OUR IDENTITY
We are young men and women: we are part of a community of faith within the Church. We are distinct from other movement because we are rooted in our proper charism which was inspired in the Blessed Mother and in Saint Vincent de Paul.
We are a Marian Association: because of Mary service, her “yes” to God’s plan and her life of prayer, we see Mary as a model for our life. Day by day we attempt to clothe ourselves in her virtues of purity, humility, obedience and charity. We make a Marian consecration “to Jesus with Mary” as an act that strengthen our baptismal consecration.
We are Vincentians: the example of Saint Vincent de Paul, the patron of charitable works, makes us young men and women who are dedicated to assisting our neighbor. We see the face of Jesus in the face of those men and women who are poor. At the same time, following the example of Saint Vincent who dedicated most of his life to the process of evangelization, “the bread” that we offer is accompanied by the Word. Saint Vincent de Paul established a new way of following Christ and of incarnating the gospel: living the faith in service to the poor.
The identity of the Association is revealed through its four characteristic elements:
ecclesial element
As an apostolic group we belong to the Church and since 1847 we have enjoyed Pontifical approval. The members of the Association commit themselves to follow Christ, to work actively and responsibly in communion with other members of the church and its pastors, to take on the concerns of the universal and the local church and to collaborate with other apostolic associations and movements in the diocese and/or parish.
LAY ELEMENT
The Association is composed primarily of young lay men and women who attempt to live the gospel in the midst of society. As such, our point of reference is the International Associations of Christian Faithful (Canons 298-329).
MARIAN ELEMENT
The Association takes the Blessed Mother as a model of surrender to God and commitment toward one’s neighbor. Therefore, the members of the VMY attempt to contemplate on the distinct aspects of Mary’s life, aspects highlighted by the Church: Mary as a woman of faith, Mary as a woman of prayer, Mary as Mother of the Church, Mary as servant of the poor, Mary as universal mediator…
The members commit themselves to discover, in the gospel, Mary as the model of all believers, a woman who embraced the faith, listened to the Word of God and lived her life in accord with that Word. Inspired by the canticle of the Magnificat, the members find in the Mother of the Lord the necessary assistance that enables them to develop their faith and effective charity so that justice is created.
VINCENTIAN ELEMENT
Because the Association came into existence within the Family of Saint Vincent de Paul, the members are inspired by the Vincentian charism and make evangelization and service on behalf of the poor distinctive characteristics of their presence in the church and in the world.
