Dear Vincentians all over the world
June 27th, the starting date of the XLIII General Assembly of the Congregation of the Mission, is just a few days away.
From June 27 to July 15, 115 missionaries will gather in Rome at the Casa San Juan de Avila to live, sustained by the Holy Spirit, the theme of this Assembly “Revitalizing our identity at the beginning of the 500th anniversary of the CM”, which is the fruit of the reflection born during the Visitors’ Meeting of June 2019 in Manila and continued with the reflections in various meetings of the General Council until the decisive meeting of Tempo Forte in March 2020.
To help our missionaries in this task, it is important that the whole Little Society and the Vincentian Family be united in constant prayer, that each one of us, from all parts of the world, also involve his community in this task, so that Providence may help us to realize “together the dream of Jesus for the Society at the dawn of the V Centenary”.
The Preparatory Commission sent us some time ago a prayer to enlighten the hearts and minds of our brothers who will gather to elect the successor of our Founder and the General Council that will assist him during the next six years.
But as Father Tomaž Mavrič, CM, urged us two years ago:
“However, our participation in prayer should not be limited to this specific prayer. With our imagination and inventiveness, we can add new forms of prayer at different levels of the Congregation, as well as involve other members of the Vincentian Family, other Congregations, Lay Associations, parishes, schools, social centers, seminaries, nursing homes, dioceses, deaneries, where we are engaged in our service, etc., to help us with their prayer for our Assembly.”
PRAYER FOR THE 43rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF CONGREGATION OF THE MISSION
Almighty Father, God of Mercies, you sent us your Son to be our Savior and Evangelizer of the poor.
As our Little Company advances into the dawn of its 5th centennial, we thank you for the preservation of our missionary vocation to follow your Son, Jesus, evangelizing the poor, after the spirit of St Vincent.
In our 43rd General Assembly, we ask you to make us more docile to the guidance of your Spirit that, strengthened by and imbued in the evangelical counsels and the Vincentian virtues, we may deepen our relationship with you in our prayer life and in our ministry to the peripheries and to the Church.
Renew in us the spirit of evangelical joy, missionary conversion, mutual dialogue, unity and collaboration so that we may come and work together as the Company of dear friends, dauntless witnesses of the Gospel and zealous missionaries inspired by the exemplary lives of our forerunners.
Abide in us so that whatever we do will always be for the honor and glory of your name.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ in the unity of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you.
All Vincentian Saints and Blessed, pray for us.
