Panama City, Panama. From July 8 to 16, 2026, nearly forty participants from the different Major Organisms of MICLA and various branches of the Claretian Family gathered at the Retreat Hourse Monte Alverna for the Claretian Spirituality Encounter under the theme “Mystical Missionaries for America.”
The Encounter was the fruit of a discernment process that began following the Claretian Spirituality Congress held in Vic in 2024. Participants included the Superior General, Fr. Mathew Vattamattam, CMF; the General Prefect of Spirituality and Community Life, Fr. Carlos Sánchez, CMF; Provincial Superiors, MICLA delegates, and representatives of several branches of the Claretian Family.
The gathering combined prayer, conferences, testimonies, and work in “life groups” using the Conversation in the Spirit methodology. Reflections addressed themes such as synodality, community life, the option for the poor, interculturality, shared mission with the laity, the participation of younger generations, and integral ecology.
A significant moment was the encounter with the Guna people of Dagargunyala, where participants shared in the faith, culture, and hospitality of the community, deepening their understanding of mission as an experience of listening, encounter, and reciprocity.
The assembly also received a fraternal visit from Archbishop José Domingo Ulloa Mendieta, Archbishop of Panama, who expressed his gratitude for the service of the Claretian Missionaries in the country.
During the closing session, which coincided with the 177th anniversary of the founding of the Congregation, the participants approved the Final Document by consensus. Fr. Mathew Vattamattam, CMF, emphasized the importance of keeping the roots of spiritual life deep and of cultivating both personal and communal union with Jesus Christ.
The Encounter concluded with a call to return to communities and missionary projects with renewed fidelity to the charism, allowing themselves to be transformed by the Spirit and walking together as authentic “mystical missionaries” at the service of the peoples of America.
The Final Document of the MICLA Claretian Spirituality Encounter can be downloaded here.
