On July 22 and 26, the Motherhouse in Paris was filled with joy and jubilation in grateful remembrance and celebration of the Vincentian charism. About seventy-five young missionaries—including priests, brothers, admitted members, and aspirants from various Provinces of the Congregation of the Mission in Europe—gathered at Saint Lazare House, on Rue de Sèvres in Paris. Confreres from Poland, France, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Lebanon, as well as from missions like Honduras and special guests from Costa Rica, came together to celebrate the Jubilee of the 400th anniversary of the Congregation of the Mission’s foundation.

The purpose of this celebration embraced two significant aspects: to drink from the original sources of our Founder, Saint Vincent de Paul, seeking new and relevant ways to incarnate his foundational intuition in today’s context, and to strengthen unity amid the diversity of cultures, customs, and countries.

Setting foot in this Motherhouse of Saint Lazare represents a profound commitment to our past, present, and future. It means returning to the origins of our Congregation in order to be renewed. As Father Frédéric Pellefigue, Visitor of France, said during the opening of the gathering: may we be able to open new paths with daring and courageous hearts, just as Saint Vincent de Paul did in his time; may these days help us to follow in the founder’s footsteps and discover in them God’s presence among us and within the Congregation; and at the same time, may they inspire us to seek new tools to proclaim the first announcement of the Gospel.

Being at this Motherhouse also calls us to be attentive to the signs of the times. Father José Manuel Villar Suárez, Visitor of the Saint Vincent de Paul-Spain Province, explained this very well. He emphasized that we must be firmly rooted in the spiritual foundations of our Congregation in order to be a tangible presence of God’s love among the poor, bringing them the hope and comfort that flow from the Gospel of Jesus. He also stressed the need for communities where all of us live the Vincentian spirit with fervor—welcoming, promoting, integrating, and accompanying. We need vibrant, fraternal communities, eager to work as a team for the cause of God’s Kingdom among the poorest of the poor in our society.

The Superior General, Father Tomaz Mavric, spoke to us about “returning” to the beginnings of the Congregation of the Mission: returning means remembering the places where Vincent de Paul went about doing good, as our Lord did; returning is preparing ourselves to drink from the sources of Vincentian spirituality; returning is about being coherent with our vocation and radical in living the Gospel; returning means being apostolic men of prayer who help others break free from worldly comforts and securities in order to give themselves to God and become missionaries of hope amidst the many dark realities of life.

In conclusion, these days we have shared will be the pillars that propel us to look toward the future with hope and to center our lives on Jesus Christ, evangelizer of the poor. May the commemoration of these 400 years since the foundation of the Congregation of the Mission help us to give thanks to God and to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal for the Vincentian charism.

José Antonio Urrea Ramírez
Source: https://misionerospaules.org/