“It is characteristic of the spirit of the Assumption to allow each person their own particular way”
Saint Marie Eugénie of Jesus
Some experiences profoundly shape the way we understand our educational vocation. One such experience, for me, arose from a simple encounter: a shared break where students, teachers, and Sisters of the Assumption spontaneously gathered in a small circle to talk, laugh, and share life. Nothing extraordinary happened, and yet, at the end of those moments, everyone left with a different light on their faces. I then understood that communal joy, when it is truly shared, is not an isolated feeling, but a dynamic force that expands, spreads, and builds.
Joy becomes communal when it is born of encounter. In our schools, this encounter is woven among adolescents and young people seeking meaning, teachers who offer their talents, and religious sisters who sustain the educational mission with their lives. When each person recognizes themselves as part of a “we,” joy ceases to be an individual gift and becomes a shared good. Through these often unnoticed gestures, the community becomes a visible sign of the Kingdom.
Within Assumption spirituality, Saint Marie Eugénie reminds us that education is not merely the transmission of knowledge, but the transformation of the world from within. She dreamed of communities that would act as leaven, a humanizing presence, places where young people could experience a faith embodied in relationships that build. From this mission, joy becomes a way of engaging with the world, even in its most difficult moments, trusting that God is quietly at work among us.
I have seen this joy become mission when a group of adolescents chooses to accompany a peer through hardship, when a teacher transforms conflict into an opportunity for learning, when a sister shares words that restore light and meaning. Each person, in their own role, contributes a share of hope to the community. Forming community, then, is not simply about gathering people, but about igniting a shared life that calls us to become better.
Joy must also be cultivated. It does not appear magically: it is sown with patience, watered with trust, and strengthened through practices that uplift the spirit. In our educational communities, cultivating joy means creating spaces of gratitude, promoting relationships grounded in dignity, and encouraging active and shared responsibility. It also means recognizing that no one grows alone and that the educational mission requires hearts capable of celebrating small steps as well as greater achievements.
Looking back today, I recognize that the joy I have received at the Assumption Institute in Las Águilas, Mexico City, has been more than personal consolation; it has been a call. A call to continue building environments where each student can discover that their life has value, that their story matters, and that their presence transforms. When a community shares joy, it becomes a living sign of the Kingdom, a quiet yet powerful witness that another world is possible when we build it together.
This shared joy also invites us to reflect on our educational practices. How do we teach? How do we accompany? How do we sustain? Joy becomes a pedagogical criterion when it guides our decisions toward what fosters life, strengthens community, and brings out the best in each person. A joyful community does not avoid conflict or deny fatigue, but moves through them with mutual trust and the conviction that together we can find more just and humane paths.
In this sense, the educational mission of the Assumption becomes a constant call to be a transformative presence. It is not enough simply to be present; it means being present in a meaningful, close, and encouraging way. When educators, students, and sisters embrace joy as a way of life, they become protagonists of a shared project. In this daily journey, our communities become true workshops of the Kingdom, where joy is sown, shared, and opened as a path for others.
Carlos Enrique Castro Medina
Province of Ecuador - Mexico