From September 22 to 25, 18 national directors of Cáritas from Latin America and the Caribbean held their annual meeting in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The Archbishop of Yucatán (Mexico), Monsignor Gustavo Rodríguez Vega, and the regional coordinator, Nicolás Meyer, accompanied the entire day.

The first day of the meeting was dedicated entirely to a profound Day of Spirituality, under the guidance of Sister. Angela Cabrera, religious of the Missionary Disciple Congregation for Holiness. The morning and afternoon sessions, interspersed with moments of prayer and personal reflection, were dedicated to deepening the theme “Charity: love demonstrated with God, with oneself, with others and with nature.”

Cabrera shared that the four dimensions are the result of the preparation and reflection of what charity consists of and discovering that charity is a love that is demonstrated.

Illuminate the retreat according to the inspiration that God was showing me from those four dimensions, to have charity with God, what it means to have charity with oneself, with one's own person, what it means to have charity with others and now this last topic that we have just reflected on, what it means to have charity with all of creation, with the common home.

Strengthening the service to the poorest on the continent

On Tuesday the 23rd combined the personal care with a regional vision. The morning began with a shared Reflection on self-care facilitated by Agustina Langwagen, director of Cáritas Uruguaya and Training coordinator for the region, and Nicolás Meyer. Next, the director of Cáritas Dominican Republic and host of the event, Juan Manuel Díaz Parrondo, presented a detailed Analysis of the reality and regional situation of the Caribbean.

Part of the agenda was dedicated to the presentation and planning of the XXI Regional Congress to be held in Brazil in 2027. The Cáritas of Peru and Puerto Rico shared their experiences of sustainability.

The host shared the challenge of hosting the meeting, especially as the newest director of the group. "I have only been in office for four months and I have already had the great responsibility, but also the great joy, of hosting this meeting of directors and the Expanded Core... We are very happy, I think it is going very well and above all because of the results we are having. There is a lot of sympathy, a lot of cordiality and above all a lot of faith that Caritas can continue to be the voice and response of the poorest in our church," highlighted Juan Manuel.

Wednesday's sessions focused on Cooperation Fraterna and the presentation of the MAGRE Regional Protocol (Emergency Risk Management and Management), led by the regional reference on the subject Catherine Mella and the director of Cáritas de Honduras, Wilfredo Cervantes.

Strategic dialogue and regional articulation in a shared day

For the first time, the region provided a Shared Work Day between directors, members of the CORE (Extended Regional Coordination) and Cooperation representatives Fraternal, for regional articulation. This convergence sought to ensure a holistic and consensual vision of the future of the organization.

The day began with a shared spirituality space, directed by Fr. Francisco de Asís de la Rosa Patron, reaffirming the commitment based on faith that drives the social work of Cáritas. Starting from the dynamics of the "Café del Mundo", an immersion was made in the regional Strategic Framework, presenting the progress of all the regional teams and services.

The success of this shared day in the Dominican Republic underlines the commitment of Cáritas Latin America and the Caribbean with unity of action and collaborative strategic planning as fundamental pillars to strengthen its mission of service and solidarity on the continent.