From Monday 19 November through Friday 30 November 2018 the International Formation Center (CIF) gathered 40 Vincentian priests and seminarians, representing 90 countries from around the world, at the Motherhouse in Paris to share and learn how they might better create and promote a culture of vocations in the Congregation of the Mission worldwide. All of the men who gathered were engaged at some level with vocation promotion.
Monday 19 November
After general introductions and orientation, such as the process for the simultaneous translation into Spanish, French, and English, Fr. Andres Motto, C.M. gave a general introduction to the two weeks that the group would spend together. Afterwards the Superior General of the Congregation of the Mission, Fr. Tomaž Mavrič, C.M., expressed his deep joy at initiating this gathering of vocation directors. He inspired and challenged the vocation directors to promote a culture of vocations in the worldwide Congregation of the Mission. This is a direct result of the recently completed Jubilee Year celebration of 400 years of the Vincentian charism throughout the world. What can each Province do and what can each confrere do to help encourage men to take up the challenge to become a Vincentian priest or brother and to engage in the mission of Jesus Christ to bring the gospel of Christ to the world. What greater gift is there than to call forth the call of Jesus Christ in young men in every corner of the world to follow Christ to bring His gospel to the poor?
What this time together hopes to accomplish is to help create a pastoral plan, a practical strategy for vocation promotion in the worldwide Congregation of the Mission. Fr. Tomaž challenged all of those gathered to continue the call of Jesus Christ to call men to be Vincentian priests and brothers. There are vocations all over the world. Jesus is calling. Are the men Jesus is calling hearing and responding to the call?
We want to dream together in order to extend the mission of Jesus to the world. If we dream together this can become a reality in the future. Charity is the preferential place for discernment for young people. Our goal is to help youth respond to the call of Christ in their lives in all the provinces, vice-provinces, regions, international missions and missions ad gentes. Fr. Tomaž said that he wanted to make vocation promotion a priority in the Congregation. Right now the number of confreres in the Congregation is declining. In the next ten years we need to have a goal, trusting in providence, to increase in numbers. The basic strategy is to make vocation ministry a priority in order to increase the mission of Jesus Christ throughout the world. Fr. Tomaž offered the general curia staff to help the vocation directors to foster vocations in any way they can be of service. In a recent survey of the Congregation it was determined that 200 more candidates to the Congregation could be accepted if financial support was present. Some new seminaries are being built in countries such as India, Ethiopia, and Nigeria and some new regions and provinces are in the process of opening; the expansion of the Congregation is already happening; these are signs of hope. Fr. Tomaž invoked the many saints of the Congregation and Vincentian Family to guide us in this journey. He proposed the following questions to those gathered:
- In the Little Company are we presenting to the world the prophetic value of our vocation?
- Can youth find in our communities places of brotherhood, friendship, communion, centers of contemplation, and places of service and mission.
- As the one responsible for vocation ministry in my area, what is my fundamental commitment to develop evermore a culture of vocations?
- What is Jesus asking of me today here and now? To what is he calling me?
The Superior General led the participants in a general question-and-answer session in which the participants discussed some of the joys and struggles of vocation work. Amongst the many topics discussed, the struggles of accompanying youth was a common theme amongst many of the sharings. Trying to determine the motivation for joining the Congregation can sometimes be difficult. Fr. Tomaž said that we need to look at each candidate individually, to ask, for instance, why a candidate left another seminary or another formation program and now wishes to join the Congregation. It is also important to help candidates realize that they will be part of an international community and will not belong to just one specific province.
By: Fr. James Raymond OSENDORF, CM
Western Province of the United States
