The many moving events of the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the birth of the charism led to a greater awareness of the gift that has been entrusted to us.

Fr. Tomaž Mavrič, CM as President of the Vincentian Family Executive Committee now asks that this gift be further nurtured. Specifically, he asks that every country in which the Vincentian Family exists form a National Council (a coordinating body) to facilitate the growth of the work of the Vincentian Family internationally.

For, as Fr Mavrič says,

Without a concrete way for the Family to work together, and without a viable mechanism to facilitate such collaboration, those whom we serve will be deprived of the fruits of our best efforts. And we would not be able to say that we have made the maximum use of the gifts that God has given us.

The letter concludes recalling that “all that you can do to encourage these Councils will bear much fruit in the lives of the poor, as well as in those who minister to and with them.”

His letter follows

February 1, 2018
Dear Vincentian Family Members,
May the grace and peace of Jesus be always with us!

One of the many lessons we have learned through the celebration of this past Jubilee Year is that we are truly blessed by the gift of one another. The Holy Spirit has poured out an abundance of blessings upon each of us, upon our Branches, and thus upon our entire Vincentian Family Movement.

These gifts are not given for us to squander on ourselves – they are given for the building up of the Body of Christ, the Church. Moreover, they are given to us Vincentians so that those who are most special in the eyes of God – those living in poverty, on the peripheries, abandoned and alone – may be well served.

And the Holy Spirit has again taught us this year that nothing that can be done together should be done alone. This is not theory – it is a practical maxim that we are invited to live in our daily ministerial experiences.

Where this is made most concrete is in the building up of our capacity to work together as Vincentians, especially on the local and national levels.

To this end, I, along with the other members of the Vincentian Family Executive Committee, ask that every country in which the Vincentian Family exists form a National Council (a coordinating body) to facilitate the growth of the work of the Vincentian Family in your region.

We have directed the Vincentian Family Office to assist you. Where a Council already exists, please do all you can to further strengthen its collaboration. Where none exists, the Office has been asked to work with you to form one.

We recognize that every place is different, with its own needs and realities. We are not advocating a one-size-fits-all approach. But neither is doing nothing the correct response. Collaboration, our vibrant working together, is in the very DNA of our Vincentian spirit. Without a concrete way for the Family to work together, and without a viable mechanism to facilitate such collaboration, those whom we serve will be deprived of the fruits of our best efforts. And we would not be able to say that we have made the maximum use of the gifts that God has given us.

Thank you for all you do to guarantee that we are working as a true Family throughout the world.

Your brother in St. Vincent,

Tomaž Mavrič, CM
President, Vincentian Family Executive Committee

Letter for National Councils 2-2018 ENGL