+39 338 190 24 36 press@famvin.org

Press Release: FamVin 2020, the meeting

The first international meeting of the leadership of the various associations and institutions that today compose the Worldwide Vincentian Family (representing some two million men and women) has been initiated. The meeting, which will continue until Sunday, is being held in the Patristic Institute Augustinianum (Via Paolo VI, 25) and is intended to enable the participants to come to a more profound mutual understanding of the distinct branches of the Family and to lay a foundation for greater collaboration. Father Mavrič highlighted the fact that collaboration is not a new concept within the Family, rather it was the model that Vincent de Paul proposed at the very beginning. Throughout his life, the close collaboration between the members of the Confraternities of Charity, the Congregation of the Mission, the Daughters of Charity and the Ladies of Charity had a tremendous impact on the lives of the poor whom these groups served on a local, national and international level. The Vincentian Family (in terms of number of people involved in service and the amount of shared financial resources) is one of the largest non-governmental organizations in the world. We are composed of various charitable organizations, associations, religious congregations of women and men and we all share the same charism that has been bestowed on us by Vincent de Paul. Our branches provide assistance and charity in many different forms. Everything is done with humility and much care (as demanded by the Vincentian charism which is the basis for our activity). These great works of charity are present in the developed world as well as in developing countries but often these works are not known outside the Vincentian Family. Father Marvič then proposed five areas of work for the near future: formation and spirituality, education, health care, global initiatives of the Vincentian Family that respond to specific needs (for example, the call of Pope Francis in Laudato si and humanitarian activities that respond to some catastrophe).

Father Robert Maloney (the predecessor of Father Tomaž in the role of superior general of the Congregation of the Mission) stated that Pope Francis reminds us that we are heirs of those who have gone before us and who had the courage to dream. So I ask you who are gathered here today to have that courage to dream! Work in a collaborative manner with bold prudence, work in the manner of Vincent de Paul, Louise de Marillac, Frederic Ozanam and many other founders. These individuals made their dreams a reality.

There are many projects in progress and here we will mention a few: the 13 houses campaign. During its first year of activity, more than 3,200 have been chosen for this initiative in 28 countries and in the next few months, 24 more countries will be involved in this activity. More than 500 houses have been built by different branches of the family who work on behalf of those who are poor. The 13 houses campaign is an initiative of the FamVin Homeless Alliance. They began their work in November 2018 at the time of an international conference about homelessness in Rome. The objective of this initiative is to change the lives of 10,000 homeless people in the course of 3-5 years. This initiative takes its name from a 17th century initiative of Vincent de Paul who built 13 houses for children who had been abandoned in Paris. The campaign began with a single house in Little Rock, Arkansas [USA] and expanded into large projects on different continents. Some of these projects are focused on providing houses for the victims of natural disasters [as is the case in 

Mexico]; other projects are designed for immigrants [New Zealand] or for people who are living in marginalized neighborhoods [India]. Not all the 13 houses projects involve the construction of houses … in Spain and Colombia, the Vincentians have organized sensitivity services in order to provide better care to those persons who are homeless. In Peru, support is being provided to the refugees who have traveled to this country from Venezuela. Some projects have received funding from the Solidarity Fund of the FamVin Alliance, but the majority of the projects have found their own proper funding and/or are supported by individual and institutional donors.

The Vincentian Family came into existence as the result of a twofold experience of Vincent de Paul (1617). In the village of Folleville, France, Vincent came to recognize the spiritual poverty of the country people and then in Châtillon Vincent confronted the material poverty of these people. Those two events marked the beginning of Vincent’s personal conversion which enabled him to respond to the urgent needs that he had discovered. Vincent’s focus was on the whole person and thus on every form of poverty: spiritual, emotional, physical, material. From this small mustard seed that was planted in 1617, the Vincentian Family has become a large tree composed of more than 160 branches (lay associations and congregations of religious life) with more than two million members in one hundred fifty countries. At the same time there are countless men and women who, even though they do not formally belong to some particular branch, are inspired by the example of Vincent de Paul and his service on behalf of those who are poor.

At the beginning of the fifth century of life, the Vincentian Family looks toward the future with the awareness of the necessary urgency of an ever closer synergy with all that came into existence from the “seed” that was planted by the founder.

On Saturday the participants will address the question: how do we move forward together … this session will include a panel discussion and there will be time to reflect on the potential of the internet and the challenge that this presents for the future. Sunday morning will be dedicated to gathering together suggestions and proposals as well as assigning specific tasks and responsibilities. Father Joseph Agostino will take care of thanking people and other commentaries. This historic event will conclude with the celebration of the Eucharist, presided by Father Tomaž Mavrič, CM and animated by the music group, Gen Verde.

Interviews with participants

Interviews will be allowed during the work breaks. For further information, please contact Elena Grazini of the Vincentian Family Press Office, email: elena@elenagrazini.it – Cell. +39 338 190 24 36

Elena Grazini
Press Office
Vincentian Family
+39 338 190 24 36
elena@elenagrazini.it

Translated: Charles T. Plock, CM

Eastern Province, USA


Press Release: From January 8-12, 2020, for the first time, the Superiors and Presidents of the more than 150 branches that make up the Vincentian Family will meet in Rome

This event, of historical importance for the Vincentian Family, will take place in Rome, from January 8 to 12, 2020. For the first time, the Superiors and Presidents of the more than 150 branches that make up the Vincentian Family will come together and meet. Coming from all over the world, they will meet at the Patrristic Institute Augustinianum, where they will discuss and, above all, lay the foundations for a common path to follow together. The Vincentian Family was born from two intense lived experiences of Saint Vincent de Paul in 1617, in France: in the town of Folleville, the French priest discovered the spiritual poverty of the rural population and in the city of Châtillon, he encountered material poverty. Those two events marked the beginning of his personal conversion.

As a result, he began to respond to the urgent needs he had discovered. His approach was to care for the person as a whole: spiritually, emotionally, physically, and materially. Born from that small mustard seed in 1617, the Vincentian Family has today become a large tree, made up of more than 150 branches (lay associations and congregations of consecrated life) with about two million members in more than 150 countries. The family is also composed of men and women who, although they do not formally belong to a particular branch, are inspired by Vicente de Paul’s example of service on behalf of the poor.

At the beginning of the fifth century of their existence, the members of the Vincentian Family look toward the future, aware of the urgent need for a closer synergy with all those realities that flow from the seed that was planted by the Founder.

This four-day program will begin on Wednesday, January 8, 2020 with a papal audience. The formal work sessions will begin that afternoon and will be directed by those who have served as reference points on the international level. Here we are speaking about Father Tomaž Mavric, CM (President of the Executive Committee of the Vincentian Family and Superior General of the Congregation of the Mission); Father Joseph Agostino, CM (International Coordinator of the Office of the Vincentian Family); Father Robert Maloney, CM (Superior General of the Congregation of the Mission from 1992-2004; he will trace the history of the Family and offer a general overview). The Moderator of the meeting with will Sister Mary McCormick, SCNY.

Beginning at 08:30am there will be a Eucharistic celebration in the Basilica of the Santo Spirito (Holy Spirit) in Sassia, followed by morning and afternoon conferences as well as group work of the participants.

Different themes will be presented every day as well as the Vincentian reality and the activities that the members are engaged in (the detailed program and speakers are attached).We will begin on the 9th with an introduction about the mission of the Vincentian Family and a presentation by the Team from the International Office. Then, the topic of communication in the Vincentian Family will be addressed. The participants will share the experience of the Film Festival of the Vincentian Family, which took place last year and then continue and end the day with a presentation on one of the main initiatives of the family, namely, the FamVin Alliance on behalf of the homeless. On Friday 11th, there will be a discussion on the culture of vocations and the transmission of the charism.

On Saturday we will explore question of next steps: there will be panels and there will also be time for reflection on the potential of the Internet and the challenge it represents for the future. The morning of Sunday 12 will be dedicated to gathering together the suggestions that arose from the “4 days” and to assign specific tasks and responsibilities.A final thanks and some concluding observations will be offered by Father Joseph Agostino CM. The event will conclude with the Eucharistic celebration, presided by Father Tomaz Mavrič CM and animated by Gen Verde.

Accreditation Procedure

Journalists and media operators will be able to follow the opening session in the afternoon of January 8 by sending a request through the Holy See Press Office’s online accreditation system (press.vatican.va/accreditations), once the event is available on the calendar.

Interviews with participants

Interviews will be allowed during the work breaks. For further information, please contact Elena Grazini of the Vincentian Family Press Office, email: elena@elenagrazini.it – Cell. +39 338 190 24 36

Elena Grazini

Press Office

Vincentian Family

+39 338 190 24 36

elena@elenagrazini.it

press@famvin.org +39 338 190 24 36