A joyful climate
and deep sharing: these are the words that characterize most clearly the Sunday
that the Movimento Giovanile Costruire (Youth
Movement: to build) of Rome spent with the Superior General of the
Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, Fr. Louis LOUGEN.
Eagerly awaited
by one and all, the meeting began very simply with a short video recalling the
time we spent together in Malaga last August for Oblate World Youth Day. After
telling him a little about the national MGC and sharing our activities in the
area of Rome, we were expecting to hear his ideas and shower him with
questions. Instead, Fr. Lougen took a pen and paper and began to ask questions
of us, especially about our lives as young Christians and about MGC. He took
notes on each answer he heard from us.
Holiness,
community, the poor, living the Gospel: Fr. Lougen allowed us to share our
personal and communal experiences on these themes, helping us, through his
questions, to develop a deep personal reflection on what it means in practice
for us to be Christians and especially Christians who fully participate in the
Oblate charism.
In the last part
of the encounter, it was also possible to ask him some questions about his
personal experience as a missionary and as Superior General.
The morning
continued with the celebration of Mass, during which Fr. Lougen put into our
hands the crucifix of St. Eugene so that we might be able to reflect on God’s
mercy for us.
The time spent
together concluded with an abundant lunch served outside, during which we
shared what each had prepared. (Angelica
Ciccone in www.omi.it)
