Universal Voices is back with an all new A Heart For mini-series. In this episode, Alissa welcomes Cecilia Flores to share about her heart for building relationships. This episode is packed with gems as Cecilia shares her wisdom around what it is to enter into relationship with others. This episode is not only full of invitation and care, it is also full of nuggets to take to reflection and prayer. Listen in as Cecilia and Alissa dive into:

• Showing up as our authentic selves.
• Being received as gift and accepting others as gift.
• Embracing the unique gifts we each bring to the Church and the World.
• Showing up to spaces in humility, without agenda.
• Cecilia's work with the USCCB.
• The stability of the Catholic Church.
• Being a welcoming place for messiness and questions.
• Staying close to what is around us, with the people who are around us.
• Spending time really getting to know others.
• Jesus as a model of how to build relationship.
• Relationship as a vessel of Redemption.

Cecilia Flores is the daughter of Filipino immigrants who grew up in the San Francisco Bay area. She has spent over 15 years working with communities of faith to address poverty and injustice in the US and in Central America through the formation and development of youth, young adults, and women. She holds an MA in Global Development & Social Justice from St. John’s University, while grounding herself in the cultural traditions and wisdom received from her elders and ancestors. She is passionate about the power of storytelling, building relationships, community organizing, facilitating opportunities for encounter, and helping others discover and develop their gifts to change the world. She currently works as the Executive Director of the Catholic Volunteer Network and is also a Consultant to the USCCB’s Committee on Cultural Diversity in the Church. She is based in Sacramento, CA and is the proud mother of two children.