far.
We will reopen the registration for the Congress on May 1st, 2021 (asking those who had already registered to send us their new form) and we will also update the statistical data during the first quarter of next year.
We are very grateful for your understanding and cooperation. We regret any inconvenience caused by this change of date.
Let us entrust to God the direct and indirect victims of this pandemic, as well as those who are fighting it in the front line and even the people who are determined to overcome this common challenge.
May Mary, the Mother of Jesus and ours, protect us all.
Rome and Malabo, 3rd July 2020.
The General Prefects of Apostolate of: the Missionaries of Mary Immaculate (MMI), the Claretian Missionary Sisters (RMI) and the Claretian Missionaries (CMF).
