On Friday, May 20, the working group established to organise a European Congress of the Order’s professional vocational schools in Europe met in Vienna at the Austrian Provincial Curia.

It was attended by Brother Miguel Ángel Varona Alonso (Europe Commission), Brother Calixto Plumed (Bética Province), Mrs Amelia Guilera Roche (Aragon Province), Mrs Addolorata Vassallo (Tiber Island), Mrs Elfriede Kasbauer (Bavarian Province) and Mrs Barbara Zinka (Austrian Province) and Dr Carlo Galasso (Hospitality Europe).

The meeting was assisted by Mr Klaus Mutschlechner (General Curia) and Dominik Hartig (Austrian Provincial Curia).

The members illustrated the preparations that were already being made for the Congress by the Provincial vocational schools to involve all the students and teaching staff in the event.

The meeting laid down the objectives and drew up the draft programme and agenda for the Granada meeting, which will be convened on 6 and 7 April, 2017, attended about 140 students and teaching staff.

The theme of the Congress will be “Humanising care and accompaniment: a style of vocational training”, around which the attendees will debate the methods and models adopted by the various vocational schools to enhance and deploy the charism of St John of God and Hospitality in the course of their professional vocational training.

One specific context in which the practical deployment of these values will be analysed will be the provision of healthcare and welfare services for migrants and refugees arriving in Europe and in the Order’s facilities. 

In connection with the Congress, a manual will also be published on the transmission of the St John of God model of care in the process of training future health care operators and social workers. The next meeting of the working group will be held in Madrid on 17 February, 2017.