I have been asked to collate all the contributions received from the various countries in response to the request for evaluation of the commitments made at the time of the First Encounter in 2001 in this very same room. Since that time the Final Document has been sent to all, and over the last few years we have started living out the commitments we have made.

As we will see in this summary, we made many commitments and we have taken active steps to reach the objectives we set in terms of making the Association known, living out our spirituality, implementing formation programmes and being involved in the apostolate of the Association.

In the name of the Coordination Team I would like to thank you for the contributions which were sent to us. We have summarised them and we are now presenting these to you. You will remember that, when we carried out our evaluation, we were guided by the text of the Final Document.

This report has been prepared on the basis of contributions provided by the National Councils of thirteen countries. We are grateful to them for their cooperation and for sharing with us their life in the Association; and for their suggestions.

This evaluation will help us to see the way ahead for the Association at international level. I am sure that we will be able to exchange our views in our working groups. The assessment will also open up new horizons and will make apparent ways to renew the image of the Association, as we have started doing since the First International Encounter.

Because of differences of culture, of history, of social and economic conditions; the Association has a different image in the various countries. These differences constitute the wealth of our International Association. The International Statutes leave us plenty of room to organise the Association to suit the specific needs of the local Church and community.

Having set out these premises in our introduction, we will now run through the various elements of the commitments we made.

I. SPIRITUALITY  

How would you describe your group's spiritual life?

• All countries display a healthy and deep Marian spirituality. They are guided by the words of the Virgin Mary to St Catherine Labouré “ Come to the foot of this altar….!”
• Our spiritual life is strengthened by prayer, meditation, the Eucharist and the Word of God.
• The spiritual life of the groups is expressed in the deep desire to spread devotion to the Virgin Mary, especially through the message of the Medal.
• In some countries, members of the Association meet in their centres to pray the Rosary or the Perpetual Novena. Other centres meet in their local Church or chapel on the 27 th of every month to celebrate the Eucharist, to remember the most important apparition of the Blessed Virgin. These devotions renew and strengthen their spiritual life.

What is the importance of Marian spirituality for the group?

• In the entire Church, devotion to and love of Mary are very important, and are expressed in the search for a spirituality that is modeled on imitating Mary and living the apostolate of the Association.
• Love for Mary is expressed in imitating her virtues and her following of Christ. In imitation of Mary, members of the Association put themselves fully at the spiritual and material service of the poorest of the poor.
• All countries also tell us that they are very interested in encounters, retreats, pilgrimages and formation, all to help members and the Association grow.

Suggestions to improve the spiritual dimension of the groups

To prepare prayer, rooted in the Word of God, dedicating time to prayer when meeting in the local centre (it should be more than “just” a Hail Mary”);

To renew the Marian celebrations we have when we make home visits.

To continue to provide formation material that leads to better knowledge and practice of authentic devotion to the Virgin Mary.

To motivate ourselves to be constant in personal and group prayer.

To take part in prayer workshops.

II. FORMATION

Are you using the catecheses that the International Coordination Council makes available to members of the Association on its web page: www.amminter.org ? 

• Most National Councils have access to the web page, and in other cases it is the National Director who provides the catecheses.
• Some groups publish the catecheses in their Bulletins. One country has selected a series of twelve for its formation programme this year. Others are using them during their National Assemblies.
• Some have only read the catecheses and intend to study them in more detail later on.
• Nearly all groups ask for the missing catecheses to be published and for the web page to be updated more regularly, to provide formation material and news that give information on what is happening in other countries with formation, apostolate, etc.

Do you have formation projects?

• All countries have some particular formation project which they work on during the year. Sometimes it is published in a brochure or in the Bulletin. Some other groups program the project from meeting to meeting.
• Several countries have formation projects in cooperation with other branches of the Vincentian family.
• One country has a special formation programme for training lay leaders, special formation for married couples on the family, the formation of children and married life; another country has a National Pastoral Plan which is adapted to the Diocesan Plan, and the Diocesan Plan is adapted to the local centres.

How often do local groups meet?

• Depending on their situation; the groups meet every week, every fortnight or every month.
• Where there are several groups close together there is a meeting in addition to the meeting in the local centre, to receive formation, to share experiences and to have time together to improve relations between members.

Are National Assemblies held? How often? Number of participants?

The frequency varies greatly. Most Assemblies are held annually, others every two years and in one case every four years. One country has its national meeting with the other branches of the Vincentian family.

Some countries have general, extraordinary or regional assemblies.

Others experience the problem of long distances and do not have an annual assembly every year for financial reasons.

The average attendance is around 100 persons, with exceptions of 240 in one case, and 30 in another.

III. APOSTOLATE AND MISSION

What is the apostolate of the groups?

• The preferred form of apostolate is the home visit which is devoutly used as a means to evangelise families and the poor, in the sure knowledge that a family that prays together, stays together .
• Making the Association and the Miraculous Medal known as a means of evangelisation, making known the Living Christ and his Mother Mary, as models to follow in the Christian life.
• Every country has different services and apostolates to suit its particular needs. Some develop their apostolate by supporting missions abroad.
• As members of the Vincentian family, all are aware that serving the poor is serving Christ . The form of serving the poor is similar in all countries: feeding the homeless, visiting prisoners, dispensaries, visiting the sick at home or in hospital, visiting the elderly in retirement homes, etc;
  Most participate in the activities of the parish: catechesis of children and adults, participation in liturgy groups and choir. Many members also serve as Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist or Ministers of the Word.
• One country mentioned that this aspect of the group's life is rather weak and that they only participate sporadically in some form of apostolate.

Do you have a Pastoral Project? 

• In some cases the Pastoral Plan is intimately linked to the Formation Project and follows the Parish's Pastoral plan.
• The following aspects are taken into account in the Pastoral Plans: prayer in community and private prayer, formation and catechesis, participation in activities of the Vincentian Family, support to existing groups and creation of new groups. Compilation of reflection and other material for distribution.
• The aim of the Pastoral Plans is to integrate members in some form of apostolate, making the preferential option for the poor and focusing on evangelisation of families.

With your apostolate, do you reach the poorest of the poor and the most excluded families?

• Priority is given to the most disadvantaged. Home visits make families aware of the importance of prayer and the sense of solidarity.
• Some families are excluded from the community and, in these families, when the wife or mother is missing, members look after the chapel and pray as the wife or mother used to do.
• Quite a few members of the Association are men and women of the middle classes, and this apostolate makes them aware of the suffering and the needs of others.
• In several countries the centres are located in very poor neighbourhoods and that is where the apostolate is lived out. In that way links of love and affection are established with the poor and with excluded families.

IV MAKING THE ASSOCIATION AND THE DEVOTION KNOWN 

What action have you taken to make the Association known, to create new groups or give formation to groups of young people in the Association?

• Groups use various means of communication, radio, Internet, the web page of the Vincentian Family and of the Association, to spread the word.
• Several countries have printed material to distribute.
• Invitations are issued to celebrations of the Virgin of the Miraculous Medal.
• New groups are set up with the cooperation and help of other branches of the Vincentian Family.
• Groups take part in Youth Days organised by the Vincentian Family and by JMV, where there are opportunities to make the Association and its apostolate known. Some centres also are active in secondary schools for this purpose.

What plans do you have for the immediate future?

• Make the Association known and make it grow
• Compile Statutes and live these out
• Update the “home visits” and formation of the members who take Our Lady to people's homes
• Organise activities that motivate young people to participate in the Association
• Make people aware that the Association is also open to men.

V VINCENTIAN FAMILY

What types of cooperation have you undertaken with other groups of the Vincentian Family?

• There is representation in those countries where there is a National Council of the Vincentian Family and each country has its own projects. In addition, there are those projects sent by the International Advisers of some branches of the Vincentian Family.
• There is greater cooperation in the services offered to the poor through the work of the Daughters of Charity.
• In some places there are joint formation programmes. Exchange of information is encouraged, and there is cooperation between all branches.
• On the feastdays of Saint Vincent and Saint Louise all the branches that are represented in an area meet to celebrate the Eucharist and to get together.
• The Association publishes a calendar to make known the charism and activities of each branch.

What other functions do you think could be undertaken in cooperation with the Vincentian Family?

• Organise National Encounters
• Create a joint web-page in each country
• Plan catecheses and popular missions in the Vincentian style
• Have A Vincentian Formation Centre, open to all branches.

VI ADVISERS AND SPIRITUAL GUIDES

Do you have the support of Vincentian missionaries or Daughters of Charity?

• Many countries have a National Director (member of the Congregation of the Mission ). In some cases there are diocesan advisers and support from AIC to form new groups.
• Many local centres have an adviser (CM missionary or Daughter of Charity) to support the groups' formation activities and spiritual life, and to encourage them to live out their specific apostolate.
• Some countries mention that the sisters give very good support, while Vincentian priests seem not to take a serious interest.

What improvements do you suggest?

• That the National Adviser (CM missionary or Daughter of Charity) not be over-burdened with responsibilities, so as to have sufficient time to comply with the needs of the groups.
• Visitators of the Congregation of the Mission and of the Daughters of Charity are asked to motivate sisters and priests, to ensure that support for the Association is one of their missionary tasks.
• That advisers be given updated formation in the work of the Association so that they can provide this service to lay people.

VII SUGGESTIONS FOR THE INTERNATIONAL COORDINATION COUNCIL

• Provide and encourage the use of communication and formation material.
• Visits by a member of the Coordination team to make the Association known and to encourage it.
• Organise an international pilgrimage to Rue du Bac.
• Create support structures in countries where AMM can be founded.
• Have better communication with National Councils.
• Provide guidelines about what it means to be a “Marian Movement” rather than a pious association.
• Collect documents: associate member, member, active member, special status member.
• Prepare the first Centenary (1909-2009) of AMM. Programme activities/ before and during the Centenary.
• Compile a history of the Association.
• Update the international web page.
• Facilitate the giving of catecheses.
• Translate the catecheses into various languages.

To end this intervention, I speak in the name of the entire International Council when I thank all who have contributed and have followed the guidelines that we have sent you over the past four years.

In prayer, let us call on the Holy Spirit so that, hand in hand with our Holy Mother, we may profit from this Encounter for God's glory and for the good of our Association and of the poor whom we evangelise and serve.

hank you!

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