VINCENTIAN STUDIES COURSE

BOQUERON, CHIRIQUI, PANA

JOHN P. PRAGER, C.M. 1995

 
FIRST PART: CHARISM IN GENERAL

 In the first part of the class, some general ideas about charism can be highlighted:

-it's something general in the Church
-it's a gift given by the Spirit for the building up of the Kingdom
-the gift can be ordinary
-it's given for the needs of the Church and not just personal benefit
-it's not a personal priveledge, but given for mission.
-it becomes a principle of identity
-it's always incarnated in a particular time or place
-it's always a response to a call
-it's important to distinguish persnal charisms(given to an individual,especially to the founder) from a community charism(given to everyone in a community).
-there's no emphasis on being superior or better than other charisms.

SECOND PART: THE VINCENTIAN CHARISM
 

1.Ask each of the novices to write down a definition of the Vincentian charism.

2.Put all of the definitions on the board or newsprint.

3.Critique the definitions. Some things to look for: Is it too broad or narrow? Does it miss the mark? Does it tie the charism to specific works? Does it confuse Vincent's personal charisms with the community
charism? Does it make the charism clearer or does it confuse things?

POINTS FOR EMPHASIS:

1. There are many ways to express the charism. Because it's always a mystery, no one can capture it completely in a definition.
2. Still the charism is always bound up with the service of the poor and the call to follow Jesus.
3. The charism is always deeper than works or structures. These things, although important, are expressions of the charism not the charism itself.
4. The charism is always historically and culturally incarnated.

 

C. THE MISSIONARY DIMENSION OF THE CHARISM

GOAL: Understand what it means to be a Vincentian missionary

READINGS FOR THE TEACHER:

Baylach, J.O., "La C.M. y la Nueva Evangelización pedida por el Santo Padre," CLAPVI 69 (l990), p. 367-398.

 Corera, J., "Nueva Evangelización para Vicentinos Ayer y Hoy, CLAPVI 65 (l989), p. 337-342.

 Esparza, C, "Vicente de Paúl: Los Motivos de Una Misión," Vincentiana34 (l990), p. 76-86.

 Ibáñez, J.M., "La Opción por los Pobres, Exigencia y Criterio Verificador de la Nueva Evangelización," in Vicencianismo y Nueva Evangelización, (Salamanca:CEME,l993), p.161-198.

 , --, "Identidad de la Misión Vicenciana," in Misiones Vicencianas yEvangelización del Hombre de Hoy, (Salamanca: CEME, l987), p.183-212.

Ortiz, O., "Espiritualidad Misionera de San Vicente a la Luz de 'Redemptoris Missio'," Vincentiana 38 (l994), p.246- 253. Pérez-Flores, M., "Sacerdotes de la Misión para una Nueva Evangelización, in Vicencianismo y Nueva Evangelización, p. 199-230.

READINGS FOR THE NOVICES:

Maloney, R., "On Being a Missionary Today," Vincentiana 38 (l994), p.317-324.

 Prager, J.P., "The Shadow Side of the Vincentian Mission," Vincentiana 39 (l995), p
 
 

Ask the novices to think about an experience of having to leave their own experience and enter the world of another. In small groups they can share some of the difficulties and some of the things they learned from the experience.
In the large group the novices share some of the difficulties. They can also talk about ways to deal with the experience of entering someone else's world.

POINTS OF EMPHASIS:

1. Mission is more than parish missions or foreign missions.
2. Mission means leaving one's own world to enter another reality.
3. We are missionaries to the poor.
4. New Evangelization, Insertion and Inculturation are part of the process.
5. The process of entering another world is difficult. One needs ways to deals with internal reactions.
 
 
 

D. THREE INCARNATIONS OF THE VINCENTIAN CHARISM

1. THE CONGREGATION OF THE MISSION

GOAL: Understand how the charism was incarnated in the CM.

READINGS FOR THE TEACHER:

Baylach, J.O., "Hace 350 Años con la bula Salvatoris Nostris el papa Aprobaba a la C.M.," Vincentiana 27 (l983), p. 28-31.

Fernández, J., "Las Razones de Roma," Anales (l984), p. 339ff.

 Ibáñez, J.M., ""Misión e Identidad de la C.M.," in Misiones Vicencianas y Evangelización del Hombre de Hoy, (Salamanca: CEME, l987), p. 131-180.

 Pérez-Flores, M., "Del Equipo Misionero a la C.M.," Vincentiana 28 (l984), p. 679-712.

--, Desde el Contrato de Fundación de la C.M. hasta la bula Salvatoris Nostris," Vincentiana 31 (l987),p. 667-683.

 --, "La Bulle Salvatoris Nostris et la C.M.," Vincentiana 27 (l983), p. 326-363(also in Anales (l983), p. 393ff.)

 --, "Structure de la Bulle et Synthèses de su contenu," Vincentiana 27 (l983), p. 32-38.

 Román, J.M., "Las Fundaciones de San Vicente," Vincentiana 28 (l984), p. 457-486.

READINGS FOR THE NOVICES:

Coste, I, p. 144-160.

 The Foundation Documents,(Mss. translation of parts of Las Obras Completas de San Vicente de Paúl, (Salamanca:CEME, l972-i981), p. 1-34.

 The Objective of the C.M., (Document of the Preparatory Commission for the l980 General Assembly).
 
 
 
 
 

FOUNDATION DOCUMENTS OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE MISSION

POINTS FOR EMPHASIS:

1. The Mission came before any structures,
2. The emphasis was on the poor from the beginning.
3. The country poor were the most abandoned in the 17th. Century. Who are the most abandoned today? "Country" should be interpreted as "abandoned".
4. Missions, seminaries, etc. are means not ends
5. The reality of the poor, not predetermined structures, is the point of departure.
6. Common life was a value from the beginning.
 
 

The following questions can be discussed:

-What does evangelization mean today in light of the Vincentian charism?
-What can we learn from the foundation documents?