International Report

Report of the International Council and Secretariat

Yasmine Cajuste: International President

Dear Friends

Five years ago, with complete confidence in the fact that our eyes were focused on God, we gathered together to discern the next steps in the life of our Association and to dream about its future. We wanted to fulfill the lines of action of our Third General Assembly. What has happened as a result of this time of grace? What has happened to the dreams of 2010?

I want to begin by returning to the words of the 2010 Final Document: We have reflected on the reality of the VMY in the world and have discovered new needs which are urgent and which demand a response in order to move out into the future … Through the grace of God and the work of our hands we hope that during the next five years the seeds will grow, seeds that are rooted in Christ.

The time has come and now with courage we must reflect on the manner in which our Association has lived and is presently living in order to recognize our successes and our mistakes and more importantly in order to discover what young men and women expect of us. I have the responsibility of presenting to you the activity that the International Council and Secretariat have engaged in during the past five years. Indeed, we will see later that the commitments of a General Assembly are not only meant as guidelines for the International Team, but are to orient and inspire the whole Association in every place where it is found.

Our report does not attempt to be all encompassing but we will highlight the primary initiatives that were taken on the international level. First, we will call to mind the manner in which the VMY is organized on an international level. We will then review the five sections of the Final Document of the 2010 General Assembly, highlighting the successes that were achieved and the work that remains to be done. Finally, we will refer to some key aspects of the life of the Association, elements that we believe are important to be mindful of throughout this Assembly.

Organization of the Association on an international level

In recent years we have discovered that the international organization of the VMY remains a mystery to many of our members and councils. Therefore we want to begin by recalling to mind the words of our Statutes with regard to the International Council and Secretariat.

The International Council

The International Council is the governing body of the Association. Its composition and its mission is defined by the International Statutes. They are the major officials of the organization (cf, Statute #17)

This (the International Council) is composed of the Director General, the Sub-Director General, a General Councillor of the Daughters of Charity, the International Lay President and four lay members of the Association, elected by the General Assembly..

The present council is composed of five lay persons elected in 2010 (Yasmine, Argelys, Anh Thu, Karmen and Ghislain), Father Gregory Gay (Director General), Sister Rosa Maria Miró (Assistant General of the Daughters of Charity until May 2015) and Father Irving Amaro Ramayo (Sub-director).

During these past five years the International Council has met together (that is, been physically present in the same place) on six different occasions, almost always in Madrid. They have also met together via Skype on seven other occasions and have maintained contact with one another for consultation via email.

The primary tasks of the International Council during these past five years has been to follow up on the commitments expressed in the Final Document of the III General Assembly (Lisbon 2010).

The International Secretariat

Its headquarters is in Madrid (Spain) and it is the structure of service and animation that promotes the communication and the international dimension among the member nations. It is a point of reference for everything. The Secretariat has the responsibility of informing the members about the life of the Association, organizing and preparing for the international gatherings and any other initiative that the Director General or the International Council believes to be necessary in order to promote the spiritual and apostolic life of the Association. The Secretariat is also responsible for maintaining the archives and managing the financial situation of the Association.

In recent years the International Secretariat has experienced various changes:

• Katarina Mazurova (Slovakia), Cléber Fabio Oliveria (Brazil) and Father Pavol Noga, CM (Slovakia) fulfilled their time of service to the International VMY.
• At the present time we rely on Rita Bemposta (Portugal), Karina del Rocío Mena Silva (Ecuador), Yancarlos Carrasco de Jesus de los Santos (Dom. Rep.), Tony Barakat (Lebanon), Sister Bernardita García (Spain) and Father Irving Amaro (Mexico).
• During the period of 2015-106 we foresee the departure of Rita, Karina and Yancarlos. In the coming months we expect the arrival of André Peixoto (Brazil) and we have begun a search for volunteers who will represent the English and Spanish speaking world. We rely on the members in those countries that speak English and Spanish to help us find committed young men and women who are willing to offer three years of their life in order to serve the international VMY.
• In addition to appointing Father Irving as Sub-director in September 2013, Sister Bernardita was renewed in 2014 in her role at the Secretariat. She will serve there until 2019.
• We also want to point out here that the Secretariat receives assistance from former volunteers, from people who are not related to our Association and from members … all of whom work together (through physical or virtual presence) in order accomplish the various multiple tasks that have been entrusted to them.

The International Secretariat focused its effort on carrying out the lines of action of the 2010 General Assembly, doing so in accord with the guidelines established by the International Council. Therefore, it is appropriate to evaluate the work of the Council and the Secretariat of the International Team and to conduct this evaluation in light of the 2010 Final Document.

Implementation of the Commitments of the 2010 Final Document

In order to facilitate the implementation of the 2010 Final Document and in order to remain faithful to the spirit of the 2010 General Assembly, the International Council took some initiatives that should be highlighted:

• The publication (in February 2011) of a five year work plan;
• An annual letter from the President which summarized the activities that were engaged in during the year and which also summarized the financial situation on the international level (thus providing an opportunity for discussion of this information in the various countries).

The Lines of Action of 2010 Final Document revolve around the primary elements of the life of the Association: spiritual life, formation, service and mission, the Vincentian Family, self-financing.

[1] Spiritual Life

The four commitments (workshops in Vincentian prayer, Marian consecration, sacramental life and listening to the Word of God, insertion into the life of the parish) correspond to initiatives that should be taken on the local level. Nevertheless, the International Council has encouraged the living of these commitments in the following ways:

• Published in three languages Thomas McKenna’s book, Praying with Saint Vincent (1994, 2013) … a very relevant tool to initiate young men and women into the process of Vincentian prayer.
• Publication of The Word of God on Facebook.
• Publication and dissemination (2013) of the outline of the four themes to be used in the preparation for the Marian consecration and the follow-up of said consecration.
• Times of prayer (Angelus, Eucharist and sharing) among the members of the International Team.
• Each year the International President wrote two messages that were addressed to all the members of the Association: one letter was in reference to the annual theme that was chosen by the International Council and the other letter was written on the occasion of our July 18th celebration.

[2] Formation

Since the formation of the members is an obligation that is to be fulfilled by the National Councils, the international VMY focused its efforts on providing material and tools, especially to the advisors and leaders and animators. The more significant initiatives were the following:

• Timely publication of material of interest to the members on our web page;
• Dissemination of the documents, Formation and Transition Processes (2005), Role and Tasks of the Advisor (2001), Let us live in Solidarity with one another (2010). We are in the process of redacting two complementary appendixes to Role and Tasks of the Advisor: one is about lay advisors and the other is about the national advisor and his/her relationship to the other local advisors. In doing this work we have been able to rely on assistance from a team of advisors from Latin America.
• Sponsoring the First International Encounter of Advisors (Paris, July 2014).
• Publication of A model of the Formation Process (November 2012) which can serve as a basis for developing and/or revising the formation process on the national level. We have also accompanied and supported various groups in revising their formation process.
• Publication of the International Bulletin which contains formation themes based on the 2010 Final Document. In February 2015 the 100th edition of the Bulletin was published.
• Various continental and regional meetings were held: VII EMLA-America (Ecuador, 2012), Europe (Naples, 2012), CENMEX (Panama, 2013), Africa (Cameroon, 2013), Asia (Salamanca, 2015). The present members of the Council visited twenty (20) countries: four in Africa, six in Europe, nine in America and China (where there are no groups). We also mention here the many visits of Father Gregory who, as the successor of Saint Vincent, encouraged and animated many groups.

There were four initiatives that were not begun:

• The creation of any international formation team (2.1.) … financial realities prevented this from happening and we felt that we were able to support formation on the national level through other means.
• Twinning and the exchange of materials (2.2 and 3.2) … various possibilities were identified but there were no significant results in this matter. This dynamic in which some groups of the association engage in an exchange with another group of the association (not only in financial matters) is a pending task of the Association.
• The publication of a Marian book … the author did not have sufficient time and the redaction of the various chapters was never accomplished. This matter will be addressed in the next five year plan and will include the publication of material based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
• The creation of national formation commissions in the member countries … there is still much to do on the national level.

We have no doubt that formation continues to be a great need for the members of our Association. We are also convinced that the various countries have a great richness in this area and we need to find ways to share and make this richness known to others.

[3] Service and Mission

In 2010 we, as an Association, said: In a world of general crisis that creates various faces of poverty, systemic change is a relevant response of the Vincentian charism that opens new frontiers of service, charity and mission and that transforms the present reality in a creative manner.

Aware of the urgency to serve our less fortunate brothers and sisters throughout the world, the International Team recognizes the fact that, unfortunately, we have not taken significant steps in this regard. Yes, our members are committed and engaged in on-going service and within the Vincentian Family we talk much about systemic change, but much more has to be done with regard to our commitment in this area.

• The concept of working in accord with some project is still a foreign reality for the majority of our groups. The absence of this perspective results in a lack of sustainability with regard to the mission and our service. In fact, this absence results in a neglect with regard to the essential experience of living the Vincentian charism.
• As attractive as it is, yet the young men and women of the VMY have not committed themselves to projects that involve systemic change (neither projects that are initiated by themselves nor in collaboration with other branches of the Vincentian Family). Often they refer to their lack of experience or the lack of resources or the challenge of continuity. I understand all of this and yet the new forms of poverty continue to cry out to us and God continues to wait for us there in the midst of these new forms of poverty.

This Assembly provides us with the opportunity to discover some unique experiences of service with the VMY, experiences that are perhaps not sufficiently known. Hopefully we will once again listen to the invitation of Pope Francis to go out to the peripheries, to go beyond the places that we have become so accustomed to travel.

[4] The Vincentian Family

We are happy to be able to state that on the international level the VMY is an active participant in the various initiatives of the Vincentian Family. Some examples of this are the following:

• On-going communication with regard to common matters and reciprocal congratulatory messages on the various feasts of the Family.
• Faithful participation of the International Council and Secretariat in the international gatherings of the Vincentian Family: Vincentian Youth Day and World Youth Day (Madrid 2011, Brazil 2013), meetings of the leaders of the international Vincentian Family, presence in the General Assembly of the AIC (2011) and in the 200th anniversary of the birth of Frederic Ozanam (2013). Workshop on the management of the patrimony of the poor (2013), VFCAP (2013, 2014, 2015).
• Presence of our members on different commissions of the Vincentian Family: Juan Pablo Jacome (Ecuador) on the Commission for Systemic Change; Yancarlos on the Commission of Collaboration in the Vincentian Family; Gina Paredes (Dominican Republic) on the Haitian Initiative Commission; Candy Candelaria (Panama) in FAVILA.
• Collaboration in translating material (according to our possibilities) intended for the use of the lay branches of the Family
• Once again in this Assembly the distinct branches of the Family will be presented as an opportunity for transition.

Much more can be done on the local, national and continental level to insure the active presence of the VMY in the various councils of the Vincentian Family and to insure the participation of the VMY in common projects of formation and service. We also note here the need for greater collaboration between the lay branches of the Vincentian Family. I do not hesitate to state that it is in the various groups and dioceses and countries where we discover our sense of belonging to this Family. We have a long road in front of us and the celebration of the 400th anniversary of our charism provides us with an opportunity to experience ourselves as co-responsible for this vocation of service on behalf of those less fortunate members of society.

[5] Toward Self-financing

Almost all the reports that have been sent to us from the various countries on the occasion of the celebration of this General Assembly confirm what we had thought to be true, namely, that on the local level we have done very little in this area. Nevertheless, without going into much detail here, we can state that we have begun to overcome this obstacle on the international level.

We highlight here the following initiatives of self-financing on the international level:

• The self-financing campaign (Something more from you!) that was begun on December 8th, 2011. In the afternoon, Father Irving will speak about the manner in which this campaign will contribute to paying the expenses incurred by the International Council and Secretariat. We contributed to this campaign in different ways and we note here the contributions of the various branches of the Vincentian Family as well as a Foundation in the United states.
• The sale of merchandise which has also provided assistance in covering the expenses of the Secretariat.
• The sale of formation material and other material proper to the VMY.
• The creation of a Solidarity Fund for International Encounters whose objective it is to facilitate the participation of the laity. These funds rely on contributions from the General Curia of the Daughters of Charity and the Congregation of the Mission, from the International Secretariat and from different European countries.
• The growth of the Patrimonial Fund of the International VMY administered by statutes that have been approved by the Director General and the International Council. The money that was raised during the campaign will lead to a significant increase in this Fund. Only the interest that is generated by this Fund can be utilized to cover various costs.
• The dissemination of the pamphlet, Let us live in solidarity with one another, during visits and meetings.

It is important to continue to reinforce some convictions with regard to self-financing on every level:

• Self-financing ought to begin with the members (quotas and other initiatives of the active members and should include financial support from former members).
• Working in the form of projects with a focus on self-financing should be centered on service that is able to bring about significant changes in the life of those who are poor.

This concludes our evaluation of the implementation of the lines of action 2010. This evaluation, with its lights and shadows, allows us to join in singing the Magnificat with our Mother because we have seen that the VMY on the international level is very much alive and continues to utilize every means in order to make the dream of 1830 a reality and to make the 1999 plan with regard to an international organize ever more vibrant.

Other Considerations with regard to the International VMY

As I pointed out in the beginning, besides the 2010 Final Document, the International Team focused on responding to the responsibilities that are outlined in the International Statutes. Much more could be said here but I will simply highlight some important themes for the Association on the international level.

• Communication with the member countries: despite greater access to the means of communication few National Councils make an effort to maintain on-going communication with the International Secretariat (responding to errors, confirming the reception of materials that was sent to them or simply informing the Secretariat about the life of the Association in said country). The request to send an annual work plan, a financial report, a report on the activities that were engaged in … very few countries respond to any of these request. The only time that we seem to have good communication is when we are organizing some international encounter. Communication ought to be on-going and should be a two way communication.

• Visiting the countries: every country wants to receive a visit from a member of the International Council during the five year period and we are always happy to make that desire a reality. Nevertheless, because of the costs involved in those visits and also because of the time involved, this is not always possible. During these years we have visited those countries that have some urgent need, especially from the perspective of formation. We have also visited countries during the time of some special national event and when the National Council committed themselves to pay travel expenses. In fact, only three countries in Africa, two in America, two in Asia and two in Europe have never been visited by a member of the International Council (Father General, however, has visited all of these countries and has met with the members of the VMY).

• Volunteers for the International Secretariat: the international VMY cannot exist without the presence of volunteers who are willing to give their time in service to the Association. It has become more and more difficult to get volunteers and often the procedure becomes quite complicated. Perhaps this is not a very satisfying work and yet what would our Association look like without these young men and women who dedicate many long hours to seemingly routine administrative work with the hope that such tasks will enable others in the various groups to serve the poor in a more effective manner. In 2014 the Secretariat celebrated its 15th anniversary and we are thankful for all of those who gave their time to this endeavour. Throughout those fifteen years we have considered the possibility of moving the Secretariat in order to reduce costs (such as was suggested in some of the evaluations of the 2005 General Assembly). Out studies and investigations have revealed, however, that the presence of the Secretariat on a geographically central continent is most important for the Association as it continues to struggle to fulfill its mission. We are convinced that it is necessary to continue to reflect on this organizational structure and to do so in light of the needs of the member countries, as well as in light of the available human, material and financial resources. Only in this way can we continue to have a real impact on the life of the member countries.

• Web page: aware of the fact that we are dealing with an essential tool for the VMY, we are very careful about the content of this site and maintaining the site up-to-date. The design of the page changed in 2006 and again in 2009. In a very short time, Yancarlos, the present webmaster, will present to us the “new face” of this page … a design that is more adapted to the different instruments of communication and one that provides easier access.

Conclusion

Only those who pause to evaluate themselves will find new ways to continue their continued success in the future. Shall we do so? I dare to say that we shall!! We will do so strengthened by the experience of these past fifteen years which has seen much expansion on the international level and many varied experiences on the national level. Yes, we are also strengthened by the call to move out into the midst of the modern world with all its new forms of poverty.

I cannot conclude without expressing my gratitude for the collaboration of so many persons who, officially and in the shadows, accompanied the VMY in their journey during these past five years. Some of these persons continue to be involved and others are engaged in some new experiences. All, however, have cooperated with love and generosity. Other must now take up the baton. As we look back we realize that that we have attempted to be faithful to our mission, namely, we have attempted to give witness to the gospel and have attempted to so in the midst of the world and society. We have attempted to give to those who are poor a reason to hope. New challenges are emerging and I am confident that we will confront them with the boldness of an Association that knows in whom they are to trust, namely Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac. Let us continue to accept responsibility for a mission that we must make a reality day after day until the coming of the fullness of the Kingdom of God.

Translated: Charles T. Plock, CM