From Monday 19 November through Friday 30 November 2018 the International Formation Center (CIF) gathered about 70 Vincentian confreres, 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.
Day 12: Friday 30 November 2018 FINAL DAY; MANY tears were shed this day as we prepare to leave Paris
In the morning Girolamo Grammatico and Fr. Jorge Luis Rodriguez, C.M. continued discussion of Instruments Used to Achieve an Effective Content Plan. Web sites try to affect us emotionally, to elevate our emotions to keep us interested or to engage us. We want to use the internet to create an interest, an engagement with the mission of the Congregation. There is a “learning curve” to properly use the internet; you must try your best to communicate as clearly as possible and hope that the message is accepted correctly by the audience. The group met by Visitor’s Conferences to discuss, using the categories for Communicating a Vocational Culture, how to create this culture within the province. So the groups reflected on: who is the audience, why do we want to create this vocation culture, what emotion do we want to create amongst the confreres in the province/audience you are trying to engage, etc. Each group reported back to the whole group detailing the categories for communication that were discussed during the meeting.
In the afternoon Fr. Andres Motto, C.M. and others led the group in a presentation and evaluation of the Final Document of the membership which detailed how we propose to create a Culture of Vocation in the Congregation (recommendations to the Superior General, Visitors, each confrere, etc.), Commission of the Vocation Directors and a Closing Mass.
The group worked individually evaluating the two weeks together.
Final Document: yesterday each of the three language groups made recommendations for changes to the Final Document. Now the membership was presented with the updated/corrected document and it was presented to the group paragraph by paragraph in each of the three languages (Spanish, French, and English). A few changes were made and, after much discussion, the final document was voted upon to accept.
Vocation Pastoral Commission: This commission would do a study and analysis of the vocation situation in the Congregation worldwide, serve to animate vocation ministry, create a network of those being formed in the Congregation, propose a process for accompaniment, facilitate the formation of vocation promotion ministers, and create a forum and roundtable discussion. Members should have a common language, have access to communication, have Vincentian conviction and be convinced of the vocation culture. After meeting together in the five Visitor’s Conference groups; each group proposed three names for membership for this Pastoral Commission.
The two week gathering officially ended with the celebration of Mass.
Rev. Jim Osendorf, C.M.
Vocation Director, Western Province USA
