You Belong Here: The Story Is Still Unfolding

By Rev. Héctor Josué Hernández Marcial

Last month, alumni of the National Benevolent Association’s Peer Learning & Wellness Groups (PLWG) gathered at the Franciscan Renewal Center in Scottsdale, Arizona, to celebrate ten years of people showing up for one another. Individuals across cohorts, ministries, leadership contexts, and different seasons of the program came together again to reconnect, rejoice, remember, and imagine what may still be possible.

The invitation at the heart of the gathering was simple: You Belong Here. Not only were we marking the anniversary of PLWG’s, we were also celebrating a community of care: the relationships, stories, courage, laughter, healing, honest conversations, and shared wisdom that have made leadership feel less lonely. Through meals, movement, music, creativity, rest, and reflection, alumni returned to one another and to the practices that have sustained this community over time.

Throughout our time in Arizona, wellness was not treated as one more activity on the agenda. It was something we practiced together. Participants were invited to come as they were, with nothing to prove and no pressure to perform. Between grounding practices, walking conversations, time in nature, storytelling, celebration, and permission to rest, we affirmed a truth that has guided PLWG from the beginning: leaders deserve to be supported not only in what they do, but in their whole selves: their well-being, honesty, courage, and need for companionship along the road.

We also made space to hold the tapestry of stories of the past ten years with care and honesty. Alumni reflected on what their groups had made possible, what they continue to carry, and the relationships that still accompany them. Some stories spoke of friendship, healing, renewal, and courage, while others held experiences that were complicated, unfinished, or different from what had been hoped for. All of it belongs within this human story of learning, adapting, and continuing to ask how we can better care for leaders and communities.

The anniversary celebration brought the PLWG story to life through photographs, music, memories, cake, dancing, and communal joy. We honored the conveners, participants, staff, partners, donors, and friends who helped shape and sustain this work. We remembered that joy is not separate from care or transformation; it is part of how community endures. Again and again, the celebration returned us to the words that have echoed across PLWG: “I understand.” “Me too.” “You are not alone.” “Rest is also part of the work.”

As we turned toward the next ten years, we did not try to force a finished answer. Instead, we opened space for questions: Who still needs this kind of community? What new forms of care, justice, wellness, and belonging are waiting to be imagined? How might alumni continue to help shape what comes next? The gathering renewed our commitment to listen, remain connected, and carry forward what still wants to grow.

After ten years and nearly 120 alumni, what remains most powerful is not only that peer groups work. It is that people flourish when they are known, supported, accompanied, and given room to rest, reflect, and grow in community. Arizona reminded us that this work has always been about more than a program. It is about people finding one another, practicing care together, and discovering that they do not have to carry the journey alone. The story is still unfolding—and we are grateful to continue shaping it together.