We expected this meeting last year, because it was planned to celebrate together the 400 years of the Vincentian charism. Instead, it was on 25 August of this year that we were convened in Villebon, near Paris, for the meeting of the CEVIM seminarians. Its theme is, “To Deepen the Vincentian Charism.” We come from many countries, from different provinces, all with the desire, I believe, to meet, to encourage, but, above all, to share space and time with those who are in different places, keeping our eyes fixed on Christ, Author of our faith, especially on Christ Evangelizer of the poor.
We are on the right track. We meet and recognize ourselves as a family, brothers in Christ, missionaries at the service of the poor, our “lords and masters.” For a few days, we will share thoughts, points of view, and meditations. We will pray and walk together. We will hear a few reflections from some formators of the different provinces. It is an opportunity given to us by the Congregation to form ourselves, to give value to formation, and to share it with our brothers and sisters. We come here to immerse ourselves and continue to allow God to act within this formative path. It is not for us; it is for others. We have received all this gratuitously and we must return it free of charge, putting it at the service of the community, of the Vincentian Family.
These will be days when we will leave the comfort of our homes, our language, of our ways of doing things in order to allow ourselves to be challenged by others, by other realities that are expressed in the Congregation of the Mission.
Father Tomaž Mavrič strongly insists on the need for good formation, on the importance of the community, and on how desirable it is that everything be placed at the service of the poor, God’s favorites. As students, we thank the Conference of Visitors for organizing this meeting. For us, it is a treasure to be able to share, be welcomed, welcome, and learn that there are others, others who look in an identical direction. We row as missionarieson the same boat that is the Church.
Ricardo Rosas, Seminarian
Province of Saint Vincent de Paul – Spain
