Seven PVTs from Poland, Hungary, Spain and France gathered around three formators and Bernie Porter, former General Treasurer, to review our experiences and reflect together on the vow of poverty. Elizabeth Kasyoka, from Kenya, between the Jubilee of Youth and Probation, integrated easily into our group and opened us up to the realities of another area.
These few days together gave us a chance to recharge our batteries as PTVs after the frenetic pace of the Youth Jubilee in which many of us had taken part. We very much appreciated the community and personal prayer, sharing life experiences, informal talks and reflection on the questions put forth by Bernie.
In the light of the Constitutions and the documents of the most recent chapters, we addressed various themes:
- The spirit of the vow of poverty, inviting us to live trust and sharing with simplicity and gratitude, to think about our relationship with work;
- The implications of the vow of poverty for our lifestyles, with questions around budgeting, our consumer choices;
- Reflection on the pooling of resources and the canonical dimension of this vow, expressed in the renunciation of goods at final profession.
There were many informal moments, in the protective and historic setting of the Villa Lante and over delicious “gelati”, that strengthened the bonds between us.
At the end of the meeting, we sent Timea Milankovics (Hungary), Gaëtane Dupuy (France) and Elizabeth Kasyoka (Kenya) off to their international experiences and Probation, and began laying the groundwork for a European youth project for summer 2026.
Section |International News|Vocation & Youth Ministry
Province |Belgium/France/Netherlands|CEI - Central Europe and the Islands|Central Europe|England/Wales|Poland|Spain|Uganda/Kenya
