A gathering delayed by the pandemic
The meeting, held from March 30 through April 2, 2023, was convened under the Eclectic Center of the Universal Flowing Light–Rita Gregorio Mota, known as CEFLURGEM, a church body founded in September 2007 that groups affiliated Santo Daime churches across the United States and Canada. The COVID-19 pandemic had kept CEFLURGEM leadership and affiliated church leaders in the lineage of Padrinho Sebastião and Madrinha Rita from meeting in person since 2019, making the Phoenix gathering the first opportunity in several years for church leaders from across North America to reconnect.
What the meeting covered
Over three days, participants discussed the growth of CEFLURGEM's member churches and how the organization planned to meet rising interest, alongside legal developments in the United States and internationally, updates to internal ethical standards, and progress on a new church building at Céu do Mapiá in Brazil. Representatives traveled from Brazil for the occasion, including Glauber Assis, representing ICEFLU's executive secretariat, and Cires Beija Mar, representing Céu do Mapiá — a sign of the continuing ties between the Brazilian and North American branches of the tradition. The gathering closed with a Concentration work, a meditative ritual format within Santo Daime practice.