FAMVIN: The International Vincentian Family

In Africa, poverty is being fought village by village, using the Millennium Villages approach, which attacks poverty across a wide front. After only two years, the communities involved are already showing real results.

Benedict affirmed that countries cannot appropriate the wealth of poor nations hidden in the soil or underground. Addressing 9 new envoys  he also reviewed the situations in Tanzania and Uganda, Liberia, Chad and Bangladesh, Belarus and Guinea, Sri Lanka and Nigeria, countries with significant presence of the Vincentian Family. (Zenit)

By thorough integration of values and mission, Daughters of Charity organized a successful, multi-disciplinary response to change the future of a young woman with a rare and devastating syndrome.

…and you never leave empty-handed and you know you are loved. A blogger describes finding such a place, a place where I think a vulnerable teenager might have rescued her own self esteem. It’s a Society of Saint Vincent de Paul thrift store. Read a fabulous, gritty, hopeful blog entry: st. vincent de paul, savior [...]

A policy paper entitled Which Way Home? A New Approach to Homelessness has been published by the Australian government. The paper’s purpose is to educate, to encourage public discussion, and to offer proposals, with particular focus on changing underlying causes of homelessness. Summary and full report.

“Sanctity simply means love,” writes Daughter of Charity Jozefa Watroba in an essay for Poland’s Sunday Catholic Weekly about Blessed Marta Wiecka. The article includes much biographical information and places Blessed Marta’s life in a specific historical context. Read the essay. “S.M.” is the Polish translation of “D.C.”

Last week a blogger at a technology blog prodded the tech community to use “our social media super-powers to make a real difference in the world.” Some examples: use a blog to fundraise for disaster relief; promote charities on YouTube (famvin has made a start at this); use a mobile phone to spread news. Read [...]

Lisa Bright writes, “Registrations close 31st May 2008 … Visit www.vincentianswyd.org.au and click on Registration to secure your place!.Guest speakers: Fr Richard Benson CM, Sr Catherine Salani DC, Vincentian Marian Youth Philippines, St Vincent de Paul Society Australia ”

The national youth representative for the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul in Australia is one of a dozen young people invited to have lunch with the Pope during his World Youth Day visit to Australia. Teresa Wilson, a 14 year volunteer with the Society, is also Vice-President of the Victoria Conference. Read the article.

“The feast of Corpus Christi is an invitation to Christians to work for the elimination of world hunger” writes Benedict XVI. He adds “Dear brothers and sisters, may the feast of Corpus Domini be an occasion to grow in this concrete attention to our brothers, especially the poor”