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About Us
Vincentian Marian Youth (VMY) is an International Association of young people that began in 1830 when the Blessed Mother appeared to Catherine Labouré, a young woman studying to be a Daughter of Charity. Mary asked that young people be organized in her name and that "graces would be bestowed upon them." Today, this group of young people spans the globe in 65 countries with over 110,000 members.
In 2004, the Vincentian Marian Youth Association of the Province of the West was established. Based in Los Altos Hills, California, the Association serves as a headquarter and supports the following thirteen Western states in the United States: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
The purpose of the Association is simple: to work with young people and help energize their faith and concerns for the poor by connecting them more closely to Jesus Christ, Mother Mary, each other, and the poor.
History
"The Children of Mary," "Marian Youth," "Vincentian Marian Youth" are three names for the same International Association. The Vincentian Marian Youth was born after the apparitions of Mary, in order to create a place where youth in difficult live, share and are educated. The Association of the Sons and Daughters of Mary is known internationally by the name Vincentian Marian Youth. This Association was born thanks to Mary's desire that was transmitted to St. Catherine Labouré: I want an Association for the young to be founded ... where I will pour out many graces.
Catherine Labouré and Jean-Marie Aladel played the role of founders and distributors of the message (like you do today). The first steps were taken by a group in Beaune, in the Diocese of Dijon, after the approbation of the movement by Pope Pius XI allowed the message to be spread throughout the world. By 1999 the Association already existed in 49 countries and the International Statutes (In Vincentiana 43 (1999) 89-97) had been approved by Pope John Paul II.
Today, after the first Assembly in Rome in 2000, we have a President and an International Council as well as an International Secretariat in Madrid. Rue du Bac continues to be our place of pilgrimage.
VMY affirms its being and doing within four distinctive characteristics (International Statutes, article 5):
Ecclesial: because the members, from baptism, are to follow Christ and become part of his people, the Church, to commit themselves to live and work, actively and responsibly, in communion with other apostolic forces in the Church, with their pastors, in the dioceses and parishes where they are established.
Lay: because it is an Association mainly composed of young lay people. It is registered with the Pontifical Council for the Laity within the framework of Associations of the Faithful (cf. Canons 298-329). This lay characteristic guides the members to be an active and transforming presence in the midst of the world, particularly among the poor, a setting where building the Kingdom takes place.
Marian: The members of the Association discover Mary in the gospel, as a model for all believers, accepting in faith the presence of God in her Son Jesus and listening to and acting on his word. Likewise, they see in Mary the inspiration that helps them, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to walk through life in faith and with an effective charity that generates justice.
Vincentian: Through its birth in the Family of St. Vincent de Paul, VMY is inspired by the Vincentian charism and makes evangelization and service of the poor distinctive characteristics of its presence in the Church. Its members commit themselves to be missionaries, as a requirement of its own charism, witnessing to the love of Christ by word and work, always ready to exercise their apostolic work among young men and women and among the poorest.
VMY Today
We are a young International Association committed to youth, the world, the Church and the poor. Currently there are more than 110,000 members in 65 countries.
Europe: birthplace of the Association, where it first took root. Here the Association has more tradition and experience and also has the challenge of continuing to give life to the Association. It was in Europe that the "post-conciliar renewal" of VMY began and it is present in 10 countries with about 33,000 members.
Africa: Here the Association is still taking its first steps with very young groups filled with vitality in spite of the situation of poverty and lack of resources. We are in 18 countries with some 6000 members. VMY will soon begin in Chad and Angola.
Asia: Numerous young communities are full of life. Even though they are limited, they have great devotion to Mary. They are the hope of our Association being present in nine countries having about 16,000 members.
Americas: Not only a hope for the Church but also for our Association. Here VMY has developed a very interesting common pathway. The members have a Council and their own continental bulletin. They get together once every three years for a meeting-mission. VMY is present in 26 countries with some 20,000 members.
Oceania: The Association is not yet present on this continent. We are counting on you to establish it, for even if there are other branches of our family present there working effectively, we feel that each branch has its own richness to offer.
So therefore... the things of God emerge: this sprouted, grew, became strong and today some 65 countries have received the message and plan of Mary. VMY continues to transmit a message that guides, strengthens and makes our baptismal commitment more solid, a commitment that calls us to grow and strengthen our roots.
St. Vincent de Paul, Mission, and Vincentian Values
About St. Vincent de Paul (1581 - 1660): St. Vincent de Paul was born in 1581 into a poor French peasant family. Ordained a priest at 19, he later founded the first Confraternity of Charity, a group of rich women who helped the poor. Today, the Confraternity of Charity is called the Ladies of Charity. He also founded the Congregation of the Missions, known today as the Vincentian Fathers and Brothers. Around the same time, he met a devout widow, Louise de Marillac, and together they worked to bring about the formation of country girls to serve the poor. These girls eventually formed the Daughters of Charity. Today, the Daughters of Charity have 23,000 sisters worldwide and are considered the largest religious community of women in the world. St. Vincent de Paul died on September 27, 1660. For more information about St. Vincent de Paul, please visit this site.
Mission: In response to the request of the Blessed Mother to St. Catherine Laboure in 1830, the Association of the Vincentian Marian Youth of the Province of the West commits to guide its young members in closely following Jesus Christ.
In the spirit of our Founders, Saint Vincent DePaul, Saint Louise de Marillac, and Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, we encourage our members to strengthen their faith, increase their devotion to the Blessed Mother, and animate their missionary zeal, especially with the poor.
We commit to collaborate in faith with the pastoral activities of the local Church by strengthening programs which deepen our Vincentian Charism of evangelization and service.
Vincentian Values: Vincentian Marian Youth - Province of the West leads and serves with Faith, Compassion, Integrity, Justice, and Ecological Responsibility.
Goals
The Vincentian Marian Youth Association, Province of the West, intends to achieve four principal goals.
1. Forming their members to live out, with deep faith, the following of Christ, Evangelizer and Servant of the poor.
2. Living and praying, like Mary, in simplicity and humility, making their own the spirituality of the Magnificat.
3. Keeping alive a missionary spirit, especially through experiences among the poor and abandoned in our society.
4. Preparing the members individually and communally to collaborate and become invested in their local parish and diocese.
Organization
In order to assure its dynamism and make decisions, the VMY Association works with Councils within different organizational lines (center, diocesan, provincial or regional, national and international).
International Level
• The Director General of the Association is the Superior General of the Congregation of the Mission and the Daughters of Charity. He exercises this function through the intermediary of a Subdirector General named from the Congregation of the Mission .
• The General Assembly is convoked at least every five years and is the highest decision-making organization in VMY. One of its objectives is to elect the International President and the lay members of the International Council from among the young representatives of the different countries. It must also suggest revisions to the Statutes, review the financial status of the Association and promote the spiritual vitality and ministry of the Association.
• The life of the Association is animated at the international level by the International Council . This Council is composed of the Director General, the Subdirector General, a General Councillor of the Daughters of Charity, the Lay President and four lay members of the Association elected by the General Assembly. These are the "Major Superiors" (cf. Canon 318) of the Association. The International Council meets several times a year. It is convoked and presided over by the Lay President or, in exceptional cases, the Director General. It meets in order to:
• Suggest reflection themes on important aspects of the life and activities of the Association.
• Assure communication with and among the National Associations through letters, visits and other means.
• Evaluate the carrying out of projects that were approved by the previous General Assembly and prepare for the following General Assembly.
• Study and approve the preliminary budget and the annual financial balance sheet presented by the International Secretariat.
• Since 1 September 1999 , there has been a International Secretariat that is located in Madrid (Spain). It is composed of five members whose principal commitment is to form the executive staff of the International Council. Its specific functions consist of: promoting the vitality of the Association, being a link, an avenue of sharing and information between the different National Associations, a means of deepening its own identity, facilitating the means that allow the Association to succeed in its objectives in the different countries. At this time, the Internal President is Maria Nelly Yasmine Cajuste (Haiti) and the members of the International Council are Dorys Maribel (Ecuador), Denise El Khoury (Lebanon), Francis de paul Ravazaha Voahanginirina ( Madagascar ), Maria Jesus Garcia Olveira ( Spain ), Fr. Pedro Castillo ( Venezuela ) and Sr. Asunción García ( Spain ). They efficiently direct other administrative functions:
• Communications and maintaining the general archives;
• Administration and maintaining relations with the Vincentian Family;
• Follow-up on the commitments from the 1 st General Assembly;
• Animation, formation and expansion of the Association;
• Develop a monthly international bulletin;
• Oversee the web site, which serves as a place for all our members to meet, share and receive formation information, and which we invite them to use frequently: www.secretariadojmv.org
National Level
• In each country there is a National Council, composed of a Priest Advisor and a Sister Delegate (normally a Vincentian Priest and a Daughter of Charity), a National President and several lay members.
• The major leadership and decision-making body is the National Assembly that elects the National President and the lay members of the Council. It establishes work models and makes the most important decisions.
• In each country there must be a National Secretariat, or at least a person principally dedicated to the leadership of the Association.
• There are also smaller Councils: Regional or Provincial, Diocesan and Local.
Regional Level
The group or local center is the basic element that gives life to the charism and spirit of VMY. It is here that we are enlivened, thanks to weekly meetings, and where we invite the youth to follow a process of formation and maturation in the faith, to experience living Christian community, to have a spiritual experience and gradually commit to an apostolic task according to the Vincentian Charism. We live all of this by means of social interaction, retreats and meetings at the diocesan, provincial, regional, national and international levels.
Each group is guided by an adult advisor (normally a Vincentian priest, Daughter of Charity, adult VMY member, or another religious or secular priest). The Advisor is a person that neither walks ahead nor behind, but walks along side the youth, who learns from them and with them, offering them tools and experiences that allow them to be agents of their own history thereby becoming responsible adult Christians.
Each Center has its own Local Council, responsible for creatively achieving the four goals of the Association.
Contact Us
Vincentian Marian Youth Association
Province of the West
26000 Altamont Road
Los Altos Hills, CA 94022-4317
Phone: (650) 949-8919
Fax: (650) 949-8883
Email: info@vmyusawest.net
The Vincentian Marian Youth Association, Province of the West, sponsored by the Daughters of Charity, provides support for the VMY associations located in 13 Western US States.
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