From April 30 to May 3, 2026, members of the CLC in Slovakia gathered at Donovaly for the annual Community Weekend, which this year also included the IV. National Assembly of the community. The meeting brought together members from different parts of Slovakia, together with their families, in a spirit of prayer, discernment, fellowship, and gratitude.<\/p>\n
The Community Weekend is a traditional event of the Slovak CLC community. It offers a valuable opportunity for members to deepen relationships, share experiences of faith and service, and strengthen the bonds of friendship within the community. Inspired by Psalm 100<\/strong> and the Ignatian Principle and Foundation, Fr. Jakub Gar\u010d\u00e1r, SJ (ecclesiastical assistant) invited members to rediscover gratitude, joyful service, and trust in God\u2019s faithful guidance<\/strong>. In his opening reflection, he encouraged the community to remember God\u2019s gifts received through creation, redemption, and community life, and to respond with gratitude and generosity.<\/p>\n We were invited to reflect personally and in small groups:<\/p>\n These moments of sharing and listening created a deep atmosphere of openness, gratitude, and mutual encouragement. The weekend itself unfolded in a joyful spirit marked by prayer, conversations, shared meals, liturgical celebrations, and moments of silence.<\/p>\n A particularly important part of this year\u2019s gathering was the IV. National Assembly. The Assembly became a space for communal discernment about the election of a new executive council, reflection on the past period and an invitation to continuity in the community. We prayed and listened together in the Ignatian spirit, seeking to recognize God\u2019s invitations for the next stage of the community\u2019s journey.<\/p>\n During the Assembly, we reflected on the life and mission of CLC in Slovakia, on the fruits and challenges of recent years, and on the call to continue growing as an apostolic body at the service of the Church and society. The discussions highlighted the importance of personal responsibility, collaboration, and openness to the Holy Spirit in community life.<\/p>\n One of the central moments of the Assembly was the election of the new executive council. The newly elected leaders accepted their service with humility and trust, recognizing it as a shared mission entrusted to the whole community. Members expressed gratitude for the generous service of the previous leadership team and entrusted the future of the community to God\u2019s guidance.<\/p>\n A meaningful concluding activity of the weekend was a shared reflection using the image of a bridge and a river. We named the \u201cpillars\u201d that support and sustain the life of the community \u2014 values, experiences, relationships, and practices that should remain strong for the future. At the same time, we reflected on what we would like to let \u201cflow away\u201d with the river: fears, burdens, habits, or attitudes that no longer help the community grow in freedom and mission. This final reflection became a powerful expression of hope, gratitude, and openness to God\u2019s continuing work in the life of CLC in Slovakia.<\/p>\n We, members of CLC in Slovakia, are grateful for this communal experience and pray for the newly elected executive council, for all local communities, and for the continued growth of the mission entrusted to the Christian Life Community in Slovakia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" From April 30 to May 3, 2026, members of the CLC in Slovakia gathered at Donovaly for the annual Community Weekend, which this year also included the IV.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":18317,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1685,1755,54],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18316","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europe-2","category-europe-en","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n\n