Leading with Heart and Soul

Compassion, Purpose, and Emotional Awareness

From June 11 to 13, more than 450 women religious leaders and general council members from around the world gathered online for a transformative three-day journey titled “Being the Best of Yourself”, led by Sr. Lynn Levo, CSJ. The formation sessions focused on compassionate leadership, emotional awareness, and the importance of purpose in this time of uncertainty, especially for those in religious life leadership.

A Leadership Rooted in Compassion

Sr. Lynn opened the series by inviting participants to reflect on what it means to be their “best self” in leadership. Encouraging leaders to cultivate well-being—not only physically, but emotionally and spiritually, she stressed that leadership begins with self-care and extends to the ability to listen, accompany, and foster compassionate relationships within the community.

Concrete steps were offered for leading with compassion, balancing one’s personal identity and needs with the relational ones of community life. “Religious life,” let us not forget, “is a means to become more human. Our first human vocation is to love and be loved.”

Emotional Awareness as a Path to Growth

Over the sessions, it was emphasized that emotions are not obstacles to leadership, but crucial signals that deepens self-understanding and relational capacity with one-self, others, the world and with God. Ignoring emotions risks dismissing the very humanity of our being. From managing frustration and fear to expressing anger in healthy ways, she provided tools to help leaders recognize their emotional triggers and choose pondered responses over reactive behaviors. Early life experiences and trauma often shape emotional patterns, underscoring the need for healing and spiritual integration. “Our body, memory, emotions and relationships are part of our spiritual path,” she noted and cannot be overlooked. 

Purpose That Inspires and Unites

A key theme was the role of purpose—both personal and communal. Congregational leaders were challenged to revisit their founding inspiration, not as a static legacy but as a living source of identity that needs to be reimagined in today’s world and ever-changing situations. The leaders were encouraged to help sisters discover their individual purpose within the institutional one, especially as it evolves with age and mission. 
Reflective exercises, with deep yet simple questions, guided participants in identifying their own leadership purpose, inviting vulnerability, honesty, and clarity. “Being future-fluent means living fully in the present inspired by one’s personal purpose while being attentive to what is emerging.”

Embracing Inclusivity and Listening

The sessions emphasized the importance of empathy, inclusion, and humility. Sisters are called to move from exclusivity to radical inclusivity, in harmony with the Church’s synodal journey. Listening with compassion, suspending judgment, and affirming others’ experiences were highlighted as foundational to leadership that needs to unite rather than divide. Even challenges—such as resistance or disagreement—were reframed as opportunities to slow down, understand underlying emotions, and deepen beneficial dialogue.

A Space for Healing and Renewal

These formations became a space of mutual support and spiritual renewal. Sisters shared questions, stories, and hopes in a multilingual, multicultural environment made possible by the skilled translators. In the words of a participant, “This wasn’t just formation—it was a healing moment.”

Sr. Lynn’s closing reflection reminded participants that hope is not naive optimism but a courageous choice rooted in truth, care, and the trust in a loving God. In uncertain times, hope is sustained by connection, resilience, and the willingness to walk together.

Be Perfect. Be Compassionate.

A deeply spiritual thread throughout the series was the Gospel invitation: “Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48), interpreted not as perfectionism, but as a call to compassionate wholeness.

Luke 6:36–38 echoed in our hearts:
“Be compassionate just as your Father is compassionate. Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and there will be gifts for you: a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap; because the standard you use will be the standard used for you.”

This highlights that authentic leadership does not come from flawless performance, but from a heart attuned to mercy. To be “perfect” in the Gospel sense is to grow in love, humility, and the capacity to be present to others with tenderness and truth, just as God does with us. This compassion begins within, and then radiates outward into community and mission.

Paula Jordão, fmvd (UISG Formation Coordinator)