On March 30, 2011, the three Provincial Councils of the Congregation of the Mission in the United States held a joint meeting in which the Superior General was encouraged to convene a gathering of the Congregation’s three U.S. Universities in order to foster a collaborative dialogue among them.

That first meeting was held on November 17, 2012 in Philadelphia, Pa. It was a wonderful experience of the Vincentian charism at work, opening new possibilities for the continued service of the poor in this vital ministry of higher education. The presidents decided to meet at least annually to continue this dialogue.
As a fruit of these initial dialogues, and as a result of the recommendations received from the international leaders of the Vincentian Family, Fr. Gay thought it would be advantageous to the Vincentian Family, and the poor whom we serve, to invite all of the Vincentian Family’s Colleges and Universities to come together to explore possible avenues of collaboration with one another internationally. This invitation was well received. On May 8, 2015, six presidents gathered at DePaul University, Chicago, for the first meeting of this newly formed body.

The day began with reports from each president on the efforts their institutions make to advance the Catholic and Vincentian identity of their respective schools. After touching upon many other themes, the presidents decided that they would form among themselves a permanent body named the Vincentian Conference of Presidents, which will be convened at least annually. They also decided to attach their 2016 meeting to a larger “Vincentian Education Conference” to be held at St. John’s University in New York. The date is yet to be determined.

For more information: http://cmglobal.org/en/files/2015/07/NUNTIA-MAY-JUN-ENG.pdf