From 18 to 22 August, Madrid hosted the Congress and Assembly of the 2026 World Conference of Secular Institutes: 240 participants, 30 countries represented and 102 Secular Institutes, gathered around a single question: “In the heart of the world, what prophecy of hope?”
Taking part on behalf of the Dicastery were Sr Simona Brambilla, Prefect, and Dr Rosalba Rossi, a Dicastery official.
Among the most significant moments was a reflection by Sr Simona Brambilla, Prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, entitled “Living Within”.
To live within means to inhabit fully the history, the lives of people and the realities of our time: not from the margins, but as seed and leaven, a discreet presence capable of bringing about transformation from within.
Secular consecration is called to contribute to the evangelical transformation not only of individuals, but also of the cultural fabric, relationships and structures of society, through listening, humility, respect, empathy and discernment: recognising what humanises and what dehumanises.
Along this path, integral ecology calls for a shift from the logic of domination, consumption and the throwaway culture towards a culture of reciprocity, care, sobriety, communion and service.
Madrid poses a powerful challenge: to have one’s heart immersed in God while living fully within the world, recognising in everyday life the seeds of the future and the new sprouts of hope that the Spirit brings to life.
The prophetic witness of Secular Institutes does not necessarily depend on visibility, but on presence: being there, sharing, listening, serving and transforming from within, bringing the gaze and the heart of Christ into human realities.
A gift and a mandate with which to leave Madrid and continue, each day, to live in the heart of the world as a prophecy of hope.
And together with reflection: the Eucharist, fraternity, dialogue and the joy of recognising themselves as part of an international reality, diverse in its histories and sensibilities, yet united by the same calling.
