VINCENTIANA 59Th Year - N
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October-December 2015 GENERAL CURIA CONGREGATION OF THE MISSION in the Vincentian Family in the Vincentian INCENTIANA Year - N. 4 th 400 Years of Service to the Poor 400 Years 59 V VINCENTIANA — 59th Year - N. 4 - October-December 2015 Table of Contents Vincentiana Introduction Journal published quarterly 381 Note from the Editor Congregation of the Mission General Curia - Rome - Italy In our next From the General Curia 59th Year - N. 4 383 Tempo Forte Circular (5-9 October 2015) October-December 2015 issue... 391 Tempo Forte Circular (7-12 December 2015) Editor From the Superior General Álvaro Mauricio Fernández M., C.M. 398 Letter Feast of Saint Vincent de Paul Editorial Board 400 To the Visitors and the Missionaries of the Congregation of the Mission Jean Landousies, C.M. 402 Mission Appeal Letter Javier Álvarez Munguia, C.M. 411 Letter to the Missionaries Jorge Luis Rodríguez, C.M. 413 Advent 2015: A Path that Will Make us Effective Mediators of God’s Promises Giuseppe Turati, C.M. Spotlight Interview Publication General Curia 420 Bishop Vicente Zico, C.M. – Vinícius Augusto Ribeiro Teixeira, C.M. of the Congregation of the Mission Via dei Capasso, 30 Of Current Interest 00164 Rome (Italy) Tel. +39 06 66 13 061 432 The Vincentian Family: An Horizon of Creative Fidelity. “Enlarge the space for your Vincentian Fax +39 06 66 63 831 Mercy tent, thus creating a large network of charity and mission!” – Eli Chaves dos Santos, C.M. [email protected] Theme: 400 Years of Service to the Poor in the Vincentian Family Authorization in Our 439 Approaching the 400th Anniversary. How We Have Lived and Adapted the Vincentian Charism Tribunal of Rome During Recent Years – Alicia Duhne 5 December 1974 - N. 15706 447 The Vincentian Family: 400 Years of Service on Behalf of the Poor – Lauro Palú, C.M. Vincentian 458 The Daughters of Charity in the Church. At the time of the 400th anniversary of the origin of Legal Representative their charism – María Ángeles Infante, DC Shijo Kanjirathamkunnel, C.M. 474 The Saint Vincent de Paul Society in the Vincentian Family – Michael Thio Being Printer 480 The Vincentian Marian Youth Association and the Vincentian Family: A Charism at the Service of the Kingdom – Yasmine Cajuste D PRINT srls Via di Monteverde, 4 e/f/g 488 Miraculous Medal Association – Carl L. Pieber, C.M. 00152 Rome (Italy) 493 Lay Vincentian Missionaries and Vincentian Spirituality – César A. Saldaña Moreno Tel./Fax +39 06 45 47 00 89 501 The Way in Which the Brothers CMM Branch of the Vincentian Family is Inspired by, Lives, [email protected] and Adapts the Vincentian Charism – Brothers CMM 512 “Like the Mustard Seed” (Mt 13:31) – Viviane Vaudi Makuala Subscriptions for 2016 e 520 Federation of the Congregations Coming Out of Strasbourg – M. Verónika Häusler 55,00 / $ 65 USD Vincentiana is published Bibliographic Comment in English, French and Spanish, 528 The Correspondence of Frédéric Ozanam thanks to the collaboration of a team of translators 529 General Index Year 2015 INNTRODUCTIONTRODUCTION Note from the Editor Álvaro Mauricio Fernández M., C.M. The publication of the Congregation of the Mission, Vincentiana, has as its objective the promotion and the spread of Vincentian spirituality, as well as refl ection upon the Vincentian charism. Through the written word we attempt to make a contribution to the ongoing formation of the members of the Congregation of the Mission, the Company of the Daughters of Charity, and many men and women who are members of the various branches of the Vincentian Family, This present issue, the fourth of the 59th year of our publication (October-December 2015), begins with information from the General Curia: two circular letters which present the matters that were discussed during the Tempo Forte of October and December and other letters writ- ten by the Superior General (Vincentiana is the Congregation’s offi cial means of communication with its members). More specifi cally those letters are: the letter that was published on the occasion of the Feast of Saint Vincent de Paul (September 27) and the letter that was published as a follow-up to the meeting of the Vincentian bishops (October 12). It seemed appropriate to include here a third letter (dated October 19) which contains information about the request for volunteers to serve in our International Missions. That letter is followed by the words of a Missionary who had committed his life to service in our missions and who died recently in the Solomon Islands. The fi nal item in this section is the Advent Message of 2015. It could be said that our Superior General, Gregory Gay, is establishing a bond of communication with each and every missionary in the very place where they live and minister. The Vincentian Family is preparing for the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the birth of that charism which throughout all these years has inspired the service of the various branches of the Vincentian Family, service on behalf of those men and women who are poor. In light of this reality the last issue of 2015 is intended to deepen our understanding of that reality and therefore, we have entitled this issue: 400 Years of Service to the Poor in the Vincentian Family. In light of that celebration we requested some individuals from the various branches to share their refl ections on the manner in which their specifi c branch has lived and adapted the charism in recent years. The authors have highlighted certain signifi cant elements and chal- lenges that they must confront if the heritage of the Vincent de Paul is to continue to be relevant in today’s world. The refl ections of these individuals are both enriching and valuable. We begin with the refl ections of a member of the AIC (The International Association of Charities), the fi rst foundation of Vincent de Paul (1617) 382 Álvaro Mauricio Fernández M., C.M. giving as a precious summary: Everything began 400 years ago in Châtil- lon. That is followed by a refl ection on the Congregation of the Mission, Seasoned Fruits of Charity, which highlights the missionary activity of the members throughout the world, an activity that began in 1625 (the time of its foundation). The refl ection on the Daughters of Charity on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the birth of the Vincentian charism, continues the theme of the refl ection that was begun by the volunteers/members of the Confraternity of Charity and that led to the establishment of the Daughters of Charity, a treasure for the Church. Members of the various lay groups that were established after the death of Saint Vicente de Paul (the Saint Vincent de Paul Society, the Vincentian Marian Youth Association, The Miraculous Medal Associa- tion and MISEVI) have also shared with us their refl ections on the Vincentian charism. Refl ections on the Vincentian charim have also been shared with us by some of the non-traditional branches of the Vincentian Family. This issue includes the thoughts of members of other Religious Con- gregations that have been inspired by the Vincentian Charism. More specifi cally, this issue has been enriched by the refl ections of the mem- bers of the Brothers of Our Lady, Mother of Mercy who were founded by Rev. Joannes Zwijsen, a pastor in Tilburg, Holland (1844) and by members of the Sisters of Saint Vincent de Paul, Servants of the Poor of Gijzegem (founded in 1818 by Elizabeth de Robiano: the Sisters were given the Rule that Vincent de Paul gave to the Daughters of Charity, but the Rule was adapted to the specifi c objectives of their mission). This section concludes with refl ections from a member of the Federa- tion of Vincentian Congregations (origins in Strasbourg. This group was established in the 18th century when the Bishop of Strasbourg, Cardinal Amand Gaston de Rohan, took the initiative and sent forth some young women with the intention of establishing a Congregation of Women to serve the poor and the infi rm; thus the Sisters of Charity of Strasbourg were founded). There are countless Congregations that are part of this magnifi cent heritage that has been passed on to us by Vincent de Paul and many pages could be written about the men and women who share in this Vincenti an charism. We cannot ignore the interesting article, with a familiar ring, written by the Assistant General, entitled, “An Horizon of Creative Fidelity.” This issue of Vincentiana also includes a “Spotlight Interview” about Bishop Vicente Zico, Brazilian Bishop of the Congregation of the Mission at the service of the poor and the Congregation itself until the day of his death. We hope that the refl ections in the October-December issue of Vin- centiana will enable all our readers to deepen their understanding of the Vincentian charism. ÁLVARO MAURICIO FERNÁNDEZ M., C.M. Director of Vincentiana FRROMOM TTHEHE GEENERALNERAL CUURIARIA Tempo Forte Circular – October 2015 Tempo Forte Circular 5-9 October 2015 G. Gregory Gay, C.M. What we have seen and heard we proclaim now to you (1 Jn 1:3). Dear Confreres, May the grace and peace of Our Lord Jesus Christ fi ll your hearts now and forever! We gathered for our Tempo Forte Meeting from 5-9 October. On the 10th, the General Council had a special session in which we dealt with the future of evangelization in Europe, especially Western Europe. During our Tempo Forte, we had reports given by the Director of the Vincentian Solidarity Offi ce, Father Miles Heinen, and also the Direc- tor of Communication, Father Jorge Rodríguez.