Below, we present the final document of the VIII Latin- American Gathering of the Vincentian Family, which took place in Cochabamba (Bolivia), from March 13 to 18, 2018. In the document, we 93 participants, from 18 countries and 10 branches of the Vincentian Family, reaffirm the importance of collaboration among the Vincentian branches in the service of the poor.
The national coordinator of the Vincentian Family in Brazil, Father Joelson Sotem, CM, participated in the event and wrote a brief testimony concerning the meeting’s conclusions:
We of the Vincentian Family have our feet on the road
and we now are walking. There are times when we are sure of the road, but at other times we find ourselves at a crossroads and we need to discern which is the best way. It seems to me is that we should never lose sight of what always guides us in that journey: the Vincentian charism based on Vincentian spirituality. The tools at our disposal are the strategies of Systemic Change in each and every effort at COLLABORATION. We do have many projects now taking place to defend our Poor in Latin America, but we must dedicate ourselves more, so that we truly become the voice and defenders of the poorest of the poor. And, together with those who are poor, let us rescue the dignity that has been taken from them.
Final document of the 2018 FAVILA Gathering
Cochabamba, Bolivia March 13-18, 2018 “THE VINCENTIAN FAMILY: LET US TOGETHER RESPOND WITH GOD TO THE OUTCRY FOR LIFE”
In Cochabamba, Bolivia, from March 13 to 18, 2018, under the motto: “Vincentian Family: let us respond with God to the outcry for life”, we have had the experience of God’s passage by means of the Latin American and Caribbean Vincentian Family through 93 delegates from 18 countries.
In this meeting we shared in the great wealth of:
• Festive liturgical celebrations
• An environment filled with fraternal joy
• Presentations by very significant people reflecting on the charism
We highlight especially the presence of Fr. Tomás Mavric, Superior General of the Congregation of the Mission and of the Daughters of Charity and General Director of several associations.
During our proceedings, participants resonated mainly to the calls to be:
• a Vincentian family that reaffirms the centrality of Jesus Christ and His option for the reign of God.
• a Vincentian Samaritan family, that is prophetic in choosing life.
• a Vincentian family that is politically effective.
• a Vincentian family that appropriates available structures in order to work as a network with common objec- tives.
• a Vincentian Family called to be accountable to contribute significantly towards concrete actions within the “Alliance for the Homeless”, based on the methodology of systemic change and strategies of collaboration.
These are our commitments:
• To sensitize the Vincentian Family to the poverty of migration and human trafficking, learning from each country’s reality and to carry out the commitment assumed in this regard.
• That each national council design new strategies so that the Vincentian Family can open up to the current perspectives, taking a new look at reality, about the poor and about ourselves.
We conclude the meeting with profound thanks for the efforts of each person involved in the organizing and carrying out this event. Our next calendar appointment is set for the year 2021 in the Dominican Republic.
Translated from Spanish into English by Dan Paul Borlik, CM
