VI VMY General Assembly Approves Revised Text of the International Statutes

The VI General Assembly of the Vincentian Marian Youth (VMY) approved the revised text of the International Statutes on Thursday, concluding one of the main stages of the Assembly’s work in Salamanca.

The approval came after three days of study, dialogue, proposed amendments, and voting. With the guidance of Fr. Corpus Delgado, C.M., representatives from different countries reviewed the proposal article by article, seeking to develop a text capable of responding to the diversity of youth, cultural, and ecclesial realities within the Association.

The Statutes provide a common framework for the organization and international life of VMY. The text approved by the Assembly seeks to preserve the Association’s identity, strengthen its unity, and update its structures in response to current and future challenges.

Priorities for the coming years

With this stage completed, the Assembly also moved forward in reflecting on the priorities that should guide VMY in the coming years.

Based on contributions previously gathered through evaluations carried out by the National Councils, participants worked on the Ecclesial Note, identifying challenges and possible directions in the areas of formation, spirituality, community life, communication, and accompaniment.

Among the needs highlighted were strengthening the formation of young people, leaders, and advisors; revitalizing local groups; increasing international coordination; using communication and new technologies for formation and evangelization; and preparing new people to take on roles of accompaniment within the Association.

The contributions presented during the Assembly are part of an ongoing discernment process and will serve as a basis for defining the priorities and lines of action for the next period.

Sustainability and international co-responsibility

Another future-oriented topic was the sustainability of the mission. The groups reflected on solidarity and self-financing, considering the need to develop more stable and responsible ways of supporting VMY activities at both national and international levels.

Among the approaches discussed were developing initiatives to generate resources, providing formation in planning and management, strengthening transparency and accountability, and creating solidarity mechanisms that facilitate the participation of countries and young people with fewer resources.

The reflection emphasized that sustainability depends not only on obtaining resources, but also on shared responsibility among the members and countries that make up the Association.

Structures and resources at the service of the mission

The program also included a presentation by Daniel Kuenzel on the work carried out by the International Secretariat over the past five years, a period marked, among other challenges, by the transfer of the international headquarters from Madrid to Manila.

The Association’s financial report, presented by Fr. Kiko y Maria Sfeir and the Famvin Homeless Alliance, presented by Yasmine Cajuste, were also part of the program. These moments highlighted the importance of organized structures, transparent management, and commitment to the most vulnerable in supporting the sustainable development of the international mission.

With the approval of the revised Statutes and progress in the reflections on pastoral priorities and sustainability, the Assembly enters a new stage: transforming the challenges identified into concrete directions for the future of VMY.

The fourth day concluded with a Marian Vigil, bringing participants together in prayer at the foot of the altar and recalling the experience of St. Catherine Labouré.