Assembly of the Provinces of Argentina

Argentina. On 19 and 20 April 2022 the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians and the laity of the three Provinces of Argentina, St. Francis de Sales of Buenos Aires (ABA), St. Francis Xavier of Bahía Blanca (ABB), and Our Lady of Holy Rosary of Córdoba (ARO) lived two intense days of Assembly in online mode, on the journey towards unification, scheduled for December 2022.

In a first moment of global knowledge of the works and realities, the 71 presences and works distributed in 18 Provinces of the Country were presented. It was an opportunity to tell the life of the Educating Communities, with their strengths, weaknesses, and challenges, in mutual listening to identify common themes, especially with regard to the care of young people and the loss of the meaning of life that they feel, according to the different geographical areas and social situations, due to which a greater educational commitment is required.

The richness of the shared mission and the quality work carried out in communion with the laity emerged, in the certainty that the charism is in everyone and that it gives itself by putting one’s life on the line.

A second moment took place in the groups, made up of participants from the various Educating Communities, to share the resonances about what was heard and to make contributions regarding a more appropriate organization for the animation and management of the new Province, which will be called “Laura Vicuña” and will be based in Cordoba.

Each group underlined the importance of the journey in synodality and the care of the whole process, without forgetting the reasons behind the unification.

The Vicar General of the FMA Institute, Sr. María del Rosario García Ribas, and the Councilor for Administration, Sr. Ena Bolaños, who participated in the meeting days, at the end underlined the richness of the experience and expressed their gratitude for having been able to share this experience of “walking barefoot on holy ground”.

Sr. Ena recognized “the strength of the seed sown with audacity by the first missionaries who arrived in these lands” and appreciated the “working together with which sisters and laity continue to transmit the charism today.”

In the two days in which the options for education, for the poorest, for the charism, for human rights became evident, were translated into the choice of networking with great passion and commitment.

Alberto Aparici of the Marist Brothers, who accompanied the entire process, also participated in the Assembly with the fraternity and listening skills that distinguish him. Taking his cue from the passage of the Word of God on the disciples of Emmaus, he shared his reflection, “the dialogue heard on both days is not like that of the beginning of the journey of the disciples, but like that of the return, when they related what the Lord had done with them,” and he concluded by thanking them for having been able to live this experience.

The Provinces of Argentina continue to walk towards a dream without haste, but without stopping, with a lot of hope.