Every year for the feast of the Assumption of Virgin Mary, the members of the Movement are summoned by their Mother for a meeting of announcement, fraternity and prayer. Last 14th August 1988, coinciding with the close of the Universal Marian Year, Mary's 'Jornada' came with the grace of the definitive canonical approval of the Work, a confirmation of the steps taken up to now and a new compromise in a stage of greater adulthood.

It is not usual that an event gathers all the members of the Movement, as it happens on Mary's Day. The Woman of the New World, Mary of the Word, this year called her children of the Work, for a very special meeting. Adults, young people, children, whole families from the Capital, from Great Buenos Aires and from the provinces started arriving in the morning at the Ateneo Ntra. Sra. de Lourdes. Undoubtedly, Mary convokes.

For many members of the Movement this 'Jornada' is usually a special moment of grace. For some of them it is a chance to meet brothers or sisters they have not seen for a long time. «There seems to be no difference among centers. One can see that we are one body with one same Spirit», a sister remarked.

Many of them attend the 'Jornada' without any expectation, or out of habit, but always, if they take a simple and faithful heart, like Mary's, the Mother allows them to experience that sense of family of the Movement deeply blessed by the Lord.

The weather was also a blessing on that day; midwinter with pleasant weather and a shower which came just when the activity was going on inside. But that was not a surprise, since Mary always gives us the chance of enjoying the park. And there, many got surprised to meet again those brothers and sisters who had attended the first 'Jornadas' in August when they were teenagers, and this time they came with their children.

Time of adulthood for many of them. And time of adulthood for the Movement.

Fr. Ricardo opened the 'Jornada' adressing those members who had been in the Work for a longer time. The subject was "The Communion-Church in the Movement", and it took the same concern of the recent Roman Synod on the laity: the need to reconsider the place of the lay people in the Church, so that the brothers and sisters of the Movement may commit themselves with this reality of ecclesial renewal.

Fr. Ricardo said: «The Word of God, the prayer open to the Holy Spirit, and the sacraments connect permanently the members of the Movement with the Mystery and the life of the Church. Sharing life and the community prayer opens ourselves to the permanent pouring of the Holy Spirit in order to form the Communion-Church through the fraternity of Jesus' commandment and the pastoral guidance. The docility to the Spirit that animates us connects us with the mission of the Church which consists in testimony, evangelizing announcement and civilizing service (…)»

The Communion-Church becomes visible in the Movement through the gift of fraternity, and in the teaching of our Pastoral Schools, awareness is given about what fraternal manners and fuctional or formal manners are like among Christians (…) In our Life Statutes, we have expressed that reality mentioning a «fundamental bond among all the members of the Movement».

Afterwards the talk referred to the communion in the Movement, served by a diversity of ministries. «From the perspective of the activity, the Church is a Community of Service with the participation —at different levels— of all its members (…) Service is a law of the Kingdom. The passive members, satisfied and not committed to the ecclesial communion, are a burden for the Body of Christ. That 'dead weight' deprives the Body of many of its possibilities of strength and mission in evangelization, salvation and even in the temporal ordering of the world. In the Movement, the communion of fraternity and mutual love is served by a diversity of tasks and ministries».

About midday Father Bishop Jorge Novak arrived, and all the great community of 'Gospel groups', prayer and 'growth in faith' groups, communities of life and work, dedicated married couples and communities of consecrated gathered together. Then the meeting started which would have as its principal moment the reading of the Decree of definitive approval of the Statutes.

Fr. Ignacio talked about the history of the Work, pointing out that this was a moment when many steps that had been taken throughout the time came together. «The Lord begot us in the Church with a vocation of walkers. It was in 1973, in September. And those first juvenile groups of prayer —as we were called— were crawling their hope in 1974, but they were progressively getting aware that they had a vocation for becoming a large family. In 1976 we started been called with the name that always resounded within ourselves as our identity: The Movement of the Word of God. At the time we yearned to hear that name, that we felt we had received from God and we had recognized in our experience, being pronounced by the Church to certify this inspiration from God. We were not looking just for an official acknowledgement; we wanted our works to speak —as Jesus said—, to be recognized as disciples, by the mutual love of our communities».

And then he added, addressing Fr. Bishop: «We recognize that God acted especially in your heart, you opened for us the doors of this beloved diocese of Quilmes, and told us: »

'This work of The Movement of the Word of God is a gift for the Church and for the world. It is a charisma of prayer, fraternity and evangelization. This Work is charged with the ministry of the Word, the charisma of love and the testimony of Christ's Lordship'.

Then he referred to the steps previous to the definitive approval, with these words: «'This is the work of the Holy Spirit', Father Bishop told us in 1982, on that first approval. That meant a moment of grace for us, on that Marian Day, with the approval of the Provisional Statutes. It was there that we presented the first Statutes which wanted to show in writing the life that the Lord was giving us and the structural channels for this life not to be scattered about or become stagnant. After six years, having walked another stretch as a Work, with a lot of new brothers and sisters and with a great thirst for fidelity to the Lord, Mary, our Mother, prepares again a feast for us, in this much beloved place».

«In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (…) All things were made through the Word and without him was not anything made that was made» (Jn 1:1.3-4).

The song that identifies the Movement reproduces the prologue of the Gospel according to St. John. After reading this passage, central for the Work, Father Bishop Novak commented it, and then he exhorted the members of the Movement to convey the Word to men so that the Spirit may triumph over the sin in the world. «Let's offer to the man of today a coherent, efficient and convincing testimony that Jesus is the only Saviour», he remarked.

Then he quoted the passage in the letter to Ephesians that refers to unity (Eph 4:1-16). And he said: «Seek to be always instrument of Communion in the Church».

Father Bishop again acknowledged the Work as initiative of the Spirit and a gift for the Church, and he invited the brothers and sisters who were present to make progress in holiness of life, to take steps attentive to the inner voice of the Spirit.

A little later Fr. Anibal read the decree for the definitive approval of the Statutes of the Movement. «This is not a prize for anybody —a brother would say afterwards—. It is a sign of God's action and his grace. We don't have to receive it with a 'boastful' attitude, but as an expression of God's mercy in our fragility. God always fulfills his promises!»

Leticia and Carlos Entesano, a married couple dedicated to God in the Movement and coordinators of the Centre at Devoto, shared their experience in the Work and they expressed their gratitude for all they had received in thirteen years' way. «We are most grateful to this people, who want to be holy, and who are you, our brothers and sisters, who form groups and communities to help us walk, who allow us to see the testimony of the Word changed into life, who watch over us like Jesus' sheep and receive the effort and dedication that we mean to offer. We thank Father Bishop, the Church, and all the pastors' surrendering».

Many felt represented in Leticia and Carlos' words, and they greeted one another celebrating that moment of grace, and expressing how the event echoed in their hearts: «The approval of the Movement motivates me to take a concrete option so that just as we are walking today thanks to what the first brothers and sisters in the Work have surrendered, those who come in the future may walk thanks to what we surrender now», a sister said. And another one expressed: «This is a day of deep joy and inner peace for me. I feel called to look at horizons and play down my personal difficulties. The Movement is each one of us; this is our feast».

«To pray the Rosary as Movement is to fulfill a wish of Mary, our Mother», we were announced in the afternoon.

Then, the Marian prayer gathered about 1500 people in a moment of request, gratefulness and, fundamentally, praise for the graces received. Spontaneous prayer and singing sealed this meeting of inwardness.

«The miracle of the wedding at Cana repeated here —a sister commented— Mary intercedes and Jesus gives us this miracle: the Kingdom of God is already among us».

The 'Jornada' concluded with a Mass, presided by the general Vicar of the diocese and concelebrated by Fr. Ricardo, Nazarene priests and some priests close to the Work. In the homily, Fr. Jorge went deep into the real meaning of the event. «The Movement is entrusted with a space in the life of the Church; each member has then a responsibility which exceeds his (her) own person, that the Church receives their whole life, their work and their task (…) The Movement is not a juridical entity although it is also that; the Movement is each one of its members as a part of this particular group of the Church; each one is proposed a particular way of being in the Church».

But, what did he refer to with «a particular way of being in the Church»?

«To belong to the Movement —he remarked—, not only by name but truly, it is necessary to live according to the fundamental experience of the Work: the experience of a Living God, of the fraternity inside and outside the groups, and of the Word of God as lifestyle».

Fr. Jorge exhorted us to repeat Mary's Yes so that the Spirit of God may act in each one. «We don't know where the Spirit is going to take us, but we are indeed aware that the charisma of the Work relies on each one. Are we able to say today, like Mary, 'your will be done in me'?»

Movement of the Word, the way is not easy but the Holy Spirit assists you. Movement of the Word, born from Pasch, it is time to strengthen the adulthood that the Lord invites you to assume, and to entrust you to Mary, taking as yours Cardinal Pironio's prayer for the Church, which says: