Communication nº 8 Rome, 8 July 2009   Our activity began very early today…at 7:30 a.m. we boarded the buses that took us to the Vatican to participate in the Papal Audience. After waiting for some time we entered the Paul VI Audience Hall, where groups from all parts of the world had the opportunity to listen to the words of our Holy Father, based on his new encyclical, Charity in Truth. The Pope raised the main ideas of the encyclical which indicated that love and the truth are two aspects that contribute to the total development of the human being and the Church must make them present in the world today. Between the readings of the text, in nine languages, the various groups’ names were announced. We all received the Pope’s blessing at the end of the audience. After the audience, Mother General, Beatriz Acosta, had the opportunity of greeting the Pope personally, whom she gifted with two books: The Road of Education by Françoise Soury-Lavergne, odn, and The Night of the Cistercian Monastery, the story of the history of the Order illustrated by Madeleine Mollière, odn. It is important to mention the festive atmosphere that prevailed among the thousands of participants, especially the Spanish and Colombian contingents who shared their joy through music and song. In the afternoon, at the entrance to the Chapter Assembly room, to motivate our work, a mime gave us a number, which we found out later had a wonderful meaning. It was explained that Mother General had received a rosary from the Pope, a manner of praying widely used among the people of our home towns. She wanted to offer this gift to the assembly. Sister Michèle Simon, of Lebanon, had the lucky number and emotionally and gratefully received the rosary. Constitution VII, Article 2, which refers to the concretization of the mission of the Company in each local Church, for the building of the Kingdom, was read, before presenting the work plan for the afternoon. The nucleus of the work to be undertaken was: “The Role of Youth in the Building of New Identities and a New Society”. To introduce the reflection, Esther Lucia Awad presented the results of the survey entitled Would You Like to Participate? which was sent to youth familiar with the Company of Mary throughout the world. 984 youth, mainly between the ages of 16 and 24 years, responded. The great similarities in the responses were highlighted, in spite of the great diversity of contexts. It is clear to see that the youth value the educational project and perceive the identity of the Company. To compliment the vision of work with youth, the Art, Humanism, and Spirituality project was presented.  Ma. Luz Sarabia, odn, explained its origin, objectives, accomplishments, as well as aspects that need to be improved. After the group work and the corresponding whole group sharing, a time for discussion was given and a passion for this topic was evident…we are all in search of answers. The day was brought to an end with the prayer prepared by the sisters of the province of México- Cuba-Nicaragua, who invited us to contemplate the Gospels through popular art of Nicaragua.