mutuo acompañamiento espiritual y teológico

Welcome. The purpose of this page is to help people who are interested in participating in 2023 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, Chile, Bolivia, Spain, UK, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Uruguay, Colombia, and Brasil. In 2022, we are 120 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 12th-October 15th, 2023

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Participants take part in three 2-hour facilitated small-group meetings of 9 to 11 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 16-19, 2023

After the three meetings, all participants from all groups (about 120 people in total) are invited to gather together for a virtual retreat. It will be 3 hours each day with a half-hour break. It will be in the morning or afternoon in countries of South, Central, and North America, and at night in Europe. Time for personal reflection is also expected in those days. Participation at the retreat is not mandatory, although experience indicates that being able to be there is of immense value. In the retreat, we celebrate the harvest among all groups!

 

People unable to attend will count on the retreat's work guidelines so they can prepare the harvest of their experience prior to the 4th and final meeting of their small group. At the retreat, we harvest and share Wisdom from each small group and work toward collective insights and shared narratives.

 

Simultaneously to their participation at the virtual retreat, participants could organize in-person encounters among them in different contexts to 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.  

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December, 2023 - 4th virtual meeting

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After the retreat, at the beginning of December 2022, 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 11-12 accompaniment groups and the virtual retreat and helps to cover the cost of participation for those -from the USA- who cannot pay the full contribution.

 

The fee does not include other organizing efforts related to planning in-person encounters in different contexts while the virtual retreat is happening.

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 2023 cycle, please complete this inquiry form by Sunday, February 19th, 2023. 

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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 Wednesday, March 1st, 2023.