Priest Saints: St. Vincent de PaulThe Vincentian Family, a worldwide movement inspired by the charism of St. Vincent de Paul, present in 162 countries around the world, with 160 congregations and lay associations and more than 4 million members, is organizing the second meeting of the leaders of all the branches present on the five continents on September 16-17, 2021. The meeting, which will be virtual, has as its theme "Praying, dreaming and collaborating in the service of the poor" and aims to replicate the spirit, sharing and fraternity of the first meeting, held in person in Rome in January 2020, shortly before the outbreak of the pandemic.
Pope Francis, in October 2017, in his Audience to the members of the Vincentian Family on the occasion of the Vincentian Symposium for the four centuries of the charism, after thanking it for being "on the move on the roads of the world, as St. Vincent would also ask of you today," said, "I wish you not to stop but to continue to draw the love of God every day from adoration and to spread it throughout the world through the good contagion of charity, availability, concord."
The online meeting, which for reasons of time difference will take place on two days: September 16 for Asia and Oceania, and September 17 for Europe, Africa and the Americas, will be divided into two parts: in the first, after the opening prayer, there will be a talk by Father Hugh O'Donnell, a missionary of the Congregation of the Mission, on how to pray and live as mystics of charity in the spirit of St. Vincent de Paul and St. Louise de Marillac, co-founder of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, followed by a dialogue between the heads of the various branches of the Family; in the second part there will be a review, through some videos, of the main Vincentian events of the past four years: the Symposium (2017), the Vincentian Film Festival (2018), the first world meeting of the heads of the branches of the Vincentian Family (2020) and the initiative of the thirteen houses, currently underway, which are donated to the homeless.
This new meeting next September will therefore be a precious opportunity to extend an invitation to meet with the Family to orders, congregations and associations that are not yet part of it, but feel that they share its spirituality and charism.
Father Tomaž Mavrič CM, Superior General of the Congregation of the Mission and President of the Executive Committee of the Vincentian Family, will close this meeting. Father Tomaž writes in his letter of invitation to the event, "Come and experience the joy of being together with others who share your same spirit," citing that charism of St. Vincent de Paul that recently completed four centuries of life: "Vincent's vision initiated, more than 400 years ago, a movement that has given rise to a new international dynamism: the joint efforts of men and women, ordained and lay, to combat the threat of poverty both in individual lives and in the social structures that perpetuate it."
