As explained on the FAMVIN website: “The Vincentian Family is composed of many groups of Christians who, following in the footsteps of Saint Vincent de Paul, want to continue the mission of Christ by announcing the Good News of God’s love to the poor … and they do this through providing material and spiritual service  to those people who are marginalized.” These groups of Christians, or Vincentian branches, have been spreading their own charism throughout the world and Latin America has been no exception.

Among the many works of the Family, the creation of schools in this part of the American continent has spread in a remarkable way. Today, becoming more united as a result of the efforts of FAVILA, we have begun to think of lines of action that make working together possible and we do this regardless of our membership in this or that branch of the Vincentian Family. We are concerned about enriching our mission and training future citizens who will be able to identify themselves with the teachings of Saint Vincent and the Vincentian Saints and Blessed.

The launching of a virtual course on the Vincentian charism that will be geared toward teachers in our schools and will encourage working together on common pastoral projects and sharing experiences and dreams that will help forge new and better strategies to proclaim the same message of love that Our Lord proclaimed…

In this way, the Confraternity of Vincentian Teachers in Latin America (CEVAL) began to take form in July 2020 … during a time characterized by the pandemic, isolation, and loneliness, but  also identified with the search for new ways that allow us to tear down those walls that separate us. Having created various commissions (Pastoral, Spirituality, Communication and Formation) each meeting was was composed of time for prayer, dialogue on topics proposed at the previous meeting, sharing experiences with regard to projects that were actualized and the communicating information about different activities that were intended to help us continue to get to know each other and grow in community.

Without a doubt this confraternity is composed of members of the different branches and that reality enriches and unites all the participants. Indeed, we have heard it said many times that “a family that prays together, stays together.” Let us continue to strengthen this union among the Vincentian teachers and let us also continue to encourage one another to respond affirmatively to the challenges that we face as a Church during these times.

Ricardo Jiménez,
SSVP, Argentina.