From 16 to 19 July 2026, the Summer Session organized in Rhode-Saint-Genèse, near Brussels, took place. About forty people gathered there – members, friends and people close to the Teresian Association – mainly from Belgium, but also from Germany, France and Luxembourg.
What if fraternity were a way to build those solidarities so necessary in our times? In the light of the Gospel, we will share resources and tools to develop bonds of fraternity.
This was the theme mentioned in the invitation brochure for the encounter. The encounter was focused on the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk 10:25-37) and the commentary on it in the Encyclical Fratelli tutti. Every morning, we entered into a dialogue with some of the characters in the parable: the thieves and the wounded, the priest, the Samaritan and the innkeeper. A few brief interventions served as an introduction to the exchange in small groups around the different characters of the parable.
The afternoons allowed us to participate in workshops of our choice: active nonviolence, study of the Old and New Testaments, Christian meditation of simple presence, meditative walking, participatory decision-making or informal exchange.
Plant and grow
The meeting concluded with a Eucharistic celebration in which each of the groups was able to share what had been the core of their exchanges. Each participant received a small plant that referred to the Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds that was proclaimed in that Sunday's liturgy: "Let them grow together until the harvest"... And some of the plants grew...
Here are some testimonials from participants who shared what made an impression on them and what they appreciated about this session:
- Joy, peace and renewed strength
- A greater awareness of the need to actively build fraternity, without taking it for granted
- An even greater conviction of the urgency of humanizing society
- Sharing, friendship, fraternity, the parable of the Good Samaritan
- The joy of fraternal encounters, the space given to spirituality, trust in a Church that is open and generous with the TA
- The richness of the exchanges, the introductions in the mornings to the parable of the Good Samaritan...
Catherine Chevalier, Brussels.