One of the big challenges for the A.M.M. is the formation of each and every one of its members.

Everyone knows the importance of ongoing formation in today's world, in any field of life. The society in which we live is made of contrasts and hopes, of light and shade. We talk about the welfare state, and yet, every day thousands of people die of hunger; we work for peace and yet we know many places where war is raging and where human beings are left to bleed to death. We defend democracy as a value of our time and a system of rights, freedom and personal guarantees, but we are surprised to find corruption within the political and economic systems all over the world, evidence of a total disregard for mankind. We fight for a better quality of life, and yet we see around us the terrible effects of abortion, war and euthanasia. More and more the space occupied by the family, school and church, as places where young people receive formation, is replaced by television, nightlife and sex...

Authority ceases to be a service to others and becomes a mechanism of control and domination. Once votes are obtained, democratic ideals are abandoned, and the field is wide open to use and abuse power. It is not surprising, therefore, that more and more citizens are viewed merely as tax numbers. We are reducing Christianity to empty words.

A.M.M. in Spain takes as its staring point the statement found in Christifideles Laici , nº 63 , which reads: "Formation is not privilege of some, but a right and a duty for all." It is good to keep in mind that the means of acquiring this formation are written down in our Statutes as: "Assiduous reading of the Word of God... Adults' catechesis, imparted in a systematic way... .Reading of the Bulletin of the Association... Attending programmed encounters... (Statutes Art. 14. 1)

Consequently, we feel it is necessary to underline the need to be able to answer the question: “What is formation for?” That is to say, the goal that we seek to achieve through that formation, which is quite simply the evangelisation of people in today's world, especially evangelisation of the poor.

Each member of AMM is a member of the Church, but he or she is also a citizen of this world. It is the Gospel that must guide all aspects of life, so that there is no break between faith and life, between Gospel and culture. To achieve this unity of faith and life and to ensure that there is no gap between the various aspects of Christian life, a solid formation is required.

Moreover, Christians and members of A.M.M. are involved in various activities. They are called to give testimony of their Christian life in diverse surroundings and realities. The specific professional formation that is required to exercise these diverse activities must be accompanied by Christian formation so that all human activity can be evangelising. “ Every activity, every situation, every precise responsibility (…) are the occasions ordained by Providence for a "continuous exercise of faith, hope and charity" ( Christifideles Laici , 59).

This is, without a doubt, the fundamental reason why ongoing formation is needed for all Christians and also for those associated with the Miraculous Medal.

WHAT DOES THE DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THIS?

Evangelisation for the Church means taking the good news to all spheres of human life, and with this good news, transforming from the inside, renewing human life itself. It means, with the force of the Gospel, transforming criteria for judgement, determining values, points of interest, ways of thinking, inspiring forces and the very way in which people live their liVeS.

It is evident that this new evangelisation, if it is real, will have repercussions for the social order and that it cannot be the work of a single person, nor even of just one group of people. That is why it is necessary, in our opinion, for the Vincentian Family, to start this new evangelisation which, in the words of John Paul II, will be done by lay people or will not be done at all.

Members of A.M.M. want to collaborate to bring about the right conditions for this new society, based on structures that are more free, more participatory and more democratic. This can be achieved through integral formation that allows for the participation of all the following:

" Housewives
" Women's associations
" Associations for the Defence of Abused Women
" Housefathers
" Parents' Associations
" Neighborhood associations
" Local and parish associations
" Associations for the defence of human rights
" Environmental associations
" Local authorities, etc.

As Christians, we have to become aware of our being Christian, of our Christian life that we live out in the middle of a world full of injustice, where hunger is an ever increasing threat for the poor, where peace is notable by its absence and where taking the preferential option for the poor carries a risk that we must assure. In the words of Saint Vincent de Paul, this world belongs to the poor, and we must tell them so. We must remember that society is no longer Christian, that the Church has lost all its privileges, that it is now seen as just another organization, just like so many other non-confessional and secular ones. The Church no longer enjoys immunity or impunity. It has changed and now faces many problems, both theological and moral. We must also change, if only so as to be able to engage in meaningful dialogue with the next generation.

WHAT HAS A.M.M. SPAIN DONE TO PUT INTO PRACTICE THE FORMATION OF ITS MEMBERS?

Since 2001, when we held the first International Encounter of the Association here in Rome , A.M.M. in Spain has organised the third National Marian Congress to study “The challenges brought by the New Millennium. The conclusions of this third Congress were sent to all Diocesan Councils where they were subsequently developed, and where it became obvious what Vincentian Marian laity is all about.

There have been encounters of the National Council with the Advisers, both Daughters of Charity and Vincentian missionaries, in order to promote a type of formation that enables us to grow and to help others to grow; that is to say, to offer to all the members a basic human and Christian formation. We must work towards achieving an integral formation that feeds the Ecclesial, Marian and Vincentian dimension of the Association, as set out in the Final Document of the First International Encounter.

To achieve this formation, A.M.M. in Spain has the two-monthly edition of its Bulletin which contains articles on formation which can also be used for adult catechesis, under the guidance of the Adviser, the DC representative or a properly prepared member of the Association.

In this publication we offer not only spiritual, but also doctrinal formation in the social doctrine of the Church and formation for the mission, without omitting formation in human values.

“If we as lay people are to actively commit to the noble cause of spreading and appreciating human and Christian values, mere exhortations are not enough. Rather, we need to provide appropriate formation on social awareness, particularly with regard to the social doctrine of the Church, which contains principles for reflection, criteria for forming opinions and practical guidelines.” To this end, AMM Spain has begun to build up a library of the most significant Church documents, including those referring to social doctrine, encyclicals and others that may be of interest to us in the work that we are engaged in.

A series of specific objectives are set out on an annual basis through Pastoral Plans, along with a series of activities designed to achieve them, ensuring at all times that the Diocesan Councils have activities appropriate to the surroundings in which they are working.

The Permanent Council of the Association is involved in this task, regularly attending the various meetings organised by the Diocesan Councils during which we have the opportunity to share with participants our fears, concerns and hopes. We believe that direct contact with members and friends of the Association is of benefit to all because it enables everyone to share enriching experiences.

We want to provide special formation for our coordinators. The degree of importance of these people within our association is such that we wish to provide them with a complete and specific formation in the work that they are called to carry out.

In conclusion 5.3 of the third Marian Congress held in April 2002, reference is made to “the clear importance of coordinators within our Association”. Care should be taken over their formation because it is they who take charge of contacts, daily life, specific problems, contact with families, etc. and they must be prepared for this.

They are in charge of Home Visits and for that reason, they are the people who have the closest contact with families; they are responsible for discovering problems that might exist and communicating them to the Local Centre so that efforts can be made to solve them. They are also a point of reference for Christian and ecclesial identification for families receiving the visit from the Virgin. It is hard to say how much good families can derive from personal dialogue and face-to-face contact, with somebody who knows how to listen and to provide a welcome. To this end, AMM Spain seeks to offer a complete formation for such coordinators enabling them to become, through the actions and their way of life, true apostles in the streets.

In order to provide this formation, the AMM is promoting meetings between coordinators at a national and Diocesan Council level in order to impart standards and instructions and enable them to improve their approach to this great task entrusted in them.

Though formation of coordinators is important, the question of the family is by no means less so. At the current time, domestic violence is frequently in the headlines, with the lives of women in many families seemingly entirely devalued, where murders are committed all too often in front of children if it is not they themselves who fall victim to such barbarities. The Association of the Miraculous Medal needs a presence here too. This was already recognized in the fourth conclusion of the second Marian Congress, held in 1994: “Local Centres of the Association must strengthen their commitment to increasing their presence in more homes, as well as encouraging those there already to live the evangelical message and try to form faith communities made up of all those who receive home visits of the Miraculous Virgin.”

The third conclusion of the same Congress stated: “The visit of the Miraculous Virgin to people's homes is a means of unifying and sanctifying families. This remains true at present if we want to keep Mary as our model in our families, as we remember her mission in the Holy Family in Nazareth .” Through home visits, Mary asks each member of the Association to be the lips and the hands needed to transmit the message of her divine Son, and to give whatever help is needed by the poor.

Pope John Paul II repeatedly asked us to undertake a new evangelisation, new in ardour, new in spirit and new in expression. He tells us: ”If the family is the community whose links are renewed by Christ in faith and in the sacraments, the family's participation in the mission of the Church must follow a community model: together husband and wife as a couple, and parents and children as a family, all together they have to live out their service to the Church and to the world.”

The Association of the Miraculous Medal can and must do a great deal in pastoral work with families. We must not forget that all our members are members of a family, and it is above all within families that the values of the domestic church must flourish. Through our members these values can also flourish in the families that welcome the Virgin into their homes and that have links with the Association. If we succeed in regenerating this social nucleus, there will be hope for society as a whole. To achieve this, we want our Local centres to be true centres of prayer, where there is not only talk of God, but also a true experience of God. Let us remember that next year, 2006, in Valencia , there will be the World Family Day, which will be attended by Pope Benedict XVI. It will be an ideal time to present our activities carried out with families.

Finally I want to tell you about what the Association is doing in adult catechesis. The fifth conclusion of the Second Congress told us: “Adult catechesis and liturgical celebrations which express our faith and make it grow will be opportunities to feel and live out our belonging to and communion with the Church of Christ, thus turning us into witnesses of hope and joy.”

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