May the grace and peace of Jesus be always with us!
We formally started the preparation for the 4th centennial celebration of the Foundation of the Congregation of the Mission with an Opening Rite at the Leonine College in Rome on 17 April 2023. The Opening Rite was part of a Program entitled “Put on the Spirit of Christ: 4th Centenary of the Foundation of the CM” that was sent to the whole Congregation. The Program also contained an Examen of Conscience and various themes for our reflection in the next two years.
In line with our celebration, which is the “revitalization of our identity,” I wish to remind everyone of us of some spiritual practices that are very much part of our Spirituality and part of some of the principal foundations handed down to us by our Holy Founder. I shared these foundations in some of my past letters, some of these are contained in the Final Document (Priority: Spirituality) of the 43rd General Assembly, but, most of all, these spiritual practices are mentioned in our Common Rules, as well as in our Constitutions (Chapter IV, Prayer).
In taking to heart the revitalization of our identity, it is very clear that, first of all, we need to revitalize our identity in the field of our Spirituality, starting with the most basic areas and then continuing to build our Spiritual house ever bigger and stronger. Putting into daily practice the areas listed in this letter is so important and the most effective way forward. Therefore, every one of us, every confrere of the Little Company, must respond personally to the following question: How am I putting into daily practice the points of our Spirituality listed in this letter? In thirsting for a new Pentecost within our Congregation, we must respond to every single point.
If, as a member of the Congregation, I am not putting into practice some of the points of our Spiritual life, I cannot come to another conclusion or decision, but the need to start immediately to include all of them in my spiritual life. If our foundations are not solid, not built on rock, all the rest that we may try to build in the areas of our Spirituality and Charism will, in fact, be built on sand. In the end, this will not bring us to the so-desired revitalization of our identity, personal and common conversion, and a new Pentecost in our Congregation.
In our common pilgrimage to help us reach this goal, I ask the Visitors, Regional Superiors, Superiors of the International Missions, and local Superiors to encourage, support, and make sure that every confrere and every community implement the following Spiritual foundations:
Authentic revitalization implies interior change or conversion. It is a spiritual experience of progressive identification with Jesus, the Evangelizer of the poor. Saint Vincent and the confreres who came before us employed the practices outlined above to assist them on the road to conversion. Far from dismissing them as outdated, these practices remain relevant and useful today for our growth in holiness.
May our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, Saint Vincent the Paul, and all the Vincentian saints and blessed, accompany us in our spiritual journey toward a new Pentecost.
Your brother in Saint Vincent,
Tomaž Mavrič, CM
Superior General