The new President writes….
Dear Friends:
JMV International had a grace-filled summer. The encounters in Paris and Cologne made us experience, in a special way, the joy of being members of the Church, of the Vincentian Family and of this Association loved by the Blessed Virgin. Celebrated at the cradle of VMY, our 2nd General Assembly had big ambitions: to recall the history, evaluate the course traveled and the present situation of the Association, elect the new lay International Council members, celebrate our faith, strengthen our Vincentian commitment and dream for the future of VMY. At the foot of our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, nourished by the Bread of Life, we opened ourselves to the Spirit which guided us throughout all our activities. Inspired by the talks and the members of our Family, we envisioned the challenges of the Association for the next years. We assumed commitments from the convictions and challenges that we have discovered. Yes, we have decided in the next years to deepen in our spirituality, uphold integral formation, promote “twinnings” and effective service to the poor, commit in the realization of projects in collaboration with the other branches of the Vincentian Family and aim toward auto-financing. We wish that the Message of the Rue du Bac whose 175th Anniversary we are celebrating may come true in our world today.
And, to realize these projects, the new International Council formed by representatives of four continents whose mission will be to accompany the National Councils and guide the course of the Association in the next five years, needs prayers and collaboration from each one in order to comply the mission entrusted to them. Only then, can we dream of making them alive in all levels of the Association.
After having lived-out this moment in Paris, we traveled as pilgrims in order to be open to the Universal Church, recalling that we are Marian and Vincentian and that we are the Church. Under the bright sign of the Holy Cross and gathered around the Pope, we celebrated together the Eucharist bringing to mind the need to build communities based on faith, to walk with Christ and to live our life as real adorers of God.
Summer as well as its wonderful moments has ended. Now we have to share with our brothers and sisters the experience that we had. As what Pope Benedict tells us, “We all eat the same bread, and this means that among us we shall become one thing. Its dynamism penetrates us and from us it would like to propagate to others and to the whole world so that His love may truly become the dominant measure of the world. (…) Let us also be one thing among ourselves. This must be manifested in life. It must be manifested in the sensibility towards the needs of others. It must be manifested in the availability to share. It must be manifested in the commitment to the fellowmen, both the near and extremely far, whom, however, always sees us near… We must not delay in responding to those who are suffering.”
In this feast of St. Vincent, we live in communion with all the Vincentian Family and we ask God to bless our projects and dreams so that we can work together for a better world. It is a great dream that we are achieving with the grace of God, “because nothing is impossible with Him.”
Yasmine Cajuste
VMY International President
Sor Asun García, H.C.
Sor Asun García H.C.
.
Tags: Youth
