VISIT TO JM FRANCE

Last October 10, I received the invitation from the National Council of France to participate in their National Congress on October 29-30. The theme for the said activity was "Sharing the Mission."  They wanted it to be a moment for reflection about the commitments of the International Assembly, the present situation and the future of the Association in France.

            I arrived Paris on Friday afternoon and took the opportunity to greet the Sisters of the Mother House and visit the Chapel of the Apparitions wherein a special day of the Reconciliation was held.

The day after, the invited members of the Vincentian Family of France met at noontime for lunch. David Morteau (SSVP), Fr. François His (MISEVI, VinFam Coordinator,) Vincent, SDB (previous person-in-charge of the JM National Center of France,) and Sr. Marie Geneviève (person-in-charge of the Net of Vincentian Schools) were there. Later, Fr. Ponsard (chaplain of Rue du Bac) and Fr. Pierre Cornée (CM Visitor of Paris) as well as the different regional officers and Sister Advisors also joined. We were 30 persons in all.

During the first day, we had as our objective the revision of the course undertaken by the Association in the different regions and the evaluation of the preparation of the AG and the WYD. It allowed us to identify the difficulties of JM France (few animators, lack of perseverance on the part of the leaders, secularism and understanding the needs of the young people) and value the efforts made by the Association (fidelity to the task entrusted by the Blessed Virgin, being fruits in the life of the Church and commitment of the certain members.)  Two invited guests, Vincent and Fr. Francois, presented testimonies from their own experiences as person-in-charge and recently ordained priest and FamVin Coordinator respectively.  They inspired JM France to continue moving on, reconciling them with their own history, being faithful to their ideal and committing themselves to the shepherding of the "un-churched." Afterwards, there was a meeting with the invited guests. It was a time for sharing about the Vincentian Family lifestyle, bringing closer ties of friendship with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, the Vincentian Schools and seeking forms of becoming more present in the life of the Miraculous Medal Chapel. In the evening, the young people facilitated a vigil wherein they shared with the participants the experience lived-out during the AG and the WYD. Then, I presented a brief conference about the international dimension of the VMY  inviting the groups to open up to new experiences with other national associations and know better the international reality of the VMY.     

On Sunday morning we had a mass with moments of reflection and sharing. The key ideas taken the day before were concretized into the following commitments:

- To make the Association known in the Chapel and in the different levels of life, through pamphlets, productions, theatrical presentations and crafts;

- To strengthen the collaboration between the National Council and the groups through sharing of experiences and communication;

- To evaluate each activity done in a dynamic manner; and

- To make better use the tools of the Association such as notebooks, magazines, CDs, etc. 

            They presented these commitments during the offertory asking God the strength to bring them to fulfillment. In the afternoon, JM France animated the Sunday Jubilee celebration in the chapel of the Apparitions: meditation of the rosary, adoration of the Holy Eucharist and the Consecration to Christ through Mary.  

            In spite of being short, this visit to France had been a moment to thank them once again for their generous contribution in the realization of the Assembly, to better discover the difficulties and projects of the Association, to know better the members of the National Team and celebrate together our faith. We entrust to our Lady of the Miraculous Medal all the efforts of the members and the officers, knowing that She will continue to accompany the journey of the Association in this country marked by the laity yet thirsting for God.  

Yasmine Cajuste

Madrid, November 5, 2005