School of Leaders 2027: An Invitation to Care for the Human with the Heart
The Dehonian Province of the Southern Cone of America is preparing an international gathering for formation in leadership, spirituality, and social commitment, to be held from January 4 to 8, 2027, in San Bernardo, Chile.
In a world undergoing profound cultural, technological, and social transformations, a question arises that particularly challenges those who accompany people and communities: What does it mean to lead from the heart and safeguard human dignity in our time?
Out of this concern was born the School of Leaders 2027 – Guardians of the Human Summit, an initiative of the Dehonian Province of the Southern Cone of America, promoted by the Provincial Commission for Communication and Youth Ministry. The School is a continuation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Seminar to be held in Córdoba, Argentina.
The School will take place from January 4 to 8, 2027, at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Institute in San Bernardo, Chile. It will bring together young adults, educators, pastoral workers, religious, laypeople, and individuals committed to forming and accompanying others.
A School to Learn to Look, Discern, and Propose
The initiative stems from a conviction: leadership is not merely about organizing activities or achieving objectives. It involves learning to listen to reality, recognizing people’s needs, discerning responsibly, and building shared responses,while also cultivating spaces for silence and discernment at the feet of the Heart of Jesus.
Inspired by the spirituality of the Heart of Jesus and the legacy of Father Léon Dehon, the School proposes a pedagogical journey structured around three movements: Look, Discern, and Propose.
This journey is expressed through five capacities of heart-led leadership:
- A heart that looks and allows itself to be moved, capable of listening before intervening.
- An interior heart that discerns, integrating reason, affectivity, experience, and faith.
- An available heart that builds communion, driven by the spirit of the Ecce Venio and the Sint Unum.
- A heart that repairs and cares for the human, especially in the face of social wounds and the challenges brought by new technologies.
- A heart that sets the Kingdom in motion, turning discernment into concrete, sustainable commitments.
Leadership, Artificial Intelligence, and Mental Health
Over five days, participants will address contemporary challenges related to leadership, education, artificial intelligence,mental health, caring for caregivers, and social responsibility.
Confirmed speakers include Joan Cwaik, specialist in technology and digital culture, and Sr. Carolina de la Fuente, ECJ.
The program will combine lectures, workshops, spaces for dialogue, community experiences, and spiritual moments.Practices of interiority, prayer, and discernment are also planned to integrate these learnings into daily life.
The School aims to provide tools to exercise leadership that never loses sight of the human person. Faced with technological acceleration and institutional demands, it seeks to remind us that efficiency can never replace human encounter, conscience, or responsibility toward others.
An Experience Open to the Dehonian Family and to Others Desiring Formation in this Summer Session
While the initiative originated within the Province of the Southern Cone of America (Dehonians), its horizon is to “transcend congregational borders” and make an impact across diverse ecclesial realities.
The School aspires to become a gathering space for those who share the spirituality of the Heart of Jesus and the desire to serve society within their communities, schools, parishes, social works, and pastoral projects.
Therefore, provinces, regions, districts, religious communities, and ecclesial works from various countries are invited to discover this initiative, share it, and consider the participation of young people and collaborators from their institutions.The experience also seeks to foster new connections and enduring cooperative networks beyond the gathering.
Safeguarding the Human Is a Shared Mission
The spirituality of the Heart of Jesus invites us to look at the world with sensitivity, recognize its wounds, and respond with availability, communion, and reparative commitment.
The School of Leaders 2027 seeks to translate this spirituality into concrete practices of leadership, accompaniment, and social transformation.
Because safeguarding the human means learning to care for life, relationships, and the dignity of every person.
Practical Information:
- Event: School of Leaders 2027 – Guardians of the Human Summit
- Dates: January 4–8, 2027
- Location: Sacred Heart of Jesus Institute, San Bernardo, Chile
- Organizer: Dehonian Province of the Southern Cone of America
- Target Audience: Young adults, educators, pastoral workers, religious, and laypeople interested in leadership and human formation. Minimum age: 18 years
- Contact: comisiondecomunicacionypjuveni@gmail.com
An invitation to look with the heart, discern with hope, and propose paths in service of the human.
