Hello, everyone! After four years working with Talitha Kum International-UISG, I am leaving Rome to start a new chapter in Canada. My role primarily involved managing projects with donors and our networks, as well as coordinating training sessions and events (February 8, the General Assembly, etc.).

My years working with the Talitha Kum team—first with Sr. Gabriella, then with Sr. Abby—have been a truly transformative experience. Together with the team, we’ve weathered both challenges and joys. The world seems different today.

I have learned so much within the network—first, to reassess my priorities so as to always remain at the service of young people and survivors; then, to listen and collaborate in an intercultural way, to trust, to engage in dialogue, and to network. I have received more than I have given. I thank the Talitha Kum International team, the UISG staff, the youth ambassadors and representatives, the partners, interpreters, and consultants with whom we work, and above all the members of the Talitha Kum network—sisters, laypeople, brothers, and priests—for their inspiring commitment and courage.

Talitha Kum’s strength lies in the determination of its members, in its local embeddedness, in its networking, and in its listening to and accompanying survivors and those at risk. It has been an honor and a joy to work alongside you; I hope our paths will cross again.

Let us continue to journey forward and act together, to recognize and promote the inherent dignity of every man, woman, and child, and to build a more just world. May God bless you!

Marion Paparella