On November 15, 16 and 17, Madrid welcomed a group of 49 young women, one laywoman and 15 sisters from the RMI residences of Spain, Portugal and the Motherhouse.
On Friday night, after checking in at the hostel, we all met at the Motherhouse. There we shared a first dynamic and endearing moment to get to know each other and to create an RMI family atmosphere. After dinner, and taking advantage of the good night, we visited some of the most central places in the city (Gran Vía, Sol, Plaza Mayor, Teatro y Palacio Real and the Almudena Cathedral).
As Saturday was full of moments of meeting and sharing, we didn’t take too long and after enjoying the walk and having a drink together, we went to rest.
Saturday was spent in our house in Rios Rosas, where we began the day with a moment of prayer that invited us to live awake, to be able to discover in the midst of everything that happens to us every day, that presence and voice of the Lord who tells each one of us personally every morning: wake up… The prayer ended with a moment of contemplative dance: the dance of blessing.
At the end of the prayer we went to the hall of the residence where a very special moment awaited us, a panel of experiences in which three former residents who, from their respective vocations, continue to make the charism of St. Vicenta Maria a reality today, shared with us the most significant aspects of their time at the Resi and their participation in the activities and proposals that the residence offered in their journey of professional formation and personal and faith growth. One of the residents who came from Valencia participated in the panel of experiences and shared with us first hand how the Dana is being lived and what is the role of the residents in this very hard moment they are living. It was very nice to listen to the experience of each one of them and to realize the richness that lies behind each testimony and how many points in common with our personal history.
After the panel, they were immersed in two workshops of interiority and personal knowledge, which enhanced the personal mission of each of them to continue giving the best of each of their daily realities.
In the afternoon we participated in a World Coffee that gave us, based on three simple questions, the opportunity to share and learn more about what is done at the pastoral level in our residences, what is most significant for them and above all to listen to their pastoral and evangelization proposals.
We ended the day celebrating the Eucharist and giving thanks for the gift of being part of this great family.
On Sunday we met at the Motherhouse… the protagonist was Vicenta Maria… She was waiting for us to give us a moment of approaching her life and her dream for each one of us through the senses…
The hall of mirrors was filled with young people, with life and with living reflections of what she wants, young people who want to commit themselves to the transformation of our world… We visited the museum, her room, now the oratory, and other significant places that made Sunday morning a very special moment.
We ended our meeting by writing a letter to Vicenta María, sharing with her everything that is moving in our hearts at this moment, our dreams and concerns… and there they remained, in good hands…
In the celebration of the sending forth we placed our letters next to the sepulcher and each one of us planted a seed… with the desire that all that we have experienced this weekend will bear much fruit in our residences, as a sign of commitment on the part of all and with the hope that as it sprouts, it will bring color and life to the sepulcher of St. Vicenta Maria in the Jubilee year that will begin on December 26th.
Back in our residences, we can only echo Vicenta Maria’s expression: let us thank God for everything, to Him and to all the people and sisters who made this youth meeting possible.
