Understanding our reality in order to serve better

Salamanca, 18 August 2026.— The second day of the 6th General Assembly of the Vincentian Marian Youth began this Tuesday at the Vincentian Fathers’ House in Salamanca with the Opening Eucharist. Following yesterday’s welcome and opening greetings, today we formally began the work of the Assembly: listening to the Word, understanding the international reality of VMY, giving thanks for the journey we have traveled, and beginning the revision of the International Statutes.

The motto “With Mary, serving today, transforming tomorrow” accompanied a day centered on discernment and shared responsibility. Looking honestly at our reality, acknowledging what we have learned, and reviewing our structures are necessary steps in discovering how we are called to serve the Association and young people today.

With Mary, we listen to the Word

The Opening Eucharist was presided over by Father Tomaž Mavrič, C.M., Superior General of the Congregation of the Mission and Director General of VMY.

In his homily, he reminded us that the Word of God always has something to say to us. The readings for this Tuesday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time were not chosen to fit the theme of the Assembly. Rather, it was the Church’s own liturgy that allowed us to hear what the Spirit wished to communicate to us as we began our work.

The first reading, from the prophet Ezekiel, warned us against the arrogance of those who use their intelligence and wisdom to accumulate riches and end up believing themselves to be gods. In the Gospel, Jesus reminded his disciples of the difficulty that riches can create for entering the Kingdom, while also assuring them that “for God all things are possible.”

These readings placed before us a specific call: the responsibilities we assume within VMY cannot become a pursuit of power, recognition, or personal gain. Leadership only has meaning when it becomes self-giving and service.

Father Tomaž stated that we are called to bear witness to God’s love through our words and actions. One of his statements resonated with particular force: “For some people, you may be the only reflection of Jesus they will ever see.”

As members of the Vincentian Family, we wish to follow the example of Saint Vincent de Paul, proclaiming the Gospel with simplicity and serving those most in need. As a Marian Association, we also look to Mary, who listened to the Word, treasured what she experienced, and pondered it in her heart.

At the beginning of this Assembly, Father Tomaž proposed two commitments: to bear witness to God’s love before those around us and to reflect daily on the Holy Scriptures. With Mary, we learn that all discernment always begins with listening.

Organizing ourselves to walk in unity

Following the Eucharist, we continued with the general guidelines and the approval of the Rules of Procedure governing the Assembly. The presiders, the secretaries, and the Final Document Commission were also introduced.

These steps established the framework needed for dialogue, participation, and voting. Organizing an Assembly does not simply mean allocating duties and schedules. It means creating the conditions for every voice to be heard and for decisions to be made with responsibility, transparency, and a spirit of communion.

VMY in figures: one family present in 65 countries

Before beginning the revision of the International Statutes, we needed to understand the current reality of VMY. We cannot decide how to move forward without knowing who we are, where we are present, and which major challenges we face.

The latest international statistics, finalized only a few weeks ago, show that VMY is present in 65 countries, has 56 established national associations, and brings together 47,676 members. National Statutes have been approved in 46 countries, and the international team currently consists of twelve people.

Spanish, English, French, and Portuguese are the Association’s four official languages, although many others are spoken within our groups. This linguistic plurality reflects the great diversity of cultures, sensitivities, and social and ecclesial realities that make up VMY.

The presentation helped us understand that not every country is at the same stage of development. There are multinational associations in which several countries operate under the same structure, as well as groups that temporarily depend on another national association while working towards consolidation.

Japan’s experience reveals the missionary strength that can emerge from these processes. Young members of VMY Vietnam who moved there to study or seek new opportunities took the Association with them and established a new community. Since the group is still in its early stages, it remains connected to Vietnam for its formation, organization, and accompaniment.

This story reminds us that VMY is not made up only of structures. It is made up of people who carry their faith, charism, and desire to build community wherever life leads them.

The Association is present on all five continents, although its presence is uneven. Africa currently has the largest number of members, while Oceania remains the continent with the smallest presence of VMY. Most of us in VMY are young people between the ages of 13 and 20, although some countries also have children’s groups and adult members.

VMY also participates in different bodies within the international Vincentian Family and the Church. It is a member of FAVILA and is represented on the Vincentian Family Executive Committee. The Association has also begun preparing for the bicentenary of the Marian apparitions of 1830, a particularly significant anniversary for our identity.

Five years of service and learning

Marie Claire Solon Balo and Catarina Érika Morais presented the report of the International Council for the 2021-2026 term. It was not merely a record of activities, but a grateful remembrance of the challenges, decisions, processes initiated, and people and communities accompanied over these five years.

The mission of the International Council was summarised in four verbs: animate, accompany, represent, and serve. To animate the international life of VMY; to accompany countries and groups; to represent the voice of young people within the Church and the Vincentian Family; and to place every responsibility at the service of the Association.

The work undertaken was organized around five priorities: management, accompaniment, representation, communication, formation, and growth.

During this period, structures were reviewed, processes were updated, and responsibilities were clarified. The revision of the International Statutes was also initiated, and a protocol was prepared to guide the updating of National Statutes. As stated during the presentation, “A clear structure enables us to serve better.”

Accompaniment took concrete form through closeness to the national associations, the renewal of their councils and statutes, the creation and consolidation of new groups, and mediation in situations that required listening and discernment.

VMY also strengthened its presence within the Vincentian Family, the Miraculous Medal Commission, and the preparatory committee for World Youth Day. The renewal of the website, the development of social media, online formation sessions, and the International Meeting of Advisers helped strengthen communication and support the formation of those who accompany our young people.

One of the most demanding processes was the transfer of the international headquarters from Madrid to Manila after more than twenty years in Spain. The move required working routines to be rebuilt, procedures to be adapted, and new ways of operating to be learned.

The Council shared this journey honestly, acknowledging its achievements, but also its mistakes, limitations, and what it was unable to accomplish. It apologized to the countries that could not be visited in person and recalled that “distance never meant being forgotten.”

Three great lessons remain from these five years: management strengthens the mission, accompaniment generates communion, and formation ensures continuity.

With the election of a new International Council approaching, we were invited to pray for those who will assume this responsibility, to trust them, and to allow them to find their own way of serving. The report ended with a phrase that summarises the meaning of every responsibility within VMY: “Terms of office come to an end, but the vocation to serve remains.”

A video featuring photographs, faces, visits, and shared moments concluded this grateful remembrance of the journey traveled between 2021 and 2026.

Article by article, we discern the future

During the afternoon, we began studying and revising the International Statutes with the assistance of Father Corpus Delgado, C.M., who is accompanying the Assembly in understanding the text and the proposed amendments.

The document compares the Statutes approved in 1999 with the proposal presented in 2026, which was prepared based on the contributions received and the guidance of the Holy See. Its purpose is to express the identity of VMY more clearly and update its organization in response to the Association’s present reality.

This work will not be limited to a single session. Over the coming days, we will study the Statutes progressively. The articles will be presented, explained, and discussed before being submitted to a vote by the Assembly. This will allow participants to understand the scope of each amendment and exercise their responsibility through listening and discernment.

The proposal strengthens the ecclesial, lay, Marian, and Vincentian dimensions of VMY and explicitly incorporates its missionary identity. It also gives particular attention to synodality, the participation of young people, Marian Consecration, community service of the poor, and the safeguarding of minors and vulnerable persons.

The aim is not to approve an entire document hastily, but to review and vote on each article responsibly, taking into account the different cultural and ecclesial realities that make up VMY.

The Statutes provide the common framework that enables an Association present in many countries, languages, and cultures to journey in unity. Every word, contribution, and vote therefore carries an importance that extends beyond this Assembly: they will help guide the life and mission of VMY over the coming years.

As we were reminded in the International Council’s report, “A clear structure enables us to serve better.” Structures are not an end in themselves, but a tool that should help us accompany, evangelize, and serve in a more organized, transparent, and sustainable way.

After dinner, the evening prayer allowed us to place before God everything we had heard, discussed, and worked on. Thus ended a day that led us from the Word to reality, and from grateful remembrance to our first decisions.

The work on the Statutes will continue over the coming days, article by article, alternating study, dialogue, and voting. With Mary, we listen to and treasure the Word; serving today, we accept the responsibility of reviewing our structures; and, discerning together, we begin to transform tomorrow.