There are introductions… and introductions. Let me introduce the new Superior General not by means of a resume on paper but by a resume that roots him squarely in the soil that nurtured him. This video was produced to tell the story of collaboration in the Vincentian Family in Ukraine.
“A Vincentian Challenge” tells the story … persecution… destruction of churches… hope beyond hope… rebuilding a church … the faith of a people… the collaboration of the Vincentian Family in facing the challenges. It is a story of a people on the peripheries. It is the story also of Tomas Mavric.
I have met Fr. Tomas Mavric a number of times. I can assure you that the warmth of the smile in the pictures of him in the moments after being elected the 24th successor of St. Vincent do give an insight into the man.
But as I viewed this 30-minute video, I realized that it served as a more profound introduction to what he values and what he brings to his service of the Congregation of the Mission and the entire Vincentian Family. He only appears in a few brief vignettes, but I quickly realized that the video tells the story of what shaped him – the challenges, the faith of a persecuted people, the collaboration of the Vincentian Family – and how these experiences are reflected in what the delegates of the Assembly sensed in their encounters with him.
Two scenes in particular spoke to me. One was of him struggling to unlock a gate where he is almost unrecognized. In the other, he speaks these words from his heart.
“If one dreams a dream alone… it remains a dream. If we dream together… the dream becomes a reality.”
I am confident that with his leadership we can dream together… and the dream will become a reality.
