It is urgent and necessary to motivate and to engage in the search for new ways of acting that will lead to more effective service on behalf of those persons who are poor. This was the premise and the conclusion of the National Meeting of the Vincentian Family that met in Osasco from June 17-19 and included the participation of representatives from thirteen branches of the Vincentian Family and Father Flavio José Pereira Tercero, CM, (representing the International Office of the Vincentian Family). A total of fifty representatives discussed important themes, seeking solutions for each of the Branches in Brazil. The theme of the meeting: communion and participation in order to serve this great nation from a Vincentian perspective.

The gathering was initiated, as usual, with the celebration of Corpus Christi and confection of a collage that represented each branch and that also pointed out the situation of poverty that the various Branches confront. At the same time, motivational messages were also offered to the groups.

During the three days of this gathering, the participants heard from members of five different panel discussions.

The first panel, “communion and participation” was composed of the seminarians, Alison Medeiros, CM and Antonio Edilson, RV, who offered a profound reflection on the Church Synod convoked by Pope Francis. Monica Moreschi, a member of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul and a member of the National Commission of the Vincentian Family stated that this presentation was important because it forced us to return to our roots, to communion. We are all children of God, joined together in a community of faith. We must be attentive to the voice of the Spirit and more attentive to the mission of the Church and our own mission to help and to evangelize those persons who are poor. The primary objective was to inspire people to journey along the path of solidarity … solidarity in mission, in participation and in communion.

The second panel had as its theme Saint Vincent and Saint Louise and the legal foundations“. In addition to leading us back to the origins of the Vincentian Family, there was a presentation on the current branches of the family as well as the ministries of these groups in the post-pandemic era. These branches all share the same charism but are involved in a diversity of activities which ought to be better known.

The third panel, entitled, Evangelize the country from a Vincentian perspective, was led by Father Flavio and this panel discussion was one of the key moments of the gathering. Marcia explained: We engaged in a profound reflection that was focused on our charism, on who we are as a family. We came to some very simple yet challenging conclusions, namely, that we must confront new realities and crisis situations and therefore, we must also find a new way of acting.

At this time, Father Flavio placed before the members of this gathering a very great challenge: it is necessary to recover the pedagogy of Vicente de Paúl. We must open our eyes to see what is happening around us. We must reflect upon and analyze our reality and find new ways to respond to these situations. Again Marcia stated: It was very clear that we must follow the path of synodality, because the poor are all around us. These poor men and women are the pilots of this plane. The pandemic has greatly affected our work, but we must resume our ministry with renewed strength and encourage those who, for one reason or another, are discouraged. As never before, the poor are crying out to us … we have to listen and see; we have to see and experience..

In his presentation, Father Flavio highlighted the importance of strengthening the Vincentian Family in Brazil. He called upon the participants to commit themselves to the various confraternities (education, psychologists, communication, etc.), to minister together in accord with the international priorities and finally, called our attention to the fact that the Latin American gathering of the Vincentian Family will take place in March 2023 in the Dominican Republic.

Among the priorities, Marcia presented the 13 Houses Campaign. “Today we have two projects recognized by the International Committee, which are the Solidarity Bath in Minas Gerais, and the 13 Houses Campaign in the southern part of the country. We still have seven other initiatives that are being debated for implementation and that will soon have to be implemented and disseminated. He reiterated that if we are united as a Vincentian Family, we can be stronger and our collaborative projects will have a greater impact on the lives of our Masters and Lords. He stressed that we should learn from each other, build bridges, and join together for the accomplishment of our common mission.

The fourth panel was dedicated to this year’s theme: Mission, knowing how to care. Júnio Elias da Silva Valentim, vice president of the Brazilian National Council of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, reflected on knowing how to take care of ourselves, and how to take care of others … and how to do this from the perspective of our Vincentian mission. A very important point was emphasized in this panel, namely, there is need to renew our mission and there is also a greater urgency to reach out to those men and women who are poor. Yes, there is a call to renew our charism and move forward.

The fifth panel reflected on The Vincentian Family and the Pandemic and Post – Pandemic Reality. There were three witness presentation.  The Sister Servant of the Poor of Saint Vincent, Sister Maria Joana, presented a report about the local Reception House (Ranquines House) in Alagoas, which was perhaps the only support homeless people had during the pandemic … a time when everyone was isolated in their homes. This meant that the homeless were further marginalized from society. The second witness presentation was about the project of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, the Solidarity Baths Project … a project that arose during the pandemic and that provided homeless people with personal hygiene services, food and above all, friendly listening. A third presentation was made by Ada Ferreira, a member of the management team of the Affect Network. She recounted how the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul was able to provide psychological assistance to those individuals whom they served, as well as to workers and Vincentians. This assistance was extended to include people who were not members of the Vincentian Family and continues to the present day.

This reflection was offered by José Claudio Oliveira Filho, a member of the Association of the Miraculous Medal. He spoke about the fact that we are in a time for the transition and he concluded with a phrase from Father Tomaz Mavric, CM: Together in prayer, thought, and action.

The last panel of the meeting dealt with The misery of the poor from the perspective of our activity. This discussion was coordinated by Father Edson Friedrichsen, CM. This panel solidified what the various discussions during this gathering and once again highlighted the need to change our manner of acting. Father Edson was very assertive in his words and in his reflection about what we have really done in these two years of pandemic for the poor. Yes, in light of the many restrictions, we have done many things, but that was still very little compared to the needs and misery of the people. It is urgent to reflect and change our way of acting. We must now place our charism above everything, roll up our sleeves and look for new and effective ways to reach out to the poor. This is our mission. This is our charisma.

Source: https://ssvpbrasil.org.br/