By: Gustavo Bustos
Shine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal
Buenos Aire, Argentina
Yesterday, the Berceau School concluded its third session with the general theme: Actualization of the charism throughout the 400 years of its existence. The thirty-three participants, connected through Zoom from Friday, April 30 to continue their formation in the Vincentian charism and spirituality. The formators were Fr. Corpus Delgado, Sister Ángeles Infante, and Fr. Isaac Dements, who were accompanied by other presenters from the different Vincentian associations.
The second videoconference held on Saturday began with a presentation of the martyrs and persecution in Spain (1931-1939), by Sister Ángeles. She developed the concept of martyrdom and stressed the fact that despite the cruelty shown by persecutors, the martyrs accepted the divine will and viewed dying for Christ as a grace. Then, Fr. Isaac made a presentation on Blessed Frederic Ozanam and Sister Rosalie Rendú. He highlighted the full and complete life of Frederic and showed how the encounter with Rosalie opened the way for Frederic to clothe himself in Vincentian spirituality.
In the afternoon, the presentation focused on two concrete updates to the Vincentian charism. The first was about the Vincentian Marian Youth (VMY) by Lucía Rivero (Uruguay) who in a very systematic manner the history, spirituality, organization and identity of the group. The second presentation made by Elena Daza (Bolivia) highlighted the activities and the present situation of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul (SSVP) in the country.
Sunday morning, the last day of the formation session, began with an evaluation of the three sessions of the Berceau School. At that time the participants expressed their gratitude to the organizers: the Congregation of the Mission of the Argentine Province and the Daughters of Charity of the South American Province. They also spoke in a positive manner about the opportunity to share their experiences and expressed a desire to continue this journey together.
The formation dimension of Sunday began with a presentation by Fr. Corpus, who spoke about the life of Saint Justin de Jacobis. He highlighted the saint’s love for Christ as revealed in his love for the people of Ethiopia and his tireless work on behalf of the poor. Then Sister Claudia Artiga (Chile) spoke about the spirituality of the Daughters of Charity. She focused one the sisters witness to charity and their call to serve Jesus Christ in the poor.Also in the morning, Ericka Arelluna Fauré (Chile) spoke about Vincentian spirituality as lived by the members of the International Association of Charity (AIC). She briefly developed the three pillars of this group: (1) the founding spirit of Saint Vincent de Paul, (2) the key elements of their spirituality as revealed in the celebration of the Eucharist and their ministry on behalf of the poor and (3) the contributions of Frederic Ozanam with regard to the evolution of the spirituality of the association.
Then the afternoon followed the dynamics of the morning. Father Corpus presented the lives of outstanding members of the Vincentian Family: Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton and Blessed Lindalva Justo de Oliveira. Saint Elizabeth Seton focused on education and service on behalf of the poor in the United States. Blessed Lindalva visited the poor in their homes and provided a new dynamism to the service of charity in Salvador de Bahía, Brazil.
The session concluded with two further updates updates to the Vincentian charism: the Congregation of the Mission (by Fr. Sergio Plana) and Vincentian Lay Missionaries (MISEVI: by María José Rebottaro). The first presenter explained and showed the six movements that are needed to revitalize Vincentian spirituality. With regard to MISEVI, the history of FAMVIN’s newest association, the presenter spoke about its charism, its apostolate, and its spirituality centered on Jesus and illuminated by Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman and further illuminated by the parable of the good Samaritan.
The mission now involves a continued explanation about the development of the Berceau School to the different communities and further internalizing everything “was seen and heard”. The three sessions were enriching experiences that enabled the participants to encounter God through the Vincentian charism and spirituality. As a result the participants also commit themselves to continue to clothe themselves in the spirit of Jesus Christ, evangelizer of the poor.
