According to our Constitutions, the specific end of our small religious family is “to extend the Incarnation to all men, in the whole man, and in all of the manifestations of man”; and to this end, we are called to “commit all our strength” (Constitutions, 5). This is a multi-faceted enterprise that requires the collaboration of all the members of our religious family: both male and female branches, active and contemplative members, and those of our third order. In order to strengthen our members in this effort, our province held an event from July 1st to 5th called the “IVE Meeting USA”.
The IVE Meeting was held at Mount Saint Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Maryland. The purpose of this five-day family event was to “renew and deepen our fervent wish to direct all temporal things to God, establishing all of them in Jesus Christ.” It was a gathering of our religious from all over our province together with families of our third order and families that collaborate with us in a special way in our missions. Each day was packed with formational activities for the whole family: conferences and workshops for the adults, games and activities and formation for the children and youth, and a nursery for the youngest ones!
The theme was “To Jesus Through Mary” and each day was dedicated to one of the “three white things”: the Holy Father, the Eucharist, and Mary. After morning Adoration and breakfast, visiting missionaries and professionals gave the plenary talks and workshops, covering such topics as “Persecuted Christians”, “Education and Maturity”, “the Family and Evangelization of the Culture”, “Total Consecration to Mary”, “Works of Mercy”, “Promoting the Spiritual Exercises”, and many more! Each day was concluded with a candlelight Rosary procession and a noisy and joyful “fogón” or family entertainment with a sharing of songs and talents from the different cultures and states represented.
Those who attended the IVE Meeting totaled about 800, including almost 200 religious from our province. There were laity who participated from each country in our Province (United States, Canada, Mexico, Suriname and Guyana) and from more than 30 states! A climate of joy and family spirit pervaded the IVE Meeting. It was concluded with a solemn Mass at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (Washington, DC) in which 46 persons were officially inducted as members of the Third Order of our Religious Family. This was followed by a festive lunch and fogón at the Ven. Fulton Sheen Seminary and a farewell to all the groups.
We pray for the continued fruits of this meeting, that the members of our religious family in the Province of the Immaculate Conception may all be strengthened in the mission to restore the Reign of Christ in all things!
Our Lady of Lujan, pray for us!
