c r o s s r o a d sfiles.ctctcdn.com/590b1283101/3e781c1d-47cd-46b1-bbfd-d...crossroads january 2014...

Crossroads January 2014

C R O S S R O A D S

A Newsletter of the Grail International Leadership Team January 2014

Table of contents

Letter from the outgoing ILT January 2014 ............................................................................................................................ 3

Letter from the incoming ILT January 2014 ............................................................................................................................ 6

Words from the Editor, Carol Siemering ................................................................................................................................. 7

Training for Transformation, an introduction Carol Webb USA ............................................................................................. 8

Training for Transformation, Sydney Ruth Crowe, for the Sydney Team, Australia ............................................................... 9

Aprendizagem pela Conversa (Portuguese) no Centro do Graal da Golegã Marijke de Koning Portugal ........................... 10

Conversational Learning (English) in the Golegã Grail Center Marijke de Koning Portugal ................................................ 11

Training for Transformaton in the Philippines Christine P. Garinganao and Jeanette V. Loanzon Philippines .................... 12

A project with immigrant women in Milano Claudia Gras, Pia Zuccolin and Gemma di Marino for Italy ........................... 13

Another World is Possible Ntombi Talent Nyathi South Africa............................................................................................ 15

La mujer guardiana de la naturaleza Ma Luisa Mejia Lagunas Mexico ................................................................................ 17

Update from the Bronx Mary Kay Louchart USA .................................................................................................................. 18

Sobrado Retreat Ticha Vasconcelos Portugal ....................................................................................................................... 19

International breakfast in the Grail Center Mulheim Hui Xia, translated by Gerda Kaufmann Germany............................ 21

Mary Boyd receives the Order of Canada, Ada MacDonald Canada .................................................................................... 22

From Bibi Helgesson Sweden ................................................................................................................................................ 23

Rest in Joy and Peace Madiba Anne Hope South Africa....................................................................................................... 23


ILT Contact Details

Zodwa Mabaso P.O. BOX 54957 Wierda Park, 0149 Pretoria, GP South Africa +27-12 997 4648 home +27-82 312 0260 cell [email protected] skype: zodwa123

Marian Schwab 1448 Cotswold Lane Hamilton OH 45013 U.S.A +1-513 737 0595 [email protected] skype:

Maria Carlos Ramos Vivenda da Serra – Sitio dos Casais Próximos 9100 SANTO DA SERRA Madeira Island Portugal +351-961 210 036 [email protected] skype:

International Finance Officer Mieneke Hage Schubertlaan 115 2324 CR Leiden The Netherlands Ph.: 31-71-5762055 Fax: 31-71-5767608 [email protected] Skype: mienekehage

Administrative Assistant Mary Omedo Nieuwegracht 51 3512 LE Utrecht The Netherlands Ph. 31-74-707-4273 [email protected]

Skype: omedoma1

mailto:[email protected]



UBUNTU “I am because we are” Nelson Mandela

from the Grail in Italy

Letter from the outgoing ILT January 2014 Dear Grail Women around the World,

“and it was evening and it was morning – another day”

There have been many evenings, many mornings since we started out as ILT in January 2010 until now. In between we experienced a most creative and special time, full of challenges, meetings, concerns, tasks, disappointments and full of the most wonderful and joyful events. Remember - four years ago, Carol and Christa took over from Ruth Crowe and Mary Gindhardt, with Cristina dos Anjos

on the side, daring a second term of office.

Our days in Utrecht now hold the challenge to look back at our term of office, to evaluate the strategies and outcomes –

without lamenting or painting too positive a picture of our work!

Below you will find a review of our time as the Grail International Leadership Team, now history. And you may draw

your own picture and create your own judgements, as it was not only “our time”, but also yours. How could we ever

start any project, go through difficulties, arrange for programs without your openness, your contributions, your active

cooperation? How could we claim any success, without mentioning your faithful duty, your living with us, your blessing

us with you prayers?

It was Hermien van Sloten who assisted us so faithfully as Administrative Assistant in the first year. Mary Omedo took

over from Hermien and continues to put all her being into the role of International Secretary, showing a deep interest

and a wonderful gift of communication all over the globe. There is Mieneke Hage, who has made the finances and all her

talents connected to it her life commitment, assisted by Mary Farrell. What would we have done without them? We

owe a big thank you to all the leaders, the IC representatives, the ones on teams, networks and work groups.


All of you Grail women are included in our gratitude, for you are part of everything achieved on the path we walked

together. Thank you, webale, obrigada, gracias, danke, asante sana. Be blessed for all your engagements.

Taking up leadership was seen by us as a call from God with and right in the face of the Creator. We tried to always

make our decisions respectfully, we struggled to make Gods name known and his kingdom to be more visible – and so

our deepest gratitude and praise is going to God.

To share time and challenges, plans and outcomes, ongoing processes and new dreams with the new ILT, arriving soon,

is our task of the coming week - and our good wishes go with them through the years to come. “and it will be morning

and evening – another time”

What have we tried to accomplish/ to build/ to encourage? What are some things we focused on and changes we

made?

Finances - working closely with Mieneke, IC representatives, and IGA delegates: to make the budget reflect the

priorities, vision and mission of the Grail; to create new budget areas for outreach, community projects, resource

people, Grail Centres, translation, and international exchange; to find the team to work with the newly created HEF –

Higher Education Fund; to make the budget and financial reports more transparent and easier to understand; to rewrite

some IAF – International Assistance Fund – policy; to have a new policy on fund-raising.

Training: at every international meeting, we added training days on leadership, conflict resolution, popular education

methodologies, facilitation and group work to name a few. In addition, Carol held training workshops on popular

education in all regions (12 countries).

Outreach: we put emphasis at every meeting and in every publication on the need to reach out to new women and to

grow the Grail. This push was a priority for our work in regions and internationally.

Communication: getting the Newsletter and Crossroads published and distributed; getting the new website up and

running. (GJOP Bulletin comes through the network rather than through ILT).

Developing stronger regions: meetings were encouraged and held in every region. It is our hope that these

connections will continue to grow and develop.

Building organizational strengths: asking teams to lay out plans, goals, outcomes and budgets for projects, meetings or

programmes to be funded – based on a common model; working with countries to develop strategic plans; supporting

training for leadership development.

Accountability and responsibility: developing detailed preparation packets for National groups, IC representatives and

IGA delegates so that proper reflection and consultation could happen prior to international gatherings and so that

persons attending are more accountable to their own national Grail groups; the ILT always used the plans and ideas

from the IGA and IC to guide our work – staying accountable to these plans and the mandates of the movement.

Inclusion and listening to each other: working to listen carefully to each country and all members and to do away with

special treatment; developing policies that treat all countries with fairness; hold the same expectations of the leadership

in each country.


Growing the Grail in new countries: a programme and policy was proposed.

Gatherings not mandated by international Grail: criteria for participation were developed

International Exchange: a team was created and they have put systems and guidelines in place

Vision Statement: a process in which members in every country participated and gave input; a statement was approved

at the 2011 IGA.

Txintxa: every country studied the same readings and materials and we shared our responses with each other; we hope

that this sharing will lead us to a better understanding of our commonalities and differences in our life as Grail; the work

was passed from the previous team to a new team.

Networks, Workgroups, Teams: new ideas and ways of working were developed at the IGA

The Grail and our Challenges

Networks, Workgroups, teams: new ideas and ways of working were developed at the IGA but still, as Grail, we struggle

with how to make these more real, more effective, more connected to our common life as Grail women. What do we try

now?

Regional groups: How are they made more alive? How do they engage more women?

Communications: How can the Grail get people to respond more quickly and seriously to requests from the

international or from another country? How can the website be used more and become a regular part of our

communications structures?

Outreach: How does the Grail get countries to take up the challenge of finding new members? What else can be done

to support these efforts internationally? How do we make this even more urgent for national groups as we move into

the future?

Visibility: How can the Grail be made more visible, more known in public arenas?

Organisational development: How can each country learn to plan, develop goals, name outcomes, make budgets and

follow-up so that there are results from our work? How can this become our common practice?

International Exchange and Resource persons: How can countries be further encouraged to take up these initiatives

that are available to them?

Responsibility: How can IC members stay more active and work between IC meetings? What is the key to getting

responses from NLT’s in a timely way?

Leadership Development: How does the Grail continue to promote, support and encourage this in each country? How

do we share skills and practices between countries?

Staying open to our diversity - spiritual, organizational, cultural; How can this diversity be seen as a richness and how

do we continue the dialogue with one another recognizing that we see the Grail from many different perspectives?


Language: How can translation in publications and in meetings be done more effectively?

There is continuing work and several processes in place

International Formation Plans and Programmes History/ Archive Work All the networks, workgroups, dialogue groups from the IGA International Exchange Nucleus Discussion Process Txintxa Oversight of outreach to new countries (currently Brasil and Paraguay and some possibilities between Mocambique and Angola)

Letter from the incoming ILT January 2014 Dear Friends in the Grail all over the Globe,

This issue of Crossroads comes at the time of the actual crossing of paths between the old and the new International

Leadership Team. The handover meeting scheduled to take place between the 29th January and the 14th February 2014

will lead to the planning for the year. Our letter is therefore meant as a thank you to the outgoing ILT and to all those

other Grail women who have been supporting us so much during this transition process.

We thank the outgoing ILT – Carol Webb, Cristina dos Anjos Conceição and Christa Werner for serving faithfully and for

keeping the Grail Spirit alive. We admired your ability to balance consultation and applying your minds to requests while

providing prompt responses to requests. You were open to listen and consider proposals even outside your scheduled

Skype meetings. We are truly sorry to see you retire. We look forward to working with you during the handover period

and beyond. We are especially grateful that Christa has agreed to walk with the new team for a period of time.

We thank the Secretariat – Mary Omedo for the sterling work you have done and will continue to do as we take office;

the Finance Officer – Mieneke Hage for serving efficiently with integrity for so many years – in addition to the Finance

Team, the International Council members and the members of all the other International Teams who have continued

their good work without waiting for the new ILT to begin.

We thank the International Election Team – Loek Goemans, Emilia Charbonneau and Ann Moore for conducting a ‘free

and fair’ election process; the National Election Persons for making sure that all eligible Grail members participate in the

process; Grail women around the globe who took their responsibility seriously and the nominated candidates who

agreed to stand. It was heartening to see so many women willing to take responsibility for the Grail at international

level.

Then in the latter part of 2013, we shared many intense experiences. We all wept and prayed for the people of Kenya

following the Nairobi massacre. Later we waited with anxiety to hear about the situation of the people affected by

Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. In December we mourned the loss and celebrated the life of Nelson Mandela.

We three have been so touched by your confidence in us, and by the abundance of notes sent recently, promising to

pray for and support us. As we take on the responsibility of serving the Movement at the International level for the next

four years, we will let these expressions of hope from you echo in our hearts:

May we work together for peace, love and unity not only amongst ourselves but in the entire world


May God’s Spirit inspire you, so that we as Grail grow in depth and numbers in the coming years, continuing the

work of the previous ILT

May God grant you wisdom and patience……may you be blessed with courage and happy hearts

May you contribute to the unique trajectory that the Grail has led since its founding, helping us build the peace

and justice our world demands

Thanks for responding to the call……may the Spirit give you grace and strength to stand firm…..and energy for the

task, and joy and fulfilment

May you lead us in building a united community despite our differences, representing us with enthusiasm….as we

march forward together singing.… building the kingdom of God

We pray that we have the discernment and ability to serve the Grail according to the challenges of the present time,

keeping in mind

Who walks alone loses the way. Only in the community comes wisdom. One Hand cannot tie the rope round a bundle. Who then falls has no one to help her. Who then screams has no one who hears her. Who walks alone stoops under her burden. Nobody shares her joy and no one her sorrow. Who walks alone loses the way. She has only two feet, she has two arms She has only two eyes. But in the community everyone has a thousand hands. Everyone has a thousand feet. No one ever walks alone. Patrice Koyo (Cameroon) via Ton Brouwer We trust that, with your presence, your wisdom and your prayers, we will serve the Grail with the best of ourselves. We

believe that “Only in the community comes wisdom” to shape our common future.

To each of you, we fondly send our best wishes for 2014.

Marian, Maria Carlos and Zodwa

Words from the Editor, Carol Siemering

Considering our vision statement,"The Grail is committed to building a world of justice and peace through education

and action and to standing in solidarity with those who struggle to overcome poverty,"

the ILT chose as the theme for this issue any community education programs offered by the Grail in different countries.

Much thanks to Carol Webb who helped elicit these articles. As always, there are also other articles of interest as well.


Training for Transformation, an introduction Carol Webb USA So what is popular education or as we sometimes call it in the Grail, “transformative education”? For many years Grail

members have been using the methodology of Paolo Freire to analyze their realities in order to transform the world.

Freire and Miles Horton are probably the two best-known proponents of popular education though there are many

adaptations and versions of popular education.

I often introduce this discussion in the courses I give by asking people to distinguish between skill-based, knowledge

based, and popular education – what are examples, what are characteristics and how do we measure whether learning

has taken place. Here are some brief descriptions of each:

Skills – based: could be fixing a faucet or listening and communication skills or negotiating or painting…..so many

different types of skills. It often includes coaching, mentoring, showing, doing, practicing, correcting, etc. The

measurement is about performance.

Knowledge-based: economics, history, development practices and theories. The measurement is about how well you

learn and what you remember. It may also be about how well you are able to incorporate what you learn into your

practice (if there is a practice).

Popular education: leads to action and interaction with the world in order to transform it. So we measure this learning

by what we do to change the world. Methodologies include Training for Transformation (problem-posing, action-

reflection model), consciousness raising (conscientization), action learning, think-judge-act and others.

All of these may be done in an interactive or participatory style in which the trainer guides the learner to discover what

is to be learned. This is a great way for adults to learn. It is facilitated by a trainer and is centered on the learner.

Gilda Haas, an activist in South Central Los Angeles, and one who has written about popular education offers us the

following principles and values of popular education:

Values and Principles of Popular Education Self determination

The faith that ordinary people who learn to believe in themselves can do extraordinary acts or they seem extraordinary because we have such an impoverished sense of the capabilities of ordinary people

People name their problems themselves, and they design solutions to address them Collective and democratic process

Popular education begins by pooling the experience, knowledge, and resources of people in the workplace who want to make change

People build a collective picture of what they know and develop common goals to solve common problems. The “expert” is the person who can fill in the gaps that aren’t part of the group’s experience or knowledge

Critical analysis

Popular education isn’t a single “learning” event but encourages a participatory process that develops and links people’s critical thought, creative expression and collective action

When we can, we need to develop strategies in the context of political, economic, historical and power relationships


Learning is a creative process

Learning isn’t about intellectual consumption but about the whole person It’s important to speak, feel, think, and do – not just listen and see

Commitment to action

Education isn’t separated from action There is a distinction between popular education and organizing but organizing, at its best, builds people and

consciousness as well as organization Popular education, at its best, is ultimately measured by the social action it creates Social action is the most powerful arena for learning, but without strategic, conscious and collective reflection, it

cannot be fully exploited for its potential in developing grassroots leaders, effective strategy and change.

Training for Transformation, Sydney Ruth Crowe, for the Sydney Team,

Australia In late November, 2013, a small group met to review the Training for Transformation (TfT) program run from the Grail Centre in Sydney during 2013 and to plan for 2014. We had a really good response to workshops during 2013 which included, two ‘Introduction to Freire’s philosophy and methodology’ workshops, a very active day exploring ‘Games’ for social change, a workshop which introduced participants to ‘Theatre of the Oppressed’ and the work of Augusto Boal. In addition, we continued to explore more deeply, ‘Codes’, methods of ‘Analysis’ and the meaning of ‘Praxis’. There is now a core group of about 30+ people who have come to workshops since we began the program in 2011 and that is very pleasing. A number of these people (a number non-Grail, younger women) have worked with me during 2012/13 as the coordinating group. We hope to expand more in 2014. Carol Webb has also begun some TfT training in Melbourne which we hope she will be able to continue in the future. Ever since the Training for Transformation program began at the Sydney Grail Centre in mid-2011, a very productive partnership around TfT training has been formed between the Grail women in Papua New Guinea and Australia. A number of women from PNG have come to Sydney for periods of time for discussion and training and in 2012, a team from Australia, PNG and the Philippines went to PNG to prepare a regional program which took place in May/June 2013 in Port Moresby. This gathering was a great success and very enjoyable for all involved. The presence and contribution of the Filipino Grail women was very much appreciated. Apart from workshops in 2014, the Sydney group is also planning a weekend away together. This experience will provide participants with some relaxation time and ‘refueling’, both of which have emerged as ‘generative themes’ in the group during 2013. The group will also work together to deepen their understandings of e.g. ‘culture’ and ‘forces’ currently driving changes in Australia and the region of Asia/Pacific and examine responses from governments and institutions… How do these fall short of providing a better life for all peoples and the whole of creation? What changes (world) do we wish to make and how? Who are ‘like-minded’ groups, in Australia and our region, we can work with so the Grail, through Tft, can contribute to making the responses we see necessary in this important time in our regional development. Creating more of these partnerships is an aim of our 2014 program. Tft Sydney is now on Facebook and we are planning to develop a website during 2014, which will probably include the wider region of Asia and the South Pacific once that regional network has been organized! A priority for me this year!! A good start was made towards forming this network with discussions at the ‘Think Well’ in Kleinmond last September. The plan is to contact groups in the region who are working with Popular Education methods and invite some of them to an Asia/Pacific Training for Transformation gathering of community workers, possibly in Bangalore, India some time in


2015. Countries involved could include: India, Nepal, Australia, Papua New Guinea, West Papua, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Cambodia, the Philippines, and maybe Vietnam and Afghanistan. A bit ambitious but we will make a start!!! There is a lot of popular education going on in our region, and as Asia is becoming a major focus and challenge for our global community in almost every aspect of life, the Grail needs to be involved and TfT is one way of achieving this!!

Aprendizagem pela Conversa (Portuguese) no Centro do Graal da Golegã

Marijke de Koning Portugal É no Projeto Raízes, Chão e Horizontes, Círculos e Percursos de Literacia Criativa e Recíproca que estamos a trabalhar, desde outubro de 2012, com a metodologia de aprendizagem pela conversa. Como promover uma literacia, um processo permanente e contínuo de evolução, da nossa capacidade de falar e agir, numa dinâmica de expansão do “texto da vida” em geral, e especificamente em relação aos temas centrais no projeto: afeto inclusivo, comunicação autêntica, linguagem não violenta e lideranças partilhadas? O espaço da educação não-formal, em que se realiza um trabalho de sensibilização e/ou de formação com adultos e adultas, é por definição um espaço de falar que pode levar a um agir outro. Um espaço onde pessoas que no seu trabalho profissional têm de lidar com situações complexas encontrem a possibilidade de “abrandar”, discutir e refletir sobre “questões lentas”. Ou como refere Ine van Emmerik do Graal na Holanda (com quem aprendi a metodologia Conversational Learning): “quando não há espaço para falar, o discurso dominante funciona como uma prisão. Falar é essencial para poder investigar algo na sua complexidade, para criar novos sentidos em palavras e entre palavras, para fazer emergir conhecimentos novos”. Na organização de espaços de literacia em contextos de educação não-formal em projetos do Graal em Portugal, a filosofia e metodologia de conscientização de Paulo Freire sempre constituíram referências incontornáveis. A filosofia de conscientização implica uma educação política no sentido da polis, num registo de igualdade de acesso à palavra, onde todos e todas possam ser sujeitos de aprendizagem. A filosofia de conscientização traduz-se numa metodologia bem definida. Implica ler o mundo, codificar problemas e construir os desafios necessários para poder realizar corretamente o processo de descodificação. A metodologia de conscientização implica seguir um caminho para tomar consciência de uma problemática, de agir e intervir, de mudar (uma parte do) mundo. Pode acontecer em

grupos que partilham um mesmo universo temático e se confrontam com problemas comuns. No tempo de indefinição em que vivemos atualmente, em que é preciso encontrar novos equilíbrios através de um processo de “improvisação e de sintonização” na ordenação social (Hans Boutellier, 2011), a tarefa nos espaços educativos não-formais parece ser, em primeiro lugar, a de promover a conversa. Conversar para tentar entender o que está acontecendo. O processo de conversational learning de Anne Baker, Patricia Jenson e David Kolb (2002) proporciona um espaço fluido, porém estruturado, um espaço adequado para aprofundar a consciência dos atuais problemas complexos do nosso mundo.

Baker, Jenson & Kolb fazem uma distinção entre diálogo e conversa. O diálogo é caracterizado por “vozes em oposição à procura da verdade”, uma definição que enfatiza a fala, a compreensão e a troca de ideias diferentes. No diálogo exploramos todas as complexidades da reflexão e da linguagem. Na conversa os aspetos emocionais são mais enfatizados. O foco está mais na compreensão humana do que no aumento de conhecimento teórico e técnico. A conversa não é tanto um método mas antes uma experiência em que as pessoas participam. Assim, a proposta destes autores/as talvez seja “menos método” do que o “método Paulo Freire” onde o diálogo é central. É importante valorizar mais este aspeto hermenêutico na prática de educação de adultos/as e criar mais espaço para os/as participantes poderem contar as suas histórias. Durante a conversa é importante distinguir dois tipos de histórias que se tecem mutuamente: histórias de pessoas que narram experiências individuais, e histórias com as quais determinados coletivos (grupos, instituições, países, culturas) interpretam, desde as suas origens, a sua existência e encontram e reforçam a sua identidade.


Com Freire o processo educativo com adultos (e jovens) consistia em mudar as versões de histórias que refletiam ideologias dominantes e opressoras em versões mais críticas. Freire sublinhava ainda a dimensão de ação coletiva de transformação do mundo. Nos anos 60 e 70 do século passado, tínhamos histórias

alternativas como referências. Mas no atual tempo de vazio, parece não haver versões críticas disponíveis para orientar a ação. Por isso vamos conversando e aprendendo e tentando abrir novos “sulcos do nosso querer comum” como dizia Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo.

Conversational Learning (English) in the Golegã Grail Center Marijke de

Koning Portugal It is in the project Roots, Ground and Horizons - Circles and Paths of Creative and Reciprocal Literacy that we are working, since October 2012, with the methodology of Conversational Learning. How to promote literacy as an ongoing and continuous process of evolution of our ability to speak and act? How to expand the “texts of our lives”? Specifically in relation to the central themes in the project: inclusive affection, authentic communication, non-violent language and shared leadership? The non-formal educational space, as it aims to raise awareness or to train adults, is by definition a space of speech that can lead to a different way of acting. It is a space where people who in their professional work have to deal with complex situations find the possibility of “slowing down", of discussing and reflecting on "slow questions". Or as Ine van Emmerik of the Grail in the Netherlands (with whom I learned the methodology of Conversational Learning) says: “when there is no room to speak, the dominant discourse works as a prison. Speaking is essential to investigate something in its complexity, to create new meanings in words and between words in order to bring out new knowledge”. In the organization of spaces of literacy in contexts of non-formal educational projects in the Grail in Portugal, the philosophy and methodology of consientization of Paulo Freire have always constituted a main reference. The philosophy of conscientization requires a political education in the sense of polis, of equal access to speech, where each person can be subject of learning. The philosophy of conscientization leads to a well-defined methodology. It implies reading the world, coding problems and building the necessary challenges in order to perform properly the process of de-codification. The methodology of conscientization implies following a path to become aware of a problem and to act and intervene in order to change (a part of)

the world. It can take place in groups that share the same conceptual universe and confront common problems. In the time of uncertainty we live in today, in which we need to find a new balance in the social order through a process of “improvisation and tuning” (Hans Boutellier, 2011), the task in the non-formal educational spaces seems to be at the first place to promote conversation. We need to talk in order to understand what is happening. The process of conversational learning of Anne Baker, Patricia Jenson and David Kolb (2002) provides a fluid, however structured space, an adequate space to deepen awareness of today's complex problems of our world.

Baker, Jenson & Kolb distinguish between dialogue and conversation. Dialogue is characterized by "voices in opposition in the search for truth", a definition that emphasizes speech, understanding and exchange of different ideas. In dialogue we explore all the complexities of thought and language. In conversation the emotional aspects are more emphasized. The focus is more on human understanding than on the increase of theoretical and technical knowledge. The conversation is not so much a method but rather an experience in which people participate. The proposal of these authors seems to be "less method" than the “Paulo Freire method" where dialogue is central. It is important to focus more on this hermeneutical aspect in the practice of adult education and create more space for the participants to tell their stories. During the conversation it is important to distinguish two types of stories that weave each other mutually: stories of people who recount individual experiences and stories with which certain collectives (groups, institutions, countries, and cultures) interpret, since their origins, their existence and find and reinforce their identities.


With Freire the educational process with adults (and young people) aimed to change the versions of stories that reflect dominant and oppressive ideologies into more critical ones. Freire also stressed the dimension of collective action to transform the world. In the 60s and 70s of the last century there were critical versions of

stories available. However at the present time of emptiness, there seem to be no critical versions available to guide our action. Therefore we continue our learning conversations in order to open new “grooves of our common wanting" as Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo said.

Training for Transformaton in the Philippines Christine P. Garinganao

and Jeanette V. Loanzon Philippines On October 26-29, 2012, the national leadership team (NLT) and regional Grail members and friends in the Philippines

had an enriching experience on training for transformation. It was held at Mercedarian Retreat House in the beautiful

island of Bohol in the Visayas. A year later though, in the same month, a strong earthquake hit Bohol and got us worried

since we had started good relationships with the people we met while we were there. Days after the earthquake, we

learned that they were safe which relieved us from worry.

The four-day session in Bohol consisted of learning the basic skills of T for T with the end goal of increasing their

enthusiasm for community involvement and an enhancement of their capacity for team work. Those who participated

from Eastern Samar were Virgie Dalina (Lawa an, NLT), Michelle Quitorio (Arteche), and Maria Gloria Gamelans (Guiaun).

From Dipolog, Zamboanga Del Norte, Western Mindanao came Ermie Sotillo (NLT), Dian Lumahang and Erlinda Pocong.

The sessions were facilitated by Monica de Leon, Christine Garinganao, and Jeanette Loanzon.

A follow-up training took place in Cebu at the University of San Carlos Retreat House on February 23-25, 2013. This

time, the participants engaged in designing and processing of codes based on their Grail projects and sharing their

experience of T for T per region. Even during the first training in Bohol, it was observed that the skills and techniques of

T for T were not new to them; rather, it was an opportunity for more understanding of the approach as well as

structuring of their previous experience with the use of T for T methods.

The T for T lessons were applied mostly to the savings and livelihood groups already existing in Lawan and Dipolog. Grail

members in Dipolog have mainly soap making and bag making as group projects. In Lawa an, the five women members

of the savings and livelihood club had individual projects ranging from buy and sell of fertilizers, “ready-to-wear” clothes

to preparation of school snacks. The T for T skills learned by the members has yet to take deeper roots to benefit the

savings and club members as well as their communities. Since lack of adequate incomes is a prevalent problem in both

regions, the seeds of these initial efforts could gradually blossom into transforming fruits in the community.

The training conducted seems to be a good beginning and eventually serve as models for other Grail teams in both

Eastern Samar and Northern Mindanao. We hope the T for T skills will be imparted to more Grail members and their

communities in the regions, where there is an urgent need for the shared leadership. This would really be a contribution

to social transformation of our T for T sessions. We realize that T for T is a process and the good news is that the process

has already began. The national leadership team is optimistic that in time we will reap the fruits from T for T.


A project with immigrant women in Milano Claudia Gras, Pia Zuccolin and

Gemma di Marino for Italy Since 2007, when the Grail in Italy became an officially

recognized Association for Social Promotion, some of us

felt the need to do something concrete and visible as a

group, in line with the challenging experiences

circulated via the GJOP Network.

This desire became a real opportunity when, in 2011, a

two-room apartment was donated to the Grail

Association by a special friend. This little ‘Grail ‘center’

is situated in an area where some of us live, a

neighborhood where the percentage of immigrants

(men and women) is high (24% of the resident

population). We therefore felt even more challenged to

think about a project particularly targeting these

migrant women.

So, in the same year, 6 women of the Association

started a work group – Grail members and Grail friends

– to set up a project. We had diverse backgrounds:

employment counselor, medical doctor, teacher,

accounting expert, social worker, plus a real ‘asset’, a

26-year old woman, who was finishing her degree in

international relations and had previously been involved

in the International Grail Meeting on Formation.

This team worked for about a year to get to know the

reality of the neighbourhood where our meeting place

was located. The neighborhood has many other social

and cultural initiatives which involve both Italians and

migrants. (Quite widespread among these are Italian

language courses for foreigners).

This time spent exploring firsthand the needs of the

area gave us the possibility to focus on a project that

was primarily educational, aimed at building

relationships between immigrant women and Italian

women, fostering mutual exchange and growth aimed

at creating a more inclusive society in the near future.

Right from the preparatory stage it was invaluable for us

to get in contact with and cooperate with an association

called Misericordia (Mercy), founded by Peruvian

women already active in the area.

Then, in the spring of 2012, on the anniversary of March

8th we started meeting these women from other

countries in our ‘center’. We gave these encounters a

very ambitious and utopian ‘title’: Women Citizens of

the World.

During the subsequent summer, we developed a more detailed and organic project under the same title. It received approval and a small grant from our region, giving us the possibility to start our meetings with the immigrant women by December 12th. We met them regularly: once a month for 9 months on Sunday afternoons. Each meeting was co-facilitated with the help of different experts, both those within the team or professionals specifically invited: a pedagogist, a lawyer, a union representative, and a communications facilitator. Most of the activities – the preparation and the actual meetings with the women – have been carried out on a voluntary basis by this ad hoc team, which met almost every week in the center. The previous encounters were more informal, getting to know each other, answering their questions and briefly touching on the topic of women and violence. Below are just a few glimpses of the contents explored during the various meetings.

The plan of our meetings 1& 2) Family: problems and resources – December 2, 2012 and January 20, 2013 “The family is one of the ways we have to pass on

models in order to organize the society. You need to

increase the education to relations, to build a society

where people can nurture mature relationships in their

lives. Not family models, then, but different kinds of

relationships.”

(“The reunited families are not like the ones in the

country of origin: often sons, when they become


adolescents, are obliged to migrate to Italy and then

often feel forcefully uprooted and after many years in

Italy still can’t become part of the Italian society,

leading to feelings of failure. To overcome these

difficulties it is important to have access to inner

resources, to help autochthonous foreign people even

more than local people to give them the ability and

possibility to stay and to share with others.”)

3) Work: the agreements, the contracts - February 17, 2013

According to our participants’ experiences, we singled out these kinds of agreements:

work contracts with no time limit: more security, regular employment, national agreement

work in a co-operative society: sharing of job experiences, different regulations, power to share in the decision process.

contract on a project basis: job as a subordinate, no national agreement, yet the duties are the same as those of regular workers. 4) Work, rights and duties - March 10, 2013

“The worker must have a remuneration linked to the quantity and quality of his work and enough to ensure for him and for his family a free and dignified life”. : Art.36 from the Italian Constitution

We all felt – and migrant women even more – that at present we are facing an employment situation which is very far removed from the ideal stated in this article. 5) To communicate is to share – April 14, 2013

Every one builds relationships to the world according to their individual being, his/her internal “map”, in other words, their personal representation of the world. To communicate means to confront different maps.

6 & 7) Globalization and Citizenship - May 19 and June 16, 2013

From the initial group brainstorming: “Globalization is Exchange – movement – everyone gets to know the events in real time – exploitation at the global level – income inequality – land grabbing – death, robbery by USA – capitalistic market”

Diverse aspects shaping people’s culture: language, religion, history, customs and rituals, the whole host of knowledge, traditions and experiences.

8) To live interculturally - September 15

We chose to deepen the meaning of intercultural

exchange centering on the rites of passage, They foster

the link between the individual and the group, but they

also serve to structure individual life according to

definite stages; facing the realities of time and death,

these rites tries to give reassuring answers.

9) Health and Well-being - October 6

It is useful to recognize that medicine is not all-powerful. There are illnesses that we can’t heal but we can cure, illnesses that don’t have effective treatments.

We need to recognize LIMITS.

The women liked the broader definition of health: not simply lack of illness, but state of well-being.

In these meetings about 20 Italian and immigrant women were involved. The immigrants came from the following countries: Peru, Ecuador, El Salvador, Bolivia, Philippines, Burundi, Ukraine. These women participated more or less regularly, in

spite of their work commitments (mainly as caretakers

for the elderly). At the end of such an experience the

women expressed high satisfaction:

“Before I felt dull, to exchange with others is helpful, it has meant a lot to me” (J) “We should go on with these meetings; we speak of many things which are useful” (R) “To share our life experiences between ourselves makes us become ‘a map’ for one another” (N) For those of us in the team, this experience was also highly educational and helped us to get along as a working group; the contact with women that deal with huge difficulties has enriched us; the subject matter which was clarified by the experts or by each one of us has broadened our horizons. Finally we believe that we reached the goal set from the

start. Aside from the contacts with the women, the

dissemination and implementation of the projection the


neighbourhood has enhanced the visibility of our

Association, whose aim is to work “towards building a

more integrated society, where women of different

cultures can play a leading role

Another World is Possible Ntombi Talent Nyathi South Africa Popular Education Lessons from Training for Transformation (TfT)

When I asked a group of TfT participants to define Popular Education, the key words and phrases used included the

following, ‘It is popular’. ‘It is for many people’. ‘It is about people taking action to change their situation for the better’.

Even if these could be essential Popular Education attributes, most importantly, Paulo Freire suggested that critical

conscientization awakens a new curious being whose ethical responsibility is to relate with others. In this way, the

curious human being does not come into the world to live in as it is, but, s/he is historically tasked to transform the

world into a better place for all.

This presentation is not scientific. It is a reflection in which I am sharing my engagement with TfT based on the key

principles of Popular Education as underlined by Paulo Freire. I am also aware that TfT is a methodology that is

implemented in many places around the world. Because I am not adequately informed, the insights shared through this

article will neither highlight nor undermine any of those experiences. The article will mirror on the effects of TfT courses

hosted at The Grail Centre in South Africa, and the increasing demand for the courses especially in the past three years.

TfT Demand

During the ten years of working with TfT I witnessed continued demand consequently growth of the programme into

new regions captured succinctly in the adjacent quote. The essence of the statement is ‘People’s participation’ and this

is a fundamental principle of Popular Education that the world is looking out for today.

Due to this demand we were challenged to design new TfT approaches a) the Certificate Course a nine months training

that is designed mainly for people in leadership positions to reflect on their programmes and explore new ways of active

community participation. B) The Introduction Courses are designed to give basic community mobilization tools to more

members within organizations. For instance, in South Africa, 40 000 rand used for one person to attend the Certificate

Course was used to train 16 people with the Women on Farms Project in one week The Introduction Courses have

become more popular with some of the institutions that are questioning their approaches towards economic and social

justice, namely The Congregation of Christian Brothers African Province,

the Provincial Planning Department of Western Papua and United Church

of Zambia.

We cannot undermine Freire’s key arguments that resonate with struggle

for social and economic justice of our times. A) The struggle against

injustice and poverty can only happen when the structures that

perpetuate oppression are challenged is more relevant now than before.

The structures of oppression have not changed. In fact, they have

become more complex with increased aggression and repression of the

people. The rise in the Arab springs, social movement organizing at global

level Occupy, and World Social Forum, are all signs of the need for

Popular Education. People read their reality and re-write their history.

For ten years we have been

trying to get farm women to

actively participate but we are

still not there. I want TfT to help

us work with these women such

that they participate in the

programmes design and

implementation that impact

their lives. Fatima Former Director

Women on Farms Project


The actions sighted demonstrate that people are not objects but subjects of their destiny.

b) Popular Education skills and tools are simplified in the TfT books. After training participants are capable of organizing

communities to take action that change their situations for the better. For instance, Maria Latumahina from Western

Papua organized community empowerment training workshop that was facilitated by TfT to curb deforestation on the

Islands. It was during our first engagement with community leaders that

one of the participants said, “Sitting arrangement was most significant for

me. In my whole life I have set behind or in rows, at meetings, in the

churches --- the ones with knowledge sat in front and told us all they know.

When I held a meeting last night in my village, people set in a circle and that

changed everything. We realised that we are the ones we were waiting for.

” After this engagement TfT is negotiating a two years community

leadership training programme in Western Papua.

Awakening and Humanization

Popular Education in our times could be summarised in two words, awakening and humanization. Awakening in this

discussion points out to personal journeys and experiences. What is

this ‘Self’? What enables the ‘Self’ to connect with the individual?

Experiences may inspire the individual to find their purpose connect

with others ’collective’ and take actions that lead to humanization.

Humanization in essence refers to the individual or collective actions

that honour, recognizes and respect human dignity. I propose to use

an illustration from one of the TfT graduates in the following

paragraph.

A female student resisted sexual and political harassment at a tertiary institution in Zimbabwe. As a result she was

expelled and black listed making it impossible for her to study in that country. After attending TfT the same student

launched an organization whose goal is to advocate for female students’ rights at tertiary institutions. Three years later,

one of the provincial tertiary institutions had 100 per cent female Student’s Representative Council.

The student’s ability to organize herself and others demonstrated two elements of popular education, i) people are

subjects not objects of their destiny they read their reality and re-write their history. Popular Education helps people

become aware that they are curious beings. Curiosity in practice triggers the need to relate with others. Relationships

are processes of creativity based on the value of tolerance. ‘...Seeking to understand as to be understood...’ In the

process of tolerance humans discover rich possibilities that they have a historical task to transform the world into a

better place.

Tertiary institutions are part of the social political and economic structures that are used to protect systems that

perpetuate suffering among the poor especially women. In the illustration the organization is not only an alternative

structure but space for women to be part of the decision making process. Popular Education emphasises that education

is not neutral its aim is radical transformation of society. Radical means getting to the root cause of the problem. Critical

conscientization is an imperative for the oppressed to actively engage in the struggle for their liberation. Freire

suggested that, ‘the more the poor are on the dominant syntax, the more they articulate the struggle against injustices.

“Popular Education died 30 years

ago in Papua yet this is the process

that empowers people to liberate

themselves. It is for this reason

that I will work to initiate TfT

process in Papua.” Maria Elena

Latumahina, Western Papua Indonesia

““I discovered myself in this room...”

“I found myself...” “...she came back

with amazing esteem...” phrases used

by most participants after TfT

experience


However, it is inevitable to note that transformation begins with the self, enfolds into the family, community, society

and the universe.. However, liberation is not carried out for the people but with them. When people organize

themselves for change they have the power to transform their reality into new world. This is the processes of

humanization.

To conclude the discussion we could point out the following;

Popular Education is more relevant now because suffering and marginalization of the poor has increased and is more

complex.

Liberation could never be done for the people but with the people hence the rise of global social movements (Occupy

and World Social Forum) and local initiatives (The Zimbabwe Female Students Network) sighted in this discussion is

evidence that another world is possible.

I am a woman of faith and service. I am most inspired by the spirit of searching summarised by one of my favourite and

inspiring thinker Ken Wilber whose words I would like to leave you to ponder over their significance.

Where matter is favourable life emerges

Where life is favourable mind emerges

Where mind is favourable soul emerges

Where souls is favourable the spirit emerges …….

La mujer guardiana de la naturaleza Ma Luisa Mejia Lagunas Mexico Introducción

Como todas y todos sabemos en los últimos cien años el

planeta se ha calentado de manera acelerada debido a

actividades de los seres humanos. Los expertos llaman a

este fenómeno Cambio Climático.

Dicen también que al quemar el petróleo que es un

combustible fósil, el gas y el carbón para transportar o

para la actividad industrial, así como la tala de los

árboles, producen grandes cantidades de bióxido de

carbono, uno de los principales gases que viene

originando que el planeta se caliente; y este gas ha

venido en aumento cambiando la composición natural

de la atmosfera del planeta.

Así pues cuando los océanos, plantas, árboles y

plancton no pueden absorberlo, se acumula y atrapa

más calor y esto es lo que está ocasionando la

alteración del clima. Entendido como la combinación de

la temperatura, humedad, presión, nubes, viento y

lluvia que se presentan en un lugar y que para ello a lo

largo de muchos años se combinó, y que ahora todas y

todos lo hemos alterado.

Rol de La Mujer como Guardiana de la naturaleza.

Todos los seres vivos por el solo hecho de existir

tenemos el mismo derecho sobre este planeta y sus

recursos, todo se encuentra interrelacionado y lo que

sucede en un sistema impacta a los demás, dándose así

un proceso de co-creación y co-destrucción.

La espiritualidad de la Mujer, la mantiene conectada a la

tierra, desde tiempos ancestrales, para mantener

presente nuestro sentido de pertenencia a la madre

tierra, se ha dado a la tarea de rescatar rituales y

celebraciones relacionadas con el paso de las

estaciones, las lunas, los solsticios etc. Así como

prácticas ancestrales que nos permitan mantener

nuestra conciencia en el presente, y ayudar a mitigar el

problema del calentamiento del planeta; con acciones

sencillas pero continuas.


Por lo anterior es importante como Grial/Morelos/Valle

de México continuar, fomentando, la producción para el

autoconsumo o la venta a nivel local sin comprometer la

recuperación del suelo, los mantos freáticos etc.

Proponerse utilizar energías renovables, construir más

estufas ecológicas para mejorar la salud de las mujeres

en especial la de las áreas rurales, motivar la

construcción de baños secos para ahorrar agua,

construir bío-filtros para tratar las aguas grises y se

pueda reutilizar para riego de hortalizas, promover

también los sistemas para captar agua de lluvia, con

miras a aligerar el trabajo de las mujeres; y por

supuesto la siembra de hortalizas sin usar químicos,

elaborar compuestos naturales para el control de

plagas, así como los abonos orgánicos, para mejorar la

tierra y la cosecha, estas actividades se han realizado

con más frecuencia en Morelos.

Ellas las mujeres tienen una percepción diferente de su

entorno, de sus prioridades y necesidades, y de acceso y

control de los recursos y son afectadas de manera

distinta, por los problemas ambientales, en las mujeres

subyace esa conexión que existe entre los elementos de

naturaleza, sabedoras que en ella encontramos muchas

respuestas para curar nuestro cuerpo y nuestro espíritu.

Update from the Bronx Mary Kay Louchart USA Note from the editor: this was submitted for the last Crossroads but was inadvertently missed when Crossroads came out (sorry!)

Spring in the Bronx brought many changes and lots of activity: CSW-57 You have read in many places about CSW-57 (United Nation’s Commission on the Status of Women). We are still writing the final report. If you want a copy, please let Mary Kay know ([email protected]). But we will briefly say: every year it becomes more and more clear that this is more than just attending an important UN session. This is one way of doing Grail formation. For some it is the first time living with ‘other generations’, for others a first time living with women from other countries. For all, it is an experience of growing more deeply in the Grail. Also, having two young interns this year—Diane Mali from Papua New Guinea and Anelisa Shamase from South Africa presented another opportunity of not only preparing for the CSW, but for Grail formation. Comments from two of the schools were as follows: “Your girls were wonderful. They were so outgoing and friendly and had such a wonderful way in their presentations. You should be soooooo proud.”

And a school where Anelisa, Diane and Mary Kay spoke: “On behalf of myself and my students, I want to thank you (x one million+) for all the hard work and coordinating you did to make our participation in CSW 57 a reality. The girls and I truly learned so much and were both challenged and given hope by the amazing girls, women and men we encountered through CSW and the Youth Orientation.” GIRLS GROUP The girls meet monthly. January through April, Anelisa and Diane helped with the girls—and they were a big help! Some of the cookies the girls baked were enjoyed by the participants at the 70-100 meeting in Ohio. The group was quite large this year and spanned quite an age range—some ‘little sisters’ wanted to attend with their older sisters and we didn’t have the heart to say ‘no’! GRAIL TEENS Thank God for Alina Almonte, Belkis Martinez and Tina Kalala. They were part of one or another of our teen groups over the years and now have taken on the responsibility for the group. Sharon and Mary Kay are usually present ‘around the edges’, join in for final prayer, help with any planning when needed, but basically the three are ‘moving’ the group along.



WOMEN’S GROUP This year we took the sessions from the Mexican Grail publication: Darse Luz a Si Misma (Giving Birth to Oneself) to look at the Grail in the Bronx. It was a good process and brought some insights as we move into the future. ST. LUKE’S CONNECTION Over the years, many of you met our pastor, Fr. Gerald Ryan. He died in April—93 years old! Thank you for all who wrote to us during this sad time. We are still very much in the air as we have not heard anything about getting a new pastor. This affects many of the programs in which we have been involved and it even affects this Grail house. So continue to keep us in prayer. Looking Forward-CSW-58 We began writing with CSW and now we end with CSW……..by looking forward to next year. Even though many things are still up in the air, we hope to again have an intern for this important and very time-consuming work. The internship is January through March. The tentative date for 2014 is March 10th to the 21st. We are not sure as usually it is the first two weeks of March. We’ll let you know as soon as we get definite dates.

Priority theme: Challenges and achievements in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals for women and girls

Review theme: Access and participation of women and girls to education, training, science and technology, including for the promotion of women’s equal access to full employment and decent work (agreed conclusions from the 55th session).

If you are thinking you want to attend, let us know so we can keep you looped in—even if you’re not definite. Or, if you think someone from your country will attend, let us know so we can keep you informed.

Sobrado Retreat Ticha Vasconcelos Portugal I am in the bus back to Lisbon right after the Sobrado Retreat organized by our

Swedish Grail members. The luxurious green, the quality of the light after such a

rainy winter, the flowers blossoming everywhere, the peace, the peace, the peace I

experienced still enlarges my senses!

For years I have wanted to attend this initiative of the Grail in Sweden, but the

schedule of the school year in Portugal and the care for my mother didn’t allow me

to be there. Unfortunately my mother does not need my care anymore and

fortunately I am retired now and my time is my own.

This year I made it! For some mysterious reason that only the Spirit can explain, I was led to be there at this turning

point of my life with the Grail. As you may know by now I will be making my formal commitment with the Grail Nucleus

on November 1st, 2013. Being in Sobrado with our Lutheran Grail sisters in a Galician monastery of the Cistercian order –

only Teresinha and myself from another country – was a key experience for my pathway into the Nucleus. Of course we

were all inspired by the Cistercian prayer rhythm of the Hours never missed by our Swedish Grail members despite their

limited command of the Galician or Spanish languages (Bibi is learning it) and by the friendship we share for former

Golegã’s pastor, Carlos Maria, and now with his prior, Carlos. In one of the wonderful conversations we had with the

Prior I dared to call him a “God’s singing bird”, such passion and joy he would put in the chanting of the Liturgy of the

Hours. Carlos Maria, our Portuguese monk, led us into a visit to the Monastery – external and “internal”, explaining us

http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/agreedconclusions.html#55


the sense of his call to become a monk and how he was experiencing community life. The Grail can be so much inspired

by that, in my modest opinion…

The participants in this International Grail summer retreat were Bibi Helgesson and Anne-Charlotte Uggla (Lutheran

Ministers from the Church in Sweden), Kerstin Jacobsson, Annelie Nilsson, Kristina Nyhlen, and Gunnel – a new comer -

from Sweden, and Teresinha Tavares and myself from Portugal. I would say that the presence of the Prior, of our friend

Carlos, former Golegã pastor, of Kike the monk-artist whose works of art were surrounding us, were also “participants”

of this retreat. The variety of lush greens, ancient trees, old granitic monastery walls, wide landscape, the rhythm of the

bells, all were part of our summer retreat.

The flexibility of the program, with long time to be on our own, the quality of human interactions, the capacity for

listening to each other, discovering the joy of being Grail in our diversity, and the spiritual depth among us were quite an

“amazing grace” during this week. We were taken by our diverse and common spirituality and we were privileged

enough not to be concerned with tasks, business, negotiations, priorities, projects so common in Grail meetings We

were just there, present to the moment, listening… This silence side by side, helped my personal discernment and

brought me a tremendous peace and joy into my choice of becoming a Nucleus member. And I say with the Portuguese

poet Ana Luisa Amaral:

o milagre do mundo a acontecer... the miracle of the world happening...

Bibi led us through her study of Teresa of Ávila’s writings and life testimony from a women’s perspective. We

understood her mystical, direct experiences with God “having Christ by her side”, as Teresa of Ávila would say in the

Interior Castle. Bibi explored also with us the Moradas (different stages towards God) and we were led through how the

Moradas may challenge our own lives.

Anne-Charlotte led us through St. Peter´s human and spiritual path towards Christ, as narrated by Mathew. We were

also invited to create and later share our own pathway towards God (through the way of Christ or not).

Kristina told us about Mary Magdalene – a symbol of strong, committed women, her love for Christ, and her role as an apostle in building the first Christian communities in the south of France. With Maria Magdalena we reflected on the voices of the unnamed women of the Bible. Personally I am always inspired by Mary Magdalene. There she comes, on Easter Morning, in the words of Christa Werner, “mourning for her Beloved”, as Christ questioned her “Why are you weeping, who are you looking for? This made her turn away from the tomb, right into the light”. I have been learning with Mary Magdalene to turn right into the Light as I quote the Psalm: “Long before my eyes searched for your light, long before, oh Lord, your light was shining upon me”.

As we were going through the liturgical rhythm of the Hours in the monastery’s oratory we also had our morning

prayers, very much Grail “style”:

Bibi led us through a meditative silent walk following the rhythm of our breathing in one of monastery’s cloisters;

Teresinha invited us into a nature’s immersion guided by Albert Nolan’s meditation about having a “thankful heart”, as Jesus had, for the immense gifts that God gave us;

Myself, I developed a prayer-reflection about the sense of pronouncing the prayer “Our Father”. Inspired by Simone Weil, Clarice Lispector and others, we meditated about what it means forgiveness in our lives;

With Annelie we experienced the prayer of repeated singing and silence - “meditative singing”, as she called it, intertwined with Psalm 23;


Finally, on the last day and half-way of the so called northern pathway to Santiago de Compostela (we walked for several hours), Kerstin led us through a prayer-meditation about the sense of the pathway, of being on the road despite not knowing the arrival point and just being present to the moment – she led us through the poetry of Margaret Melin, a Swedish poet and the mystical writings of Dag Hammarskjold, the former Swedish Secretary of the United Nations.

I want to emphasize two important group conversations. First with Father Carlos Maria who shared with us his call to

live radically alive to the present. He described the joys and pains of living in community and how important was the

rhythm of prayer among the monks. He confessed he was progressively understanding that the “any time I am annoyed

by one of my brothers monk, I am seeing the mirror of myself”; “The Other, the Stranger (the one less agreeable, more

different, more disturbing) in his visitation reveals the mystery of my own existence and my search; he draws me into

my own poverty, into my own wandering, into my own vulnerability”

We also had an inspiring conversation with prior Carlos who is also becoming

a good friend of The Grail. He shared with us the unusual call to become a

monk – a “passion for listening” –, and it was a special moment to be able to

listen to him. He shared with us the pure enjoyment he experiences in

singing to God – a “singing bird”!

Despite the amazing beauty of the monks’ singing we dared singing for them

a song brought by Anne-Charlotte and that we sang as we were going

through St. Peters path: “Take, o take me as I am” : a call to let ourselves

being taken as we are, because God wants us that way so that we may

become more.

I am on the bus, coming back home. Sobrado and the International Grail retreat were an invitation to come to my own

Center, whether I am in a bus, in my cozy home, in the strong ocean of life, in the refreshing green landscapes, in

absolute darkness or in gracious light. At this turning point of my life, the Nucleus is becoming my home, my center… the

place for wholeness. Thanks to the Grail in Sweden I could be present to this choice and enjoy this yearly international

retreat that our friends prepare with such commitment and joy and offer for our human and spiritual pathways! More of

us are invited to attend. Personally, I will be there next year…

International breakfast in the Grail Center Mulheim Hui Xia, translated by

Gerda Kaufmann Germany On November 17th 2013 international women students and Grail women met for the 3rd time in the Grail Center in

Mülheim (Germany). The students from the university Duisburg/Essen were invited for the German breakfast at 9:30.

some arrived to help the organizers Gerda Kaufmann and Silvana Ferraguti with the preparation: cutting bread, making

coffee and tea. Special consideration was given to the cooking of eggs. Should they be hard or soft? How do you eat

them, with a small spoon out of the egg-cup? There is a precise technique with the German breakfast.

This time the visitors were not just tasting but also participating compared with the first meeting a year ago. Some

students felt less strange already.


At 10 o’clock the room was filled with 12 students from China and Ghana. Together with 6 Grail women they took seats

on a long table covered with abundant components of the breakfast.

Shortly after each person had presented herself, a lively conversation started on different topics. On the occasion of

Christmas, they spoke about the Christmas tree and other traditions in Europe. In the past there were different customs

in Catholic and Protestant families at Christmastime. The young women from other cultures curiously listened about the

historical development. They all were fascinated with the descriptions of the German family traditions and had the

feeling that traditional feasts in many cultures are simplified by the modern commercial civilization and their essential

meaning is neglected. There is the strong wish to get to know other cultures through cultural exchange not just

superficially but to gain more knowledge or rather to carry on jointly values like respect, tolerance, common ideas, love

and joy of life.

When the hosts had demonstrated how to make some Christmas decorations. The girls were enthusiastic about the art.

Spontaneously a new date was found to make Christmas decorations (Dec. 1.). A wonderful Sunday breakfast passed

away quickly. At the end there were “Heinzelmännchen” ( a word from a tale from Cologne where little people dressed

with red pointed caps during the night helped a housewife with her work) who quickly put the room in order and said

“good-bye” using more German expressions compared to a year ago.

They are looking forward with anticipated joy to the next meeting for Christmas decoration artwork.

Mary Boyd receives the Order of Canada, Ada MacDonald Canada from the editor: The Order of Canada is the highest civilian honor that can be bestowed by the Canadian Government.

On November 22, Prince Edward Island social justice activist Mary Boyd was

named a member of the Order of Canada on for her social service work.

"Mary Boyd has spent most of her adult life giving a voice to the vulnerable and

marginalized on Prince Edward Island," the citation read during her investiture

Friday.

She was recognized as a founder of the MacKillop Centre for Social Justice and for

her work with KAIROS and the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development

and Peace.


From Bibi Helgesson Sweden Bibi is an ordained minister in the Swedish Lutheran Church and Antje is her Bishop Lutheran World Federation] The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) has congratulated Lund Bishop Antje Jackelén upon her election as the next archbishop of the Church of Sweden. In a letter to Jackelén, LWF General Secretary the Rev. Martin Junge expressed gladness that the Swedish church had elected a leader who would bring to her new role “rootedness in the global church” and understanding of “the richness and diversity of the global Lutheran communion.” Junge said, “Your gifts of theological understanding, pastoral care and discernment, and principled leadership will be put to good use in this new chapter of your ministry.” On Oct. 15th 2013 election in Uppsala, Jackelén received 55.9 percent of the votes cast in the first round to choose a successor to outgoing Archbishop Anders H. Wejryd. She will become the first woman to head the Swedish church. Jackelén is a member of the LWF Council, and serves on its Committee for Theology and Ecumenical Relations. The general secretary underlined her leadership role in the LWF governing body and other international settings, as well as her experience while studying and teaching in Germany and the United States. The LWF celebrates Jackelén’s election also as an affirmation “that one of LWF’s gifts to the global church is the commitment to the full participation of women and men in church and society,” Junge noted. Still, he expressed his hope that the day would come “when the news is not going to be anymore the gender of the elected leaders, but the special gifts he or she brings to the ministry.” Jackelén studied at the universities of Tübingen (Germany) and Uppsala and Lund (Sweden), and taught systematic theology at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, USA. After her ordination in 1980, she served as a parish pastor in Stockholm and Lund, and became the Lund diocese bishop in 2007. She will be installed as Church of Sweden Archbishop in June 2014, succeeding Wejryd, who has led the church since 2006. Church of Sweden is LWF’s largest member church, with over 6.5 million members.

Rest in Joy and Peace Madiba Anne Hope South Africa All over South Africa we are mourning the death of Mandela as one mourns for the passing of a deeply loved member of one’s own family, and yet at the same time, we are singing and dancing in the streets as we give thanks for his existence. Seldom have deep sorrow and joy been so intimately entwined in our hearts? When has any statesman, any person, been so widely admired and so universally loved as our beloved Madiba? We are deeply moved by the messages of both condolence and thanksgiving that have been pouring in from every corner of the world. It all leaves one with a powerful awareness of the oneness of the human family.

We spent much of Friday glued to TV, drinking up every drop of news, every story, every joke, every programme focussing on different aspects of Mandela’s life, and, knowing that millions of other people all over the world were doing the same thing. What more can one say about the qualities of this extraordinary man, his courage, his compassion, his vision, his forgiveness and his commitment to reconciliation, his love for children, his charm and his irresistible smile? And yet, as we wept and laughed along with the rest of the world, it suddenly made the ‘noosphere’ of Teilhard de Chardin into a quite visible

and tangible reality. This ‘sphere’ of shared consciousness and love, wrapped like a skin around our precious planet (just like its atmosphere of air and its biosphere of living things) of shared values and understanding, of care and courage, of


reverence for mystery, this web of wisdom, enveloped us. It gave us a renewed sense that as human beings, and as the human race, we are called to greatness. Because of Mandela we have a new sense of our human dignity, new hope that we can rise above our human weaknesses, our selfishness and our pre-occupation with materialistic trivialities. Both the mourning and sorrow, the singing and celebration are making us more conscious how everything is growing together en route to a deeper awareness that ‘All is One’. On Sunday morning a number of us drove to St Georges Cathedral in Cape Town, a key gathering point at significant moments throughout the struggle for freedom. There we met other Grail members and their husbands. There, with a packed congregation of people from all the different cultures of Cape Town, we gave thanks for Mandela’s life, and prayed that the values for which he lived and offered his life would permeate our own lives and the life of South Africa as a whole. Afterwards as we gathered under the huge trees in the park beside the cathedral, we shared our sense that for many of us this feels like ‘the end of an era’. Mandela’s life has run like a thread throughout our own lives, from our first awareness of him in the 50’s as the elusive Black Pimpernel, stirring up the ANC to courageous new vitality, initiating the defiance campaign, burning his ‘pass’, through the signing of the Freedom Charter, the Treason Trial and then the Rivonia Trial. Who will ever forget the first time we heard his words as he closed his defence:

“During my lifetime I have dedicated my life to this struggle. I have fought against White domination and I have fought against Black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die”.

And he did live for it, through 27 years in prison and 23 years as the most influential man in the country, fostering harmony wherever he went. Through long years of silence while he was in prison and South Africa became a more and more oppressive police state, we almost lost sight of him. None of his pictures could be shown, none of his words could be repeated. Every decade there was an intense effort to bring about change, always ruthlessly suppressed. There were many heroic figures. We wondered how Mandela was standing up to prison life. Was he suffering from dementia? Was he still capable of leading? And then slowly the word trickled out of Robben Island, of the influence he was having, on the other prisoners, and on the warders, of ‘Who he was becoming…..’ The Free Mandela Campaign started and was taken up in many parts of the world, and the struggle for freedom was taken on by a new generation inspired by Steve Biko and his vision of Black consciousness. This turned the tide. We sometimes worried whether our expectations of Mandela had become unrealistic. Yet we shared in the immense joy of his final release, and the unbanning of the liberation movements. And gradually we realised that far from being unrealistic, Mandela was turning out to be so much greater as a leader than we had ever dreamt possible. He was one of those few who have “bent the arc of history towards justice, no matter how painful the process”. MAY HE REST IN PEACE AND RISE IN GLORY!

A symbol for sustainable development

c r o s s r o a d sfiles.ctctcdn.com/590b1283101/3e781c1d-47cd-46b1-bbfd-d...crossroads january 2014...

Documents