Welcome. The purpose of this page is to help people who are interested in participating in 2021 to understand how Spiritual and Theological Mutual Accompaniment (STMA) works. 


If you feel moved to apply, please complete the inquiry form below. 


Our process is invitation only because new participants are also supported by the person who invites them. 

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What is Spiritual and Theological Mutual Accompaniment (STMA)?


Through STMA,

  • We walk together in small groups -online and face-to-face- with people in diverse contexts from Mexico, the USA, Peru, Ecuador, Spain, UK, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Uruguay, Colombia and Brasil. In 2020, we are 94 compañerxs.

  • We support one another in our commitments at the margins

  • We create space for uncovering Wisdom that reconciles and transforms

  • We weave new liberating collective narratives as a communal convocation to keep sharing the good news of freedom and caring resistance with those who are also broken-hearted.


Small Groups Online: June 14th-October 15th, 2021

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Participants take part in three 2-hour facilitated small-group meetings of 9 to 10 people from three or more countries. In preparation for our meeting, we each write short reflections (at most 2 pages) responding to shared, open questions. After reading the reflections of the whole group, we meet together for dialogue to pay attention to what we are seeing, thinking-feeling, and doing in our contexts. 


In our conversations we share our vulnerabilities and create courageous space for reflection, mutuality and weaving of new liberating insights. As well as the writings, each conversation is “systematized” by a member of the group to capture this Wisdom that is emerging from the insights of the group.


Personal written work and group dialogue total approximately 4-5 hours a month for a period of 4 months. 


Retreat November 11-14, 2021


After the three meetings, all participants from all groups (about 100 people in total) are invited to gather together for a retreat. At the retreat we harvest and share the Wisdom from each small group and work toward collective insights and shared narratives. In 2021, the 4-day retreat might be as always in some place in Latin America where we will also connect with the struggles that our friends encounter in their work at the margins as they walk through mutual accompaniment with others in their responses to Life.  


For participants who cannot be present at the retreat, we offer ways for integrating small group learnings into your personal context.

 

December, 2021 - 4th virtual meeting

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After the retreat, at the beginning of December 2021, each small group will have a 4th virtual meeting so that groups can process their retreat experience and learnings together. 

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Cost (Only for participants from the USA)

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We are committed to ensuring that everyone who wants to is able to participate in STMA. Every year, the project requires significant organizing efforts, and based on the different cost of living among countries in which participants live, we encourage participants from the USA to pay a fee of $500 dollars for participation. However, if you are a participant from the USA and you know you are not able to pay this fee, but are eager to participate, please continue with the application and we will discuss options with you later. 

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This fee supports the organizing efforts-time it takes to organize the 10-12 accompaniment groups and the retreat and helps to cover the cost of participation for those -from the USA- who cannot pay the full contribution. 


The retreat is not mandatory. However, for those who want to extend their participation at the annual retreat, the cost of the retreat is an additional $150 dollars which includes food and lodging (international travel not included).  The cost for those living outside the USA will be less based on cost of living.


Application Timeline

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The number of new participants we can accommodate is subject to the balance we seek among countries, diversity and interculturality. 

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Deadline 


For the 2021 cycle, please complete this inquiry form by Friday, January 29th, 2021. 

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Once you complete the inquiry form, we will be able to send you a full application by email. 

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Full applications will be reviewed as received and everyone will be contacted by Monday, March 1st, 2021.

 
 
 
 

INQUIRY FORM -please complete by Friday, January 29th, 2021