Indigenous Consecrated Life in Latin America and the Caribbean gathered in Guatemala to share experiences, spiritualities, and ancestral knowledge as part of the seminar “Mysticism and Ancestral Healing for a New Birth”, an event organized by the Latin American and Caribbean Confederation of Religious Men and Women (CLAR) to explore in depth the paths of healing, memory, identity, and renewal in Consecrated Life from the perspective of Indigenous peoples.
Representing the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA) was Sister Elis Ribeiro dos Santos, SDP, an Indigenous religious of the Mura people and a member of the Congregation of the Sisters of Divine Providence. Sister Elis has a degree in Education and a master’s degree in Social Anthropology, and she coordinates, advises on, and supports socio-environmental projects linked to the Economy of Francis and Clare.
She currently coordinates the Casa Amazônica de Francisco e Clara project in Manaus (Brazil) and serves on the Commission for Integral Ecology of the Archdiocese of Manaus and the Commission for Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) of her religious province.
A space to listen to the voices of indigenous peoples
The seminar brought together religious men and women, laypeople, and priests from nine countries, who reflected on the challenges currently facing indigenous peoples: the threat to and dispossession of their territories, the denial or folklorization of their spiritualities, displacement, memories of violence, and inequalities that particularly affect indigenous women, girls, boys, and the elderly.
In light of this reality, the gathering proposed understanding ancestral healing as a path that involves acknowledging historical and current wounds, recovering memory, listening to the wisdom of the peoples, and opening spaces for intercultural dialogue. The seminar also highlighted the need to challenge colonial ways of thinking still present in communities and institutions, recognizing that “decolonization is also healing.”
During the event, indigenous and religious women shared their experiences; ceremonies were held along with spaces for the exchange of knowledge; and the relationship between spirituality, territory, memory, and community was explored in depth. The Mayan ceremonies allowed participants to connect with other ways of relating to their ancestors, to give thanks, to contemplate, and to recognize Mother Earth as a sacred space of life.
The Amazon as Inspiration for Weaving New Paths
One of the highlights of the seminar was marked by the spirituality of the Amazonian peoples and by the invitation to reconnect with the earth, the forest, and one’s own body, recognizing that the cry of the poor is deeply linked to the cry of a wounded earth.
The experience of weaving was presented as a metaphor for understanding life through interconnection: different fibers, experiences, memories, and systems of knowledge come together to form a shared fabric. From this perspective, the textiles and embroidery of Indigenous peoples were recognized as living codices of a spirituality that has managed to endure within community practices, despite historical processes that sought to deny it.
The meeting concluded with an invitation to continue “opening our eyes, sensing presences, and weaving dreams”, understanding “Being Born Anew” not as a single moment but as an ongoing path of transformation and commitment alongside Indigenous peoples.
For CEAMA, Sister Elis Ribeiro dos Santos’ participation represents the presence and contribution of the Amazon in these spaces for continental dialogue, where the voices, spiritualities, and knowledge of Indigenous peoples enrich the search for a Church with an Amazonian, intercultural character that is committed to caring for our Common Home.