Dear members of the Vincentian Family

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with us always!

We all now understand the importance of the Vincentian Family for our branches and organizations. One expression of this is that it has become a priority for the recent Superiors General of the Congregation of the Mission. What motivates us all even more is that the problems of the poor are so immense that none of us alone can do the work needed.  By ourselves, isolated from each other, we fail to reverse poverty. It’s clear that we all need collaborative and global responses.

We know more and more that Vincentian Family needs ongoing formation that is specifically more Vincentian and dedicated to effective service to the needy. That’s why the International Center of Formation (CIF) offered this course back in 2015. The next will take place in Paris from April 26 to May 24, 2017.  During those days we have Conferences to help us study the spirituality of St. Vincent de Paul, St. Louise de Marillac and other the great figures in our various congregations’ past who have shaped rich and challenging vocations and mission. Our work together will fit well with visits to historical sites in Paris and France.  These visits will take on the character of pilgrimage. That is, these trips a way for each of us to encounter God and some of our founders and other figures of so important to our heritage and spirituality.

Our time together will be rich and challenging, encouraging conversation and the integration of members of our various associations and congregations. Similarly, dialogue and teamwork will both emphasize our branch’s uniqueness and help us towards an interculturalism and effective cooperation, both which the last C.M. General Assembly proposed to us. This month-long gathering will also be a special place for prayer together. Not only we will pray in the Chapel where the body of St. Vincent de Paul lies, and in the nearby Chapel where the Apparitions of the Miraculous Medal took place, but also in many churches and sites where we will visit during our pilgrimages.

But you know, that cannot happen without your special interest and practical help. Please pass the news around your companions and colleagues and, more importantly, please propose specific individuals. The session is designed especially for our members such as our priests who work with the Vincentian Family or would like to, those consecrated women and men of the Family’s various congregations who take St. Vincent as founder or inspiration for his activity, for those laymen and laywomen who are considered effective members and leaders within our Vincentian Family associations. Remember that the training they will receive will most certainly benefit your province, your congregation, and those various movements who serve, work with, and love those who live in poverty.

Please note also that each of these participants selected should have a basic understanding of their Vincentian and congregational heritage, plus the ability and desire to live, share and work together with the other members who participate.

To ask any question about: personal documentation, pricing, and the schedule.  Please use my personal e-mail andresmotto@gmail.com. I remind you that CM Mother House in Paris has many visitors; therefore our program’s rooms and numbers must be coordinated with those who prepare for and serve guests of the House. That’s why I ask you to confirm the presence of the participants BEFORE March 29, 2017.  After that date, we will no longer be able to add more participants.

Let us keep each other in prayer and know that I will keep you and intentions in mind, especially as a son of Vincent de Paul and devoted servant of our mother, Mary.

Fr. Andrés MOTTO, C.M.

Director of the International Center of Formation (CIF)

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