Nearly 40 people from different countries, religious congregations, church institutions, and indigenous leadership gathered from August 29 to 31 at the Xaré Retreat Center, run by the Indigenous Missionary Council (CIMI), in Manaus, to participate in the 25th Interinstitutional Meeting of the Itinerant Team.
Under the theme “Our Life in Mission and Care: Weaving Together Charisms and Resources in Service to the Kingdom”, the gathering became a space for remembrance, discernment, and planning a path marked by closeness to the Amazonian peoples and the building of networks in service to life.
The history of the Itinerant Mission Team, which dates back to the spiritual and ecclesiological insights of the Jesuit missionary Claudio Perani, cannot be understood as the history of a single institution. Rather, it is a network of communities and individuals who, through openness, flexibility, and communion, have shared a common vision: to travel along the Amazonian rivers, the peripheries, and the triple borders—where the lives of these peoples face great challenges and where few venture.
The gathering was attended by representatives of various religious congregations, ecclesial institutions, the Latin American and Caribbean Confederation of Men and Women Religious (CLAR), as well as Indigenous leaders who shared the struggles, hopes, and demands arising from their territories.
A Time to Give Thanks, Evaluate, and Plan for the Future
The gathering held special significance as it commemorated 25 years of inter-institutional collaboration, while the Itinerant Team prepares to celebrate, in 2028, three decades of presence and mission in the Amazon.
For this reason, one of the main purposes of the gathering was to launch a process of evaluation and reflection on the journey thus far. In addition to sharing the experiences and work carried out by the various mission centers, the participants defined the general framework for an evaluation that will help document the journey, recognize lessons learned, identify challenges, and plan for the coming years.
During the event, deadlines were also set, and efforts began to identify potential sources of support to carry out this process of reflection, gratitude, evaluation, and planning.
A Network That Sows Hope
Throughout its history, the Itinerant Team has been forging relationships and building a missionary presence marked by listening, closeness, and accompaniment of Amazonian communities.
From a place of fragility and simplicity, this network continues to sow hope in territories where geographical distances, social inequalities, and threats to life make it all the more necessary for the Church to walk alongside the people.
The 25th Interinstitutional Meeting was, thus, an opportunity to look back with gratitude on the journey taken and, at the same time, to look toward the future with hope.
Because this story, as those who are part of this community network recognize, belongs to God. It is a story that continues to grow out of the diversity of charisms, cultures, and services, and that remains committed to an itinerant mission capable of reaching the far corners of the Amazon where hope needs to make its presence felt.
As it marks 25 years of inter-institutional collaboration, the Itinerant Team renews its commitment to continue weaving together charisms, resources, and dreams in service to the Kingdom and to the lives of the Amazonian peoples.
