Vincentians prepare for General Assembly in 2016

The members of the Congregation of the Mission will be participating in a series of meetings which will enable them to reflect on their past, their present and their future. In preparation for the General Assembly 2016, they will be meeting in Domestic Assemblies (local houses) on the local level to prepare for a Provincial Assembly in 2015.

The General Assembly is a gathering of representatives from all the Provinces throughout the Congregation who come together to focus on the life and mission of the Congregation. At this gathering they will also elect a new Superior General.

The motto of the General Assembly is “Let us allow ourselves to be renewed by the missionary vitality of our Vincentian vocation.” The Theme carried throughout all the upcoming meetings will be: “The Congregation of the Mission: four hundred years of fidelity to its charism and the new Evangelization.”

The local communities of Vincentians will begin the process by reflecting on specific questions in their Domestic Assemblies. These reflection questions focus on three specific areas developed from the theme: 400 Years as a Congregation allows us to remember our history; 400 years as a Congregation invites us to renew our Vincentian missionary vitality; and 400 years as a Congregation invites us to discover the possibilities and challenges for the New Evangelization.

Following the Domestic Assemblies, the individual Provinces will gather for a Provincial Assembly to address these same themes taking the contributions of the local houses, and then process that information into thoughts and actions to be sent on to the General Assembly. The Provincial Assembly also elects delegates to attend the General Assembly.

Hopefully, the conclusion will be a greater sense among all the members that we are international and multicultural, called to work in a spirit of Vincentian collaboration and solidarity in the service of the poor.