VISIT OF THE INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT OF VMY TO CALI

(31 oct- 06 Nov. 2006)

 

 

 

My visit to the VMY in the Province of Cali – Colombia started with a brief staying in the Daughters of Charity’s Provincial House. When I arrived to those Colombian lands on October 31st, I had the grace of living the Perpetual Novena experience: each Tuesday, hundreds of Catholics meet in that place to participate in the Rosary praying, to worship the Holy Sacrament, and to celebrate the Eucharist… this is a Colombian Version of the Rue du Bac spiritual experience.

Before going out to Armenia, seat of the Provincial Encounter of VMY people-in-charge, I was be able to share the VMY reality in the world of the Provincial House and Seminary sisters, inviting them to continue supporting the Association since the prayer and the support to the Advisors, in the local communities where VMY exists.

 

On Thursday November 2nd, Sr. Luzdari Jimenez (Provincial Advisor) and I, went to Armenia to stay one night in the college that Sisters have in Circasia town, a coffee land. The following day, we met some Provincial Council members and VMY ancient people-in-charge; we went for a walk in “Parque del Café”, a very nice recreational space which offers a really beautiful vision about coffee culture and country’s dances and traditions.

In the afternoon, we reach the seat of the Provincial Encounter of VMY people-in-charge, the House of spiritual exercises “San Pablo”, where the delegates of the six regions that belong to the Province, were arriving; there were around 60 participants, most of them were people-in-charge.

During three days, formation about interesting topics was offered:
- Sociopolitical and Missionary Dimension and Endways in the Formation Process in the VMY.
- Presentation of the National Pastoral Plan 2006-2010 
- Working in a project way
- VMY International and Latin-America’s situation
- St. Vincent’s life and VMY Vincentian Charisma experience.

The reunited people-in-charge took advantage to do the provincial and regional planning. The Provincial person-in-charge, Dolly Murcia, presented the Provincial people-in-charge candidates, who are three very committed youngsters. They shared with the attendants their hopes and their availability. The official convoking for the Election Provincial Assembly in March 2007 was done.

 

The Encounter was a beautiful experience for all the participants. Many of the young people were taking part for the first time in this People-in-charge Encounter and they lived a very intense formation and prayer time that impulse them to do with illusion, the tasks Mary ask them inside the Association.

The liturgical celebrations and the prayer moments were prepared with great care for the different regions, help each of the participants to get deeper in the received knowledge and to check their own experience in the Association.

On Saturday night, the folkloric acts made stronger the happiness and the fraternal and affective experience that characterize the entire Encounter.

“The Mother” – as Mary is called in Cali – and the Holy Spirit allow this Encounter gives so many fruits in the Province life.