VATICAN: 23rd UISG Plenary Assembly to Reflect on Mission as a Sign of Hope and Transmission
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
The 23rd Plenary Assembly of the International Union of Superiors General (UISG), scheduled to take place from May 5 to 9, in Rome at the Ergife Palace Hotel, aims to explore the role of women Religious as catalysts of hope and agents of transformation in a world facing numerous challenges.
In a statement shared by the Holy Press Office in Rome on behalf of the UISG leadership, the conference will bring together nearly 900 Superior Generals from 75 different nationalities and build on the late Pope Francis’ message, “Messengers and builders of hope” for “a new evangelizing season of the Church, sent to revive hope in the world.”
In the statement dated Tuesday, April 29, the UISG President Sr. Mary Barron, a member of the Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles (OLA), emphasized the assembly’s focus on prophetic witness, radical love, courageous innovation, and joyful community life as pathways to embody transformative hope.
The assembly will employ the “Conversation in the Spirit” methodology, fostering inclusive dialogue and attentive listening among participants. Through shared experiences and mutual support, the plenary aims to deepen the understanding of consecrated life as a beacon of hope, inspiring renewed commitment to justice, compassion, and unity within the Church and broader society.
Themed “Consecrated Life: A Hope That Transforms,” the assembly invites women religious to reflect on their mission as a sign of hope and transformation in today’s world.
Since 1965, UISG has provided a meeting place for Superiors General to come together in an ecclesiastical context. Composed of members from around the world, it aims to build bridges and networks to create new strategies and synergies that enable women religious to communicate across geographic distances and linguistic and cultural differences, to be in communion with one another, and to build a global community together.
The General Superiors normally gather in Rome every three years for the Plenary Assembly, which is the UISG’s organ for consultation, organization, and reflection.
Currently, the UISG, whose mission is to promote a broader and deeper understanding of women’s Religious life in all its diversity and complexity, has more than 1,900 Superior Generals as members, and whose general houses are distributed in 97 countries around the world.
From Europe, attendees will be 1,046 Superiors from 25 countries, Asia 184 superiors from 16 countries, America: 479 superiors from 30 countries, Africa: 166 superiors from 22 countries, and Oceania will have 28 superiors from 4 countries.
