José Ramón Díaz-Torremocha
(Conference of Santa María, Guadalajara)
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Sometimes, we do not give enough consideration to the election of those who are going to serve in the most varied institutions, but mainly in those of voluntary work. The lack of remuneration in return for our service seems to diminish the importance of the work we do in such circumstances. It should be exactly the opposite perception, especially among those who devote themselves, or try to do so, as a fulfilment of their Christian commitment.
I write today a quarter before the Conferences of St. Vincent de Paul, one of the largest Catholic lay institutions in the world, elects a new President General to serve us for the next six years and to help us - and also teach us - to better serve those who suffer. The poor, those who so often have to make do with their hardship without the possibility of overcoming the situation of suffering in which they find themselves: in short, those who have no choice.
One woman and two men, two South Americans and one European, have proposed themselves or have been proposed for this service. From these, the new president to lead and serve the Conferences must be elected by the vote of all the Conferences of the world.
We are not going to elect a high official, who will nevertheless be considered as such by many. We are going to elect a servant of the 920,000 fellow members in the world who make up the approximately 53,000 Conferences of St. Vincent de Paul, to help us and encourage us to be closer to the poor of all kinds whom we try to serve. On the international website of the Conferences www.ssvpglobal.org there is a complete report on the spirituality, personality and even the human and professional capacities of each of the candidates, their personal life story and what each of them dreams of as a work agenda in the event of being elected. It will be important to get to know it and read it carefully in order to exercise one's vote with the utmost thoughtfulness and responsibility.
We are not going to elect an official, as I said above, but we are going to place a great "burden" on the person who is elected. It helps me to remember that I vote along with thousands of my fellow members around the world and that we are all called to pray that the Holy Spirit will help us in the election. "If God helps us, if he is with us, who can be against us" (Romans 8:31).
To Christ through and with Mary