A year after the UISG Asia online workshop, more than 50 sisters from different countries gathered once again to continue deepening and fostering their intercultural journey in an intercongregational setup.

This recent follow-up meeting, was not only an exchange of ideas, but a space for sharing lived experiences – marked by both joys and challenges – in the ongoing effort to build communion across diverse cultures, languages, and contexts within consecrated life.

The meeting unfolded as a space of prayer and small group sharing, where participants were invited to speak about their learnings, initiatives, and struggles in living interculturality in their communities. It was a moment of joyful listening and mutual enrichment.

It was particularly meaningful to witness sisters from such a wide diversity of backgrounds and languages – English, Korean, Indonesian, and Vietnamese – coming together. This richness of perspectives highlighted that interculturality is not merely a theory, but a lived reality that shapes each person and, through them, community life and mission. Language itself emerged as both a bridge and a challenge. Communicating across languages requires patience, creativity, and a willingness to meet one another halfway – an effort rooted in a deep desire to live the Gospel.

At the heart of the experience was a growing awareness that intercultural living takes time and is grounded in simple yet demanding attitudes: deep listening, pausing before responding, suspending judgement, and learning to appreciate differences without seeking immediate resolution. Sisters underlined the importance of sharing not only ideas but also feelings, stories, and faith experiences. In this space, trust grows, and differences become places of encounter rather than division, even when tensions may arise.

The gathering also revealed a shared need for tools and processes that can support intercultural growth. A key insight was the importance of ongoing formation – both personal and communal – to allow interculturality to truly transform attitudes and practices. Some participants suggested the development of simple tools to help assess how intercultural a person or community is, to encourage deeper awareness and growth.

At the same time, there was a strong recognition that interculturality cannot remain at the level of individual effort alone. It needs to be embraced as a shared responsibility across the whole congregation – from leadership at the general level to each member, and within all stages of formation. Interculturality can take root grow and bear much fruit, only when it is intentionally integrated into governance, discernment processes, strategic planning, community life, and formation – both initial and ongoing – processes.

Beyond the reflections and proposals, what stood out most was the spirit of the gathering itself. There was a tangible openness, a willingness to learn from one another, and a shared recognition that interculturality is a path that requires time, commitment, and grace. It is not something achieved once and for all, but something cultivated through daily choices – through prayer, listening, learning from mistakes, and walking together.

This follow-up meeting strengthened a shared conviction: that intercultural living is essential for the future of consecrated life, especially in a region as diverse as Asia. For this reason, UISG remains committed to continuing to foster formation processes that support intercultural living across congregations.