Vincentian Marian Youth International President Yasmine Cajuste sent the following on the occasion  the 184th Anniversary of our association July 18.

Dear Member of the VMY:

Walk with us as we deepen our faith!

Once again the Vincentian Marian Youth Association throughout the world has the joy of celebrating the anniversary of the first apparition of the Blessed Mother to Saint Catherine Laboure.

This year our celebration has a special character. On the July 18^th our advisors, together with the International Team, will be able to celebrate this anniversary in the Chapel of the Apparitions. There, at the foot of the altar, we will once more listen to Mary’s call to accompany our Association of young men and women. Therefore, I want to recall here some significant facts regarding this event and also want to place those events within the context of our theme for this current year and within the context of these International Meeting of the Advisors (July 15-20, 2014 in Paris).

In her maternal solicitous manner, Mary invited a young woman, Catherine Laboure, a novice in the Company of the Daughters of Charity, to accept a mission that was to be the source of many blessings and that would also involve certain difficulties. This mission was revealed to Catherine but also included the Vincentian Missionaries (Father Aaldel who was to be the director), the Daughters of Charity and young men and women … all of whom were called to respond in a generous manner to our Mother’s invitation. Today also the members of the VMY cry out and express their inner longing to discover God who is present in each and every member of the Association … cry out and express their desire to make present God’s love and kingdom throughout the world, especially in the life of their sisters and brothers who are poor and in need … cry out and express their commitment to live together in unity and peace. Like a good mother, Mary knew that as young men and women journeyed in faith they would need the understanding and the wisdom of mature adults who would help them read their life through the light of the Word of God. In that way these young men and women would be able to recognize God’s presence in their life and hear God’s call to live the fullness of life, to contemplate the mysteries of life and to serve their brothers and sisters. In this sense this year’s anniversary is an opportunity for each advisor to renew his/her commitment to journey with the young men and women of our Association … to journey and accompany others in the same way that Jesus accompanied his disciples.

Read the full letter… VMY anniversary 2014 (Word)