Rome, 25 August 2023
“To breath with both parts of the lungs!”
Dear confreres!
May the grace and peace of Jesus, be with us always!
“Called to revitalize the identity of the Congregation of the Mission of St. Vincent de Paul”… this title of the concluding document of the 43rd General Assembly extends an invitation to all of us, members of said Congregation. We find ourselves at a crucial moment in the history of the Congregation. Indeed, during the next five to ten years, it is most important that we reinforce the lungs of the “Little Company”, that is, that we make every effort to attract more men who are willing to opt for the Brotherhood. Year after year, the number of Brothers continues to decrease and has reached an alarming low point. Should this continue, we will very soon lose one part of “our lungs” and that will bring with it almost unimaginable consequences.
At the present time there are “100 Brothers” in the whole Congregation, but many of these confreres are advanced in age.
From the beginning, St. Vincent de Paul was very clear about his plan with regard to the composition of the Company. In reality, throughout most of its history, the Little Company was wonderfully breathing “utilizing to their fullest every dimension of the lungs”. All the Missionaries, priests and brothers, shared the same charism and spirituality and ministered in accord with the calling of the Spirit.
In the here and now situation, we, as members of the Congregation of the Mission, need to do everything in our power to continue to breathe with “both parts of our lungs” or, as I mentioned before, we will experience some dire consequences. “Our lungs”, our Congregation, will definitely become weaker. Our whole body will become weaker. Our service and mission will become weaker and less effective. Our identity will change, but not in the way that we would like it to change.
Therefore, I would like to propose some concreate steps, some of which I have already shared in the past, others are being proposed for the first time:
[1] Vocational Promotion Ministry: This point was mentioned during the last General Assembly as one of the eleven points that I highlighted at that time and that I have spoken about on other occasions.
In the first place, our vocational program should present the general call as such, that is, the call to become a missionary according to the spirituality and charism of St. Vincent de Paul.
Having said that, at the outset we also need to present to the young men the two ways to become Missionaries in the Congregation of the Mission: brother missionaries or priest missionaries.
At every level of the Congregation, in every Province, Vice-Province, Region and International Mission, we have Commissions for Vocational Ministry. Confreres are working very hard and are most dedicated in their efforts to accompany young men during their journey of discernment.
There is a great challenge in those Provinces, Vice-Provinces or Regions where, at the present time, there are no Brothers available who can participate in this ministry of vocational promotion: meeting young men, talking to them, and presenting in person the role and service opportunities for a Brother.
One option is to invite a younger Brother or any Brother from another province to participate in a discernment retreat with youth or participate in some other vocational program. This would offer the participants an opportunity to interact with one of our Brothers, to be edified an encouraged by a Brother and to understand that in our Congregation there are various options with regard to service as a missionary.
[2] Within the Congregation, we continue to use phrases like: “Vincentian Fathers”, “Padres Paules”, “Prêtres de la Mission”, etc. … phrases that are very much part of our vocabulary. I would like to suggest that we help one another and therefore, when we hear a confrere using such a phrase in which the brothers are excluded, we engage in some fraternal correction. In other words that we point out that as members of the Congregation of the Mission we must always speak about brothers and priests as equal contributors to our mission among the poor and the marginalized.
[3] The people whom we serve or with whom we are often in contact with will often use similar phrases when speaking about the Congregation or the confreres. As we ourselves become more aware of the words we use to describe the Congregation and/or the confreres, we will also find ourselves encouraging others to be more inclusive when speaking about the composition of the Congregation. We can suggest other alternatives, for example: “Vincentian Missionaries”, “Priests and Brothers of the Congregation of the Mission”, “Misioneros Vicentinos”, “Misioneros Vicencianos”, “Misioneros Paules”, “Sacerdotes y Hermanos de la Congregación de la Misión”, “Missionnaires Vincentiens”, “Prêtres et Frères de la Congrégation de la Mission”, etc.
[4] We also need to look at the manner in which we describe our houses, the lettering that appears at the entrances to our communities, the official letterhead of the Provinces, Vice-Provinces, Regions, the letterhead that we use in our houses … if they are not inclusive of priests and brothers, then we need to change them. All these various aspects, although many of them are external, will help to communicate a clear message about the members of the Little Company. These changes are for the common good and are intended to express our awareness of the urgency to do all in our power to present the beauty and deep meaning of the call to the Brotherhood within our Congregation. Indeed, trusting in Divine Providence, we very much hope that the number of Brothers will begin to increase and that whenever young men engage in a discernment process, they will understand that they have two options. May Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, St. Vincent de Paul and all the Saints, Blessed and Servants of God of the Vincentian Family, intercede for us! Your brother in St. Vincent
Tomaž Mavrič, CM
Superior General
