From 2 to 5 May we were invited by the Hungarian Province to a European Initial Formation Meeting in Budapest.
We would like to express from the Hungarian Piarist Province from the bottom of our hearts for the invitation and the very detailed and careful organisation of the meeting. Köszönöm szépen.
Seven of the eight European regions were present, 40 young people and their accompaniers, a rich, diverse, fraternal and passionate community that wants to grow in Piarist authenticity.
We began the first day with a welcoming Mass led by Fr Tibor. This was followed by a talk by Fr Carles entitled “From Inspiration to Life”, in which he encouraged us that the inspirational keys of the Order can be incarnated in our lives. We then visited the library and museum of the university in Budapest. We ended the morning with a beautiful graduation ceremony for the final year students.
In the afternoon, we continued our fraternal relationship and went for a walk to discover the city and its history. We ended the visit in the afternoon with vespers in the Chapel of Our Lady of Hungary, which belongs to the hermits of St Paulinus.
The encounter with Jesus transforms the way of being and this transformation is what we preach in our works. With these words from Fr Carles, we began the second day of our meeting with the celebration of the Eucharist. Driven by the same spirit that led St Paul to Macedonia, we entered into our relationship with God in prayer and accompaniment.
Grzegorz Misiura concludes this theme of prayer later in the first talk of the morning. On this prayer journey, he invites us to examine and get rid of the false images of God that determine our relationship with God in prayer.
Another topic of the morning is accompaniment. Following the example of the two disciples of Emmaus, Fr Támas Serenyi will introduce us to the art of accompaniment.
We continue to enjoy the sweetness of fraternal life together in Vác, where in the midst of laughter and shared meals we recognise what the psalmist proclaims: “O how good it is, how delightful to dwell together as brothers” (Ps 133:1).
“Abide in my love” (John 15:9). This is what St John the Evangelist reminds us of in this Sunday’s Mass. This is also the invitation to live this last day of encounter. “Remain, remain in the saving love of God.”
By entering into the heart of the beloved Son of the Father, we allow ourselves to be caressed by his tender words. This experience was made possible by the careful, tender and heartfelt introduction that Fr Alejandro Vázquez prepared for us with the prayer workshop entitled The Relationship with Sacred Scripture.
Fr Javier de San Martín with a talk on the identity and authenticity of the Piarist vocation and our role as young religious in Europe.
Everything that begins comes to an end. With this talk we conclude our formation meeting. With our hearts full of gratitude for all that we have experienced during these days, we return to our formative Galilee.
Roberto Meak and Gregorio Luan
