The Consolata Missionary Family, the Latin American and Caribbean Episcopal Council (CELAM), the Pan-Amazonian Ecclesial Network (REPAM), and the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA) invite you to the presentation of two fundamental works for ecclesial and pastoral reflection in the Amazon region: “Put Out into Deeper Waters” and “A Church with an Amazonian Face”. These texts stand as significant contributions to understanding the Church’s journey in dialogue with the peoples and territories of the Amazon.
In continuity with the renewing impulse of the Second Vatican Council, these publications capture the living action of the Spirit in the Church, which is manifested in the cultural, spiritual, and social diversity of the Amazonian peoples. The Amazon thus presents itself as a privileged theological setting where faith is incarnated in the concrete life of communities, shaping a Church with its own identity, deeply rooted in its territory and constantly attentive to the signs of the times.
The author of both works is Father Julio Caldeira, a Brazilian priest of the Consolata Missionary Family, with extensive missionary experience in Amazonian contexts. He currently resides and carries out his pastoral work in Cartagena del Chairá, in the Colombian Amazon, and serves as vice president of REPAM.
His direct experience in the mission has enabled him to develop a deeply incarnational reflection, where theology is not understood as an abstract discourse, but as a believer’s reading of reality. In his works, Fr. Caldeira draws on experiences, community processes, and pastoral challenges emerging from Amazonian peoples, offering a perspective that integrates spirituality, social commitment, and intercultural sensitivity. His thinking is in harmony with the paths opened by the Synod for the Amazon and the call for a Church with an Amazonian, synodal, and prophetic face.
The presentation will be moderated by Micaela Díaz of the CELAM Communications Center, with Cardinal Pedro Barreto, SJ, former president of CEAMA, and Ximena Lombana, current Executive Secretary of REPAM, serving as commentators. Both will share their perspectives on the challenges, lessons learned, and hopes emerging from the Church’s journey in the Amazon.
The presentation will take place virtually on Tuesday, May 5, at 5:00 p.m. (Bogotá time), allowing for the participation of pastoral workers, men and women religious, and individuals interested in the Church’s journey in the Amazon from various regions across the continent.
This event offers a unique opportunity to deepen our understanding of the evangelizing mission from a synodal, intercultural perspective committed to the care of our Common Home, in harmony with the ecclesial processes that have shaped the life of the Church in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Through this initiative, CEAMA reaffirms its commitment to a Church that listens, learns, and walks alongside the Amazonian peoples, promoting a pastoral conversion that responds to the cries of life, justice, and creation.