FAMVIN: The International Vincentian Family

“… today we are happy to send you the letter for the celebration of Saint Vincent Feast.” The text and a suggested prayer follow below.

The St Vincent de Paul Society is gearing up to host a social justice themed concert, Vinnies World Youth 4 Justice on July 17th 2008 from 6pm, following the official arrival of Pope Benedict XVI to Barangaroo, Sydney.

Law firms are working to find a solution to a major problem for microlenders: currency risk. Twin crises - soaring food prices and a global credit contraction threaten to wreck the budget (and historically low default rate) of millions of small microloan borrowers worldwide.

VATICAN CITY, JULY 1, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI is dedicating his message for the World Day of Peace to a theme lurking behind many conflicts: poverty.

Internationally known for his innovative approaches to poverty, Vincentian priest Fr. Pedro Opeka, CM, has released a dramatic reminder of the continuing plight one billion children under the age of 18.

Sr. Zenaida Gan, Daughter of Charity and staunch environmental advocate, is challenging a coal-fired power plant in the Philippines.

On 13th June 2008, around 120 members of the Vincentian Family here in Britain gathered in Westminster Cathedral Hall, Central London to hear keynote addresses from Fr Robert Maloney CM and Sr Ellen Flynn DC. They highlighted the work of the International Commission for promoting Systemic Change, explained its mandate given to the [...]

The St. Vincent dePaul Society site has links to number of vidoes related to the plight of the poor and the work of the Society.

Testifying at a Senate (Australia) hearing St Vincent de Paul Society’s financial counsellors have found that up to 95 per cent of their clients are significantly hit by bank penalty fees and this had pushed some people over the financial edge when they had been struggling to make ends meet.

“When one is engaged in face-to-face charity and journeying with people the wider issues inevitably arise.” Speaking a meeting of the St. Vincent de Paul Society Bob McKeon who has lived in the inner city by choice for 30 years sees how one thing leads to another.

We have just received notice of an exciting new blog devoted to Political Charity and Vincentian Formation. The commission on Charism and Cultures and the Asia Pacific Regional Formators have been grappling with these concepts for over a decade and have now mounted a blog to expand the conversation.

As the food crisis grows, a report finds four billion people are excluded from the rule of law the UN Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor makes a global call to make legal empowerment a key pillar of the anti-poverty agenda.

Instead of explaining the desperate plight of the homeless at the Society of St. Vincent DePaul (Australia) 2008 appeal launch last week, the society gave disposable cameras to 100 marginalised people in New South Wales and asked them to take a snapshot of their life.

The Vincentian website in Australia leads us to story about the impact of World Youth Day on the homeless. The St Vincent de Paul Society is concerned over a decision to move meals for the homeless away from their usual distribution venues during World Youth Day.

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)