“Ordo virginum, prophecy of synodality. ‘Making hopes flourish, bind wounds, weave relationships, learn from each other'”: this was the title of the annual national meeting of the Ordo virginum (Ov) which took place in Rome, from 18 to 21 August, on the initiative of the Group for the national connection. Two hundred consecrated women, women in formation, bishops and delegates attended the event. On the theme and on the path of the Ordo virginum we publish a note by Giuseppina Avolio , who has recently concluded his experience within the Group for the national connection
During the last six years, the consecrated women of the Ordo virginum in Italy have committed themselves to learning the art of synodality by accepting the invitation of the Italian bishops to draw up together a formative path that would accompany women in discernment or formation and consecrated women. Thus began, in 2016, the synodal adventure that involved bishops, delegates, consecrated women and women in formation, starting from listening to the different formation needs to then moving on to the collection of formation proposals used in the Italian dioceses. At the time of listening followed the discussion and discernment that led to the drafting of the “Formative path. From discernment to consecration “(Àncora editrice, Milan 2021) and the” Lines of ongoing formation “which will be published shortly by the same publishing house.
Photo Ordo Virginum
The first grant is the result of five years of commitment, while the second comes to an end after three years of work. These texts arise from the conviction that the care of the human and spiritual growth of each person is necessary throughout the course of life. Therefore it is important to offer proposals and itineraries that nourish passion and desire, the taste of a formation made up of humility, responsibility and personal creativity, allowing oneself to be shaped by others and by the events of life. An idea of formation is proposed, understood as a grace that comes from on high, a gift from the Father, educator and formator of souls, who every day shapes the image of the Son in us in an unprecedented and sanctifying way.
If the initial formative process prepares for consecration, it is the permanent one that helps the consecrated woman to grow in spiritual maturity, through ascesis and prayer, study and updating, personal and community verification, fraternal relationships, gift of self, service to the poor, search for truth. , justice and beauty, attuned to the yearnings of their contemporaries.
What unites the initial and permanent path is the docibilitas, that is the freedom of the person to let himself be touched-educated by every existential situation and interpersonal relationship. Doctability implies involvement and responsibility. It disposes the soul to a positive attitude of reconciliation and gratitude, of trust in others, and allows us to learn from every fragment of truth and beauty. It is important to enhance theOrdo as a place where faith is shared and matured, and where one mutually edifies. This requires that formation be also community-based because in fraternity each one learns to live with those whom God has placed beside her, accepting their positive characteristics, differences and limitations. All the dimensions of the consecrated woman are involved in the response to the call: mind, heart and will. In consecrated life it is not just a question of following Christ with all the heart, loving him “more than the father and the mother, more than the son or the daughter” (Mt 10:37), as every disciple is asked, but to express the “conformative” adhesion to Christ of the whole existence in a tension that anticipates eschatological perfection to the extent possible in time and according to the various charisms. In particular, we realized that we must learn to live formation above all as self-training or as Cardinal CM Martini wrote “assisted self-training” (“Letter to the Diocese” 1993). It is about learning methodologies, means, practiceto take care of oneself, of one’s humanity, of faith, of the response to one’s vocation, of spirituality, of one’s journey towards the definitive encounter with God.
Photo Ordo Virginum
Gross, starting from the diocesan one, it is the first place to tell how God can become the husband, the friend, the hospitable womb, the eternal kiss that generated us and continues to regenerate us. Telling in order not to forget, to keep love alive, so that not even a fragment of the Father’s tenderness is lost. Sharing is handing over to others the passion and courage to undertake this adventure which tends to the high standard of Christian life, holiness. For this it is necessary that each one feels continually challenged by the need for formation and helped to share knowledge, resources, the effort of thinking together, dialogue and discernment. We hope that these aids prepared with love and enthusiasm will become an instrument of discernment for every woman in search of a vocation and support for every consecrated woman of the Ordo committed to incarnating in the experience of our time the joy of the encounter with the Lord Jesus.