The Spanish Christian Nursing group held its 19th national gatherng in Marín (Pontevedra), in the north of Spain, an unprecedented location for this meeting, which brought together around thirty professionals from 6 to 9 March.

Given that this year the event was held for the first time on Galician soil, the chosen motto was Finisterrae: to the ends of the earth, a reference to the mission of professionals and believers, a committed work of helping people, reflecting the character of Jesus.

Among the aims of the meeting, the president of the group, Fernando Ramos, stressed both the fact of fostering fellowship and mutual knowledge within the group, given that geographical dispersion makes it difficult to be in constant contact, and the need to draw up a new strategic plan for the coming years.

That is why they organised a world-café, several seminars and group dynamics where attendees were able to express and reflect from different perspectives.

The talks were given by Fernando Plou, director of the Preaching Workshop ministry in Spain.

Furtheremore, there were times of worship and prayer, and in the evenings there were activities with different themes. An excursion was also scheduled to visit a nearby archaeological site and get to know the surroundings of the city of Pontevedra.

Contemporary challenges

Fernando Ramos, president of Christian Nursing Spain, explained that the group brings together nurses from all over Spain and has links with the international movement to reflect on the integration of the Christian faith in the profession, on issues such as bioethics and the relationship with patients.

Meanwhile, Juan Carlos Nogal, national secretary, recalled that the group was born in the 1980s with the encouragement of a Scottish midwife who lived in Madrid and that, over the years, it has grown in number and presence, holding national meetings since 2010.

He stressed that one of the current challenges is to strengthen the group's presence not only in the evangelical sphere, but also in the public sphere of nursing in Spain.

 

 

 

 

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Una publicación compartida de Enfermería Cristiana España (@enfermeriacristianaspain)

María López-Parra, vice-president, stressed that one of the main challenges for Christian nurses is to remain firm in their faith in a social context of ethical and bioethical changes.

‘We are facing a new paradigm’, which is why these meetings, where participants encourage each other to “be light and salt and live the faith in the midst of this maelstrom”, are so important.

Moncho Lagos, a nurse working in Pontevedra, emphasised the importance of understanding nursing as a mission in which Christian professionals collaborate with God through “knowing how to accompany a good death, and even at the moment of birth, defending above all the value of human life”.

Ramos summed up the essence of the meeting by stating that "we try to contextualise and express three key values in our profession: excellence, integrity and stewardship”.