Australian Tim WIlliams, C.M. reflects on Vincentian Community life.In September 2000, I was invited to contribute to the Programme conducted by John Rybolt CM at the Vincentian Centre of International Formation (CIF), located in Paris, France. The area of my contribution was ‘Vincentian Community Life as presented in our Constitutions’. 1 The presentations I made over several days triggered the reflections on a particular aspect of Community Life which I have set out in this article.
At the time, I asked myself, (and still do) “‘What is my qualification for making any sort of a presentation (or writing an article) on Vincentian Community Life ?” As I said to the Confreres at CIF in Paris, if I have a qualification in this area it is that I have lived in Vincentian Communities for over 30 years, survived, and still believe in Community Life! I do not intend to try to set myself up as an authority, but rather to encourage Vincentians who might read this article to ponder a little further on what the essence of Community in the Congregation of the Mission might be.
