VISIT OF THE SUBDIRECTOR TO BOGOTA

 

On October 13th-16th, Fr. Pedro Castillo has carried out a visit to Vincentian Marian Youth and the Daughters of Charity in the province of Bogota, Colombia. It has been a motivation and formation encounter. Fr Pedro shares with us the schedule:

FRIDAY 13: Daughters of Charity Provincial Council and VMY Provincial Committee. The Visitatrix and the Provincial Director joined us all day long. We analyzed the VMY reality in the Province, the VMY international situation and the future prospects.

 

SATURDAY 14: Formation workshop with the Provincial Advisors. There was a participation of 35 Sisters, 4 fathers, 2 seminarians, and 2 lay. The main topic was the presentation and analysis of 2 VMY international documents: Role and Functions of Advisors in the VMY, and Formation Processes and endways in the VMY. We finished with the Eucharist with all the Provincial House Sisters and the local people.

 

SUNDAY 15: Encounter with the people in charge of the groups’ animation. 58 young people, 8 Sisters, 3 Fathers and 3 seminarians took part in this event; they came from the 5 regions the Bogota Province is divided in (some of them after a 12-hour-trip by bus). The VMY International situation was presented, we worked on the 4 VMY mainstays and on the testimonies of ex-VMY adults who are now committed with other Vincentian Family branches or with different ecclesial services. We finished with the Eucharist.

 

MONDAY 16: Personal Interviews with the provincial Coordinator and the provincial Advisors. In the afternoon, there was a visit to the Formation Center of the Latin American Daughters of Charity (CIEVI). In this encounter, there were 40 Sisters from different countries, to show the worldwide VMY situation. There also was an interview with the National Advisors of VMY Chile and Cuba. We finished the day with a reencounter among ancient VMY members.

TUESDAY 17: Visit to ITEPAL and interview with the person-in-charge of the CELAM Youth Pastoral Department. In the afternoon, there was an encounter with the theologians of the Funza Vincentian Seminary (about 60 people), in order to present them the VMY international reality and the role of Vincentian missionaries in the Association. We got over with the Eucharist.

During these really intense working days, we have felt our Lord, and our Lady joining us, so that, we have renewed our commitment to serve them, in lots of young people needed of company, orientation and ideals… Making VMY as an adventure “from the youth people and to the young people”