“LIVING MEMORIES OF THE REDEEMER”
(Argentina) With great joy, we want to share with all of you that we have concluded the first part of the itinerary of permanent formation for laypeople. The formation was carried out in our house in Villa Allende (Córdoba) – Argentina, from July 11 to 14.
This itinerary responds to the concern and need of the laity to be trained to respond to the challenges of the wounded world and to walk together in the shared mission.
The dynamics of this first part of the training was to remember and delve into the life of St. Alphonsus. In the afternoons and, we, in the light of their experiences, looked at our own life and our walk as Redemptorists. At the end of each day, we celebrated the Holy Eucharist and we gathered all the grateful memories, the thought and experience.
The first day (Remember), after the presentation, we went through the life of St. Alfonsus from Marianela to the courts, deepening the elements of his time, providing biographical information and his relationship with God, his family and friends and himself. In the afternoon, we recognized ourselves in a change of time and we looked for signs of God in this context.
On the second day (See), we remember Alphonsus’ time from the trial until his admission to the seminary. At the beginning of the afternoon, the Provincial Superior, Marcelo Pomar, very pleasantly surprised us with a greeting from Father General Michael Brehl, in which he encouraged us in this new journey of formation in tune with the shared mission, emphasizing the protagonism of the laypeople.
Next, Macarena Sarmiento, a Redemptorist laywoman, shared with us the experiences of the VI Assembly of the Conference of America and the Caribbean.
In the afternoon, we reflected in the light of the Spirituality from below, by Anselm Grün and, finally, we talked about the Final Message of the General Chapter.
On the third day (Pray), we remember the walk of Alphonsus from the seminary to Scala, through the evening chapels of the sunset, the Chinese College, the missions in Scala. To end the morning and, as a community of origin, we experienced the evening chapels: a beautiful moment of shared prayer. In the afternoon, we saw the ecclesial models and the role of the layperson. At night, we enjoyed songs of Alphonsus that served as preparation for the last morning of the itinerary, which we wanted out of prayer, silence and adoration during the celebration of the Eucharist. Thus, in front of our Mother and, asking her not to stop looking at us, we entrust ourselves to her Perpetual Help and close the first stage of the itinerary of ongoing formation for laypeople.
With the certainty of the beginning of a long and awaited dream, we returned to our communities with the commitment to share the experience.
United in prayer let us ask the Holy Spirit to guide the paths for a shared mission, which is the same as saying, to announce together the redeeming and always faithful love of our good God. A warm greeting from Argentina.
Cintia Cajal
(For the Training team)
