Cachoeira do Campo (BRAZIL). From 23 to 27 July 2018 in Cachoeira do Campo in the Brazilian Province of Mother Mazzarello (BBH), will host the Triennial Verifica of the Interprovincial Conferences of Brazil (CIB) and the Southern Cone of Latin America (CICSAL). “The triennial verifica is a meaningful experience to reread the great entrustment: To broaden our gaze to be with the young missionaries of hope and joy”.
The participants in the Verifica are the representatives of the Communities of the 9 Provinces of Brazil, of the 6 Provinces of the Southern Cone of Latin America, the Mother General of the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, Mother Yvonne Reungoat, and five General Councilors: Sr. Alaide Deretti , Sr. Maria Helena Moreira, Sr. Silvia Boullosa, Sr. Paola Battagliola and Sr. Marija Pece.
The Triennial Verifica has a twofold purpose: to evaluate the post-chapter journey and to offer indications for the theme of the next GC XXIV.
The first day on July 23 began with the prayer of invocation to the Holy Spirit, to the Triune God who loves us and gathers us here from many different countries and provinces. During the celebration, candles were lit as a sign of light and each participant was given a ‘quinelo’ sign of the journey to be undertaken together with young people open and available to the newness of the Spirit.
After the prayer there was the greeting of the President of CICSAL, Sr. Laura Guisado who, recalling the theme “Broaden Your Vision to be with the young missionaries of hope and joy“, said: “With joy I express welcome in the certainty that together we will live days of meeting and fraternity, of enthusiasm and sharing … we all come from Provinces and Conferences where we have lived different experiences with sisters, laity, and young people. Today we find ourselves here to discover the beauty of diversity in the certainty of unity in the same Spirit … the Lord is good and gives us this time to stop, to look, to reorient our path, and question ourselves on our fidelity to the dream of more fraternal, evangelical communities, prophetic and youthful. Mary, Mother and teacher, guides us in this experience of encounter with Jesus “.
Every day is marked by the presentation of Mother General, M. Yvonne. The first theme that Mother Yvonne offered was “In the memory of the Call“. Mother said: “To allow Jesus to form and transform us, we must let ourselves be found by Him, assimilate His feelings, live with Him and in Him, give ourselves to Him, to live in the encounter and of the encounter, to feel the vital energy of the gaze of Jesus, to cultivate an intimate relationship with Him, to love Him with all our heart and with all our soul … For all those who share the Salesian mission, it consists essentially in evangelizing the younger generations through the education. Those who have met Jesus cannot but share this joy. We entrust ourselves to Mary, woman of encounter, with her maternal solicitude, attentive and thoughtful, intuitive and active. The Mother of Jesus, with her style of life, forms us in docility to the Spirit, motivates us to weave simple, direct, cordial relationships, from person to person, to live the mission together “.
After a time of personal reflection, the participants met in the thematic tents for sharing and resonance on the word heard. There were Nine tents, each one with a name evoking the biblical episode of the Disciples of Emmaus (Lk 24: 15-33): journey, Word, welcome, bread, blessing, sharing, encounter, listening, and sending.
On the following days we will continue reflection on the themes proposed by Mother, alternating moments of knowledge, of sharing of experiences, of in-depth analysis, and of personal and group internalization.
