The 4th Basilian Latin American Summit: A Call to Unite and Care for Our Common Home

Excursion through the Department of Boyacá, north of Bogotá. The site of the Latin American Summit was the town of Villa de Leyva, in Boyacá.  

This year, the 4th Annual Basilian Summit held in Latin America was guided by the vision of Pope Francis’ Laudato Si, encouraging Basilians to listen, pray, and dialogue about our planet Earth – our Common Home. Reflecting on St. Francis of Assisi, who composed the Canticle of the Creatures, the summit’s motto; “The strength of our Basilian Common House is each brother, and the strength of each brother is in the Basilian Common House,” highlights the deep connection between our community and our faith in the Elder Brother, Jesus Christ. Only this bond allows us to live in universal fraternity with our confreres, other people, friends and family, and our Common Home with all of its creatures.

During the summit, Scholastics Alejandro García Cárdenas and Julio César Martínez Chávez renewed their vows.

True fraternity with creation is rooted in our brotherhood in Christ, who guides us to the Father and lies at the center of our relationship with nature, and each other. The summit encourages all Basilians to rebuild their relationship with nature, as St. Francis exemplified. This year brought together all of our Basilian Brothers in Latin America, leading to greater relationships, dialog, and visions for the future of the Congregation.

In Genesis, God tasked humanity with administering creation. However, the belief that human beings are the most important entity on the planet led to environmental destruction and domination over others. The Summit theme, “Laudato Si, Caring for our Common Home Basiliana,” calls Basilians to reflect on the facts that this planet is a common home that does not belong to us alone, but to all the beings of nature.

By listening, praying, dialoguing, and worshipping as a congregation, Basilians seek to balance respect for both humans and other creatures. As the Summit Concludes and all Basilians go forth to yet another year of ministry, becomes necessary to ask ourselves in this Latin American Summit: How can we reach a healthy balance of respect for both human beings and other creatures? What actions as a Congregation can we take in the task of not reverting but lessening the negative impact on our common Basilian home (Congregation)? How can this document of Pope Francis enlighten man in his conception of man?