LIMA, PERU — From September 24 to 28, 2025, the Council of Lay Dominican Fraternities of Latin America and the Caribbean (COFALC) held its General Elective Assembly at St. Albert the Great Convent in Lima, Peru, under the theme: “Dominican Laity: Identity, Mission, and Communion in the Family of Saint Dominic.”
Br. Rómulo Vásquez Gavidia, OP, Prior Provincial of the Province of San Juan Bautista of Peru; Br. Luis Galindo Silva, OP, Provincial Promoter for the Laity; Mr. Carlos Fhon, OP, Provincial President of the Laity; together with other friars and lay Dominicans of the host province, welcomed Mrs. Margareth Velásquez, OP and Mrs. Isabel Demaldé, OP from the COFALC Council; invited speaker Mr. Sébastien Milazzo, OP, International Coordinator of the Dominican Laity and President of the European Council (ECLDF); and the second invited speaker, Br. Cristóbal Torres Iglesias, OP, General Promoter for the Laity. Representatives from Lay Provincial Councils across Latin America were also present.
Mr. Milazzo offered a presentation on hope as a constitutive element of Dominican preaching. Br. Cristóbal gave two talks: one on the communion of the Laity with other branches of the Dominican Family, and another on Lay Dominican preaching and the four “publics” outlined in the Relatio of the Master of the Order for the General Chapter of Krakow.
The Assembly also elected the new COFALC Council for 2025–2029:
- President: Mrs. Margareth Velásquez, OP (Bolivia)
- Vice President: Mr. Luis Aníbal Toro, OP (Ecuador)
- Secretary: Mr. Darío Rogelio Recalde Gamarra, OP (Paraguay)
- Treasurer: Mr. Pablo Santos Escalante, OP (Mexico)
- Formation Officer: Mrs. Maria de Lourdes Leal dos Santos, OP (Brazil)
In addition to the presentations and the election of the new Council, the Assembly also addressed topics such as amendments to the COFALC Statutes. Participants also enjoyed moments of fraternity, which included a cultural showcase and visits to the Museum of the Convent of the Most Holy Rosary, the Saint Rose of Lima House and Shrine, and the Saint Martin de Porres House Museum.
