The dynamism of the Holy Spirit acting on his Church gave once again the opportunity to the Oblate Missionaries of Mary Immaculate as well as to the Volunteers of God to come together to deepen their spirituality of the 5 attitudes of life and the charity of Christ. From different parts of the world, far from each other, we shared beautiful and profound experiences that renewed our spirituality.

On July 16 and 17, 2022, the International Congress of Volunteers of God was held under the theme “Back to the Source”. To do this, we listened to the Oblate Missionaries of Mary Immaculate, direct source of his teachings, speak to us about Father Parent's vision. The second objective was to share among the Volunteers of God how we live our mission in the world, trying to emphasize each of the attitudes of life.

This conference was illuminated by Christ's words when He reminded us that He is the vine and we are the branches. “He who abides in me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for apart from me, you can do nothing (Jn 15:5). This message constituted the main axis of the congress, and it led us to study more deeply what unites the Volunteers of God and the Oblate Missionaries of Mary Immaculate. But also, we sought to “return to the source” of our spirituality, Christ, in order to remain faithful to his teachings.

To this end, we held two days of intense reflection. On the first day, we had the extraordinary participation of our dear Oblates, who reflected on the meaning of our spirituality. On the second day, it was up to the Volunteers of God, coming from different and distant parts of the world, to reflect on how they live the spirituality of life attitudes.

The congress concluded by emphasizing that this return to the source helps us to recognize that the message of Christ and the 5 attitudes of life taught by Father Parent, a man illuminated by the spirit of God, allows us to return to live the charity of God in our communities and with our brothers and sisters with conviction so that at the end of our earthly life, we may have the profound feeling of having helped some of the children of God and that Jesus may say to us: “Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit of the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, a prisoner and you came to see me.” Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and quench your thirst, a stranger and welcome you, naked and clothe you, sick or imprisoned and come to you?” And the King will answer them, “Truly I say to you, inasmuch as you have done it to one of the least of my brethren, you did it to me.”

Esther Acuña Rios
Leader of the Volunteers of God