Vincentian Lay Missionaries gathered in their National Assembly in Spain and were able to have the Superior General and other key figures join them via Skype.

This past weekend, June 13-14, 2015, MISEVI in Spain held their National Assembly at the Vincent de Paul Spiritual Center (Salamanca). Fr. Gregory Gay, CM, as Director General of the Lay Vincentian Missionaries, was present at this gathering through a video conference

As a result of Skype and Google Hangouts the Director General, two member ministering in Honduras, four members ministering in Bolivia, three ministering in Mozambique, two ministering in Germany and two in Granada (Spain), were able to participate in this gathering.

These tools that facilitate communication through the internet also facilitate the daily work of the Coordinating Team and the participation and the integration of all the members in the decision making process and in their ability to be part of these various large events.

At the beginning of the morning session, the president of MISEVI, Israel Peralta, summarized for the Director General all the matters that were dealt with during the Assembly. After thanking MISEVI Spain for all the efforts that have enabled them to be pioneers of the lay Vincentian mission in the Church, Father Gregory then focused on two themes: the shared mission and the internationalization of the mission.

We have initiated the Year of Vincentian Collaboration and the experience of MISEVI Spain in this area is very mixed but in our own country and well as in other countries. For that reason Father Gregory asked us to take another step forward and move from collaboration (which is good and necessary and urgent especially when dealing with the process of evangelizing and serving those people who are poor) to a shared mission. He asked us, as laymen and women, to reflect on and deepen our understanding of that concept so that we can share those insights with the whole Vincentian Family. Collaboration supposes that there is someone in charge and that others collaborate with that person in accomplishing some specific task. A shared mission supposes that all participate in the mission, that all have been called and given a task, all have responsibility and as a result each person should make a contribution to the process of evangelization. Said contribution naturally depends on their state in life, that is, some are priests, others are lay people, others are parents, while still others are single. It is not a question of “come and help me in my work” but rather “together let us work in the Lord’s vineyard”.

The other theme that Father Gregory dealt with was the internationalization of the mission and of the missionaries that engage in the process of evangelization. To share life with people from distinct cultures and countries is not easy … it is always a challenge. He placed before us some personal experiences that highlighted this point. Nevertheless, multicultural fraternity is a sign of the Kingdom, a sign that faith can enable us to rise above our differences and ultimately join together in a process of evangelization and service on behalf of those persons who are poor.

Furthermore internationalization is an antidote against close-mindedness and thus provides us with a means to inculturate the gospel. In that sense Father Gregory proposed that MISEVI Spain continue to send forth missionaries to different countries) and also continue to collaborate in the development of an international environment.

These are two great challenges … two proposals that our Director General has placed before MISEVI Spain. We hope that with the help of God and the effort of all our members that we
will be able to respond to these challenges in a generous and selfless manner, able to respond so that the process of evangelization and service on behalf of the poor might be ever more effective.

Francisco Berbegal

Translated: Charles T. Plock, CM