“Good news and Charity.” With this motto as a backdrop and an indelible reminder, the Vincentian Charism Congress was held in Madrid. It took place last weekend (May 23-25) in the auditorium of the Daughters of Charity at 18 Paseo del General Martínez Campos in Madrid. The celebration was an important milestone among the many and various events commemorating the 400th anniversary of the founding of the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians).

Some 275 participants from all over Spain and a delegation from Portugal took part. Most of the participants belong to the wider Vincentian Family: 70 members of the Congregation of the Mission, 90 Daughters of Charity, 95 Vincentian lay people, and 20 collaborators and supporters. The Congress was structured around three fundamental themes: “Grateful memory of the past, realistic experience of the present, and hopeful vision of the future.”

The Congress included three conferences, a round table discussion, a wide range of testimonies and presentations, motivational messages, a time for reflection and musical meditation, and a solemn and festive Eucharistic celebration. All of this took place in a family atmosphere of fraternal encounter and enthusiastic experience of a charism that is as necessary and relevant today as it was in the past.

The three conferences focused on the nature and work of the Congregation of the Mission in its past history, its present reality, and its possible future path. The first was presented by the Italian Vincentian missionary Erminio Antonello and dealt with “The Beginnings of the Congregation of the Mission: Memory and Prophecy.” The second was delivered by Spanish Vincentian missionary Celestino Fernández on “The Congregation of the Mission in Spain: A grateful and challenging look.” And the third was presented by the auxiliary bishop of Madrid, Monsignor Vicente Martín, who responded to a provocative question: “What can the Vincentian charism contribute to Spain today?”

The three lectures illustrated, taught, refreshed, and sowed concerns, questions, and personal and congregational approaches.

The round table was led and moderated by José Beltrán Aragoneses, editor of Vida Nueva magazine. The participants were the Vincentian Visitors of the two canonical provinces of Spain, Mikel Sagastagoitia and José Manuel Villar, a General Councilor of the Daughters of Charity, Sister Antonia González, the National President of the AIC, Pilar García, and the National President of the VMY, Iván Pérez. They answered questions from the moderator from their areas of responsibility and from their personal perspective on the Congregation of the Mission.

Messages from the Visitors of the two Provinces, Zaragoza and Saint Vincent de Paul-Spain, were also heard. These were messages of greeting, welcome, encouragement, and family fraternity. There was also a final address by the Superior General, Fr. Tomaz Mavric, highlighting two essential expressions: conversion and a new Pentecost, and inviting us to banish the phrase “it is not possible” from the Congregation’s vocabulary and always replace it with “it is possible.”

At every conference or large gathering, there is usually a moment of quiet reflection and meditation. Music is an excellent tool for this. This is what happened at this Congress on the evening of the first day. The musical group Alma Vicenciana [Vincentian Soul], composed of Daughters of Charity and some Vincentian Missionaries, delighted a large audience in the beautiful setting of Madrid’s Basilica de la Milagrosa. Without fanfare or pomp, they held the audience’s attention with songs imbued with Vincentian echoes.

And, at the end, the Eucharist was the fitting conclusion. Presided over by the Superior General of the Congregation of the Mission and concelebrated by a large group of Vincentian missionaries and sung by the WYD choir, in the beautiful basilica of La Milagrosa.
In short, this founding anniversary must be a stimulus for a missionary congregation to continue proclaiming the Good News to the poor and making it a reality through bold, dynamic, and creative charity.

In short, this founding anniversary must be a stimulus for a missionary congregation to continue proclaiming the Good News to the poor and making it a reality through bold, dynamic, and creative charity.

Celestino Fernández