From August 18 to 22, 2026, Madrid hosted the 11th Congress and General Assembly of the World Conference of Secular Institutes (CMIS), marking the first time the event was held in Spain. The gathering brought together 240 participants from 71 secular institutes, representing 42 countries and four continents, under the theme “In the Heart of the World, What Prophecy of Hope?”
The Congress reflected on the current situation and mission of secular institutes, a form of consecrated life characterized by living out the evangelical counsels amid the everyday realities of the world.
One of the highlights was the lecture “Living from Within,” delivered on August 19 by Sister Simona Brambilla, prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. She highlighted the vocation of secular institutes to remain fully embedded in society and to contribute to the transformation of its structures, relationships, and cultures “from within,” in light of the Gospel. She also presented integral ecology as an important criterion for discernment amid the challenges of the contemporary world.
Representatives of younger generations within the institutes were especially invited to this gathering. This gave the congress held in Madrid a special character. We were able to establish a dialogue between the generations, get to know one another as representatives of a younger generation, and look toward the future together. The secular institutes formed a community of diverse charisms and a range of different ways of life. However, for the younger generation, the question that seems to be at the forefront is: What can we do together?
Five Schoenstatt Secular Institutes in the CMIS
The Schoenstatt Movement has five secular institutes registered with the CMIS:
- Our Lady of Schoenstatt
- Schoenstatt Institute of Diocesan Priests
- Schoenstatt Brothers of Mary
- Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary
- Schoenstatt Fathers
According to reports submitted to the CMIS, the Schoenstatt Movement has 2,065 active members. However, these figures do not yet include data from two of our secular institutes, so the total number of consecrated members in the Movement is even higher.
Schoenstatt Representatives in Madrid
Representatives from two Schoenstatt Institutes attended the Congress and the General Assembly.
The Schoenstatt Institute of Diocesan Priests was represented by Fr. Marcelo Cervi, the rector general, and Fr. Alejandro Zelaya, the general director of courses.
Representing the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary were Sr. M. Lioba Ruprecht, representative of the German Conference of Secular Institutes; Sr. María Carolina Miranda, from Chile; Sr. M. Rocío García, from Spain; and Sr. M. Patricia Stewart, from Rome.
A Schoenstatt Member on the Presidential Council
Following the Congress, the CMIS General Assembly convened the leaders of the Institutes to assess progress since the last Assembly, held in 2022, and to elect the new Presidency and the members of the CMIS Council.
On that occasion, the new leadership team was elected to the positions of president, members of the Presiding Council, and advisors, for a total of nine people.
Dr. Fr. Marcelo Adriano Cervi, the Rector General of the Schoenstatt Institute of Diocesan Priests, was among those elected to the Presiding Council.
The new president is Barbara Pandolfi, an Italian and the general director of the Secular Institute “Missionarie della Regalità di Cristo.”
The new leadership was constituted as follows:
Presidency Council:
President: Barbara Pandolfi (Italy)
Ofelia Pérez Canario (Dominican Republic)
Marcelo Cervi (Brazil)
Other Board Members:
Miguel Julián Viñals (Spain)
Adelaide Vaz (India)
María José Castejón Giner (Spain)
Daniela Fusetti (Italy)
Martha Cecilia Duque Muñoz (Colombia)
Luigi Chistolini (Italy)
An Image of Mary for Consecrated Life
In the center of the conference room, an image of Mary held a special place. It is titled “Our Lady of Consecrated Secularity.” The image depicts Mary walking with the Child Jesus by her side and a jug in her hand, on her way to the people, in the midst of life, with Him.
The image and the title resonated with several participants: Mary is the woman united to God in a unique way and, at the same time, close to people. She precedes us in our vocation; she stands, so to speak, at the forefront of those called to consecrated life in the world. She not only vividly shows us what it means to make God present in the world; she also walks with us and takes us by the hand.
Inspired by Mary, Schoenstatt’s presence at this world gathering expresses the participation of its Institutes in the Church’s life. It reinforces an essential dimension of its mission: to live their consecration in the heart of the world and to collaborate, from within, in its transformation according to the Gospel.
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