ENCUENTRO EUROPEANO A SALMATA, ITALIA

Go here to see the pictorial history of the event: https://picasaweb.google.com/113771487786367075502/EncuentroEuropeanoSalmataItalia

The church in Salmata, at the point of the ascension of Mary back to heaven
La iglesia de Salmata, a la cumbre de la suvidita que marca la ascension de la Virgen 

This post is a report from our dear sister Antonella, a major driving force behind the vitality of the Lay La Salette community of Italy.  This is written by Antonella to let us all know what our brothers and sisters are doing in other parts of the world.

Here is plan here for this article:  (Le plan aujourd'hui)  El plan de hoy.
     1 - Links to the report by Antonella in translation
           Liens qui portent au rapport d'Antonella (reunion de Salmata)
           Enlaces para andar al reporte de la reunion a Salmata
     2 - The report in English  (anglais)  (Ingles)
     3 - The link to the pictures from the reunion
           Liens qui portent aux photos
           Enlaces para consequir las fotos

EUROPEAN MEETING OF LA SALETTE LAICS

6-10 September - Salmata

From the 6th through the 10th of September in Salmata (Umbria), at the Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette, the “2^nd European Meeting of Lay La Salettes” took place. The meeting was attended by delegations of lay people from the four European Provinces of the Missionaries of La Salette (Italy/Spain, France, Poland, Switzerland),  with four provincials and the general of the congregation, father Silvano Marisa accompanied by two counsellors, and the Nuns of Our Lady of La Salette with a delegation of lay people also.

In our Italian-Spanish delegation, we had people coming from Rome, Turin, Terni and Spain! For some of us at the meeting there was the great joy of seeing each other again exactly one year after the International Meeting of Lay La Salettes which took place last September in France, and for the others the chance to meet people coming from different places, but united by the same love and attraction for La Salette charisma. It was an important opportunity for sharing and enrichment!

The nature beauty in which the Shrine is immersed and its own charm helped us in the atmosphere of concentration, silence and prayer that characterized our days together! The topic dealt with in the European Meeting was: “Come near my children, don’t be afraid… to see, to judge, to act”.

From the beginning and for the entire meeting, we highlighted the importance of the decision no.7 of the General Chapter of the “Missionaries of La Salette” (April 2012), in which we are invited to set the lines of cooperation and sharing between Lay La Salettes and vowed Missionaries: “… it is a fact of ecclesial communion made up of the spiritual and operational contribution of the two groups that integrate, in their own Christian vocation, the specific connotations of the La Salette charisma, as a gift given to the Church and of which the MS’s are not the only owners, but simply consecrated men called to share a gift. It follows that they don’t have to be afraid to share it with the laity…”. This decision of the General Chapter opens a scenario of “large horizons” for La Salette family, calls and commits laics and MSs to “creativity” and to go beyond the “already seen” with the purpose of gradually carrying out a real integration which allows us to live together the challenge of a new evangelization at the service of “reconciliation”.

Very interesting and enriching were the conferences given by father Poli and father Gian Matteo (MS) that offered us respectively a precise analysis on the economic, social, religious situation in present Europe and an investigation and a new reading of La Salette Message in the light of the Old Testament and John’s Gospel. Very fine and attracting for our lay vocation were the “dough yeast” and the “weaver of compassion and reconciliation” images which underline the importance of becoming, through a courageous and strong testimony of Christian life, common richness serving the new evangelization so urgently needed by this “godless” world!

Very enriching was the work of the single linguistic groups on the theme of “Operating”, which allowed us to think and wonder how to practise the specificity of “Lay La Salette’s” vocation both in our everyday life and on a national and European scale as an extended group.

The hints, ideas and proposals from all provinces were many: the need to build up a European secretariat working as a reference and coordinating communications, information and meetings organization, the proposal to give birth to a common European magazine, the idea to establish a European Movement of Lay La Salette which could be based upon a shared education, communion through common prayer (the commitment to monthly Novena and the celebration on the 19^th day of the month), the decision to organize next European Meeting in 2014 in Poland!

During the meeting we also had convivial and funny moments! The folk evening in which everyone was expected to present his own country gave us all a good time, and besides on Sunday 9^th the surprise lunch organized for all participants in the Shrine park was really appreciated for the nice setting and the very good food! Finally we surely cannot forget the nice trip to Assisi on the trail of St. Francis that we had on Sunday afternoon!

In the end, during the Holy Mass on Sunday there was the celebration of the 1^st anniversary of the “International La Salette Laity Day” with the presentation, during the offertory, of the symbols prepared by each Province, representing the features of the lay vocation. The symbol of our Province was very appreciated. It was a pin depicting a “bridge”, which for us represents the peculiarity of our vocation as Lay La Salette, called mostly and particularly to be “bridges of reconciliation” all over the world!!

                                                                                                                  

The Italian-Spanish delegation

 of the Lay La Salette Community

Links:  Pictures -- Fotos --  Photos 

https://picasaweb.google.com/113771487786367075502/EncuentroEuropeanoSalmataItalia

Links:  FRANCAIS

https://docs.google.com/document/d/10p_AoSuKtP7lWnadqL-ivFEZtY9HhmhwmZomHYLCvT0/edit

ESPANOL:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PBFA0DDOH-5aGlzmTGZiAUJr2ZkplkiUxOvRwSZNNvk/edit

ITALIANO:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KNd9a41KQUZG4DurQdm6GvTBdDD4gMbgl_k4AXqlhiQ/edit