Opening Address

General Assembly IV --- Vincentian Marian Youth Association --- Salamanca, July 24th, 2015

Opening Address

Yasmine Cajuste: International President

Dear Members and Advisors of the VMY:

Good morning to everyone!

I want to begin these words of welcome with an invitation. Yes, I invite you to look at the logo that accompanies us during these days … I believe it has much to tell us.

The forms, the colors and the symbols invite us to participate in an adventure: to allow ourselves to be evangelized so that we, in turn, might evangelize others (and that includes doing so during these days of our Assembly as well as in the days that will follow our Assembly).

The young men and women of the VMY, both those who are here and those many members in so many different countries, are people who are filled with hope (the color green). They are people who have undertaken this adventure in the VMY with a desire to encounter Jesus Christ, who saves and loves all people. They have engaged in this adventure by utilizing all the means that the VMY offers them and yet, so often, are unaware of this desire for an encounter with Jesus. The young men and women, like the person depicted in this photo, are standing tall, are filled with confidence in themselves and in God. On different occasions, however, they become wrapped up in themselves, they refuse to confront the challenges before them and they are unable to see God acting in their life and in the life of the poor.

Thus, the only gift that we can offer to each and every young man and women, to each and every member of the Association, is the experience of Christ. We can prepare and facilitate and promote this experience, but in the end, we have no control over that experience. The twists and turns of life and the cross of the gospel reveal in a clear manner that this adventure is, first and foremost, a work of the Holy Spirit who leads people where God wishes, in the manner that God wishes, and where God wishes. This same Spirit gives life to the scriptures, gives meaning to the events of life and allows us to participate in the building up of the Kingdom of God. This means that we are rooted in the Word of God (as seen in the logo) and strengthened by the grace that flows from the cross. We remain open to the world that challenges us and that has placed great hope in us.

It was precisely for this reason that some one hundred eighty-five years ago our Blessed Mother, Mary, wanted our Association to see the light of day. For it was in this way that each young man and woman would be able to discover Jesus Christ, would be able to do what Jesus desired and would be able to find happiness as a result of an encounter with Christ who is to be found in those who are poor. As a result of such an experience young men and women, evangelized and transformed in Christ, are able to give witness to the joy of the gospel and are able to be light to the world (the color yellow in our logo). The source of this light is Jesus who leads us to be faithful to his command: Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. We do this by living the Vincentian and Marian characteristic of our charism.

Is this the manner in which we view everything that we do and everything that we have? Is this the perspective that we give to our dreams? Is this the adventure that we are engaged in today? Perhaps the theme and the logo of this Assembly could be viewed as an invitation that is being extended to us during these days. I pray that this gathering will be a time to deepen our relationship with God and with one another, a time to strengthen the bonds of unity, a time in which we share the richness and the needs of our various homelands. Our work together in groups, the various workshops and expositions, the regional meetings … all of these different structures ought to assist us in coming to know one another and in dreaming about the future of our Association. Indeed, only those who are able to dream are able to continue to struggle for that which they desire.

I have one more concern with regard to this logo … does this logo represent one single individual or, according to the biblical tradition, is it a representation of the whole Association? May God enable us to see ourselves as one! May we be able to see beyond the diversity of our Association and beyond the many different opinions that are expressed by its members! During this time let us open our eyes and our heart so that we can see beyond the horizon of our homeland, our culture, our history, our continent, our manner of thinking and doing. May we be one and so produce a great harvest! We can dream together even though there might be 10 or 100 or 10,000 members in our respective countries. We can enter into dialogue together in order to discern who to elect as members of the International Council. Above all, we can make decisions in the name of all the members even though so many are unable to be present among us.

Today, the hope of the Association has been placed in our hands. I say this because during the time of the Assembly we have been given the responsibility of making important decisions for the future of the International Association. Everything can become grace and blessing if we take the time to pray, to listen, to discern and to celebrate. Not only are the members of our Association looking at us but the whole Vincentian Family is doing the same … and we must remember that we, as members of the Vincentian Family, are celebrating the Year of Vincentian Collaboration and will soon celebrate the 400th anniversary of the origin of its charism, a charism that has been passed on to us as a heritage. At the same the universal Church is look at us because we are expected to give witness to God in a manner that the world will understand. Today we are few who have come together in this place but we are many who are dreaming the same dreams. Will you allow yourself to be evangelized? Will you engage in the search for new ways in which we can evangelize others?

I want to conclude by thanking the VMY in Spain for the manner in which they received and prepared for the successful outcome of the Third Asiatic Encounter and this Fourth General Assembly. Thank you also to all the translators, whose work has been most important to all that we do here.

I am convinced that God is here among us and that Mary continues to guide the movement of our Association. May the Holy Spirit accompany us during these days and during the days ahead when we implement all the decisions that we make here.

To each and every one I extend my prayers that this might be a successful and fruitful Assembly!

Translated: Charles T. Plock, CM