In a letter from Fr. Gregory Gay directed to the members of the Congregation of the Mission on May 23 of 2015, the members were informed:

“After having reflected on recommendations from the Vincentian Family Executive Committee (VFEC), along with the responses of the Commission for the Promotion of Systemic Change and the Vincentian Family Collaborative Commission, I have arrived at the following decisions I believe will help move the Vincentian Family forward.

“The first matter is about the establishment of a new Vincentian Family Office. It will be located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA in offices provided by the Eastern Province of the Congregation of the Mission….

“This brings me to the second point: Fr. Joseph Agostino, C.M., will be the coordinator for the Vincentian Family Office in Philadelphia…

“Thirdly, the official web site of the Vincentian Family (http://famvin.org/) will become the responsibility of the Vincentian Family Office under the guidance of the VFEC…”

Although all of these collaborative relationships are still taking shape and were promulgated ad-experimentum for three years, we thought it would be helpful to share the mandate and focus of the Vincentian Family Office and its collaborators as the first of three years comes to a close. First, the Office (the “VFO”).

It’s current mandate:

The Vincentian Family Office, as a function of the Vincentian Family Executive Committee, coordinates activities, provides information, and delivers formation experiences on the heritage and charism of St. Vincent de Paul to the branches of the Vincentian Family (VF) throughout the world.
This includes promoting communication and collaboration among the various branches of the Vincentian Family, as well as opportunities for leadership to meet and to develop ways to work together.

It’s current areas of focus:

1. Vincentian Family data base creation and maintenance,
2. International Vincentian Family Councils development,
3. International and national leaders’ biennial gatherings,
4. International Vincentian commissions coordination,
5. Providing resources through .famvin: the web, social media and consulting services,
6. Advancement research, promotion and mentoring supports.

The VFO Team

Rev. Joseph Agostino, C.M., Coordinator
Sr. Marge Clifford, D.C
Rev. Flavio Pereira Tercero, C.M.

vfo@famvin.org

The Vincentian Family Executive Committee

TOP: Brian O’Reilly, Michael Thio (SSVP), Rev. Joseph Agostino, C.M.(VFO), Rev. G. Gregory Gay, C.M. (CM), Brothers of Mercy — Bro. Lawrence Obiko, C.M.M., Bro. Broer Huitema, C.M.M. (CMM), BOTTOM: Sr. François Petit, D.C. (DC), Sr. Veronika Häusler, S.C. (SC-Stras) Sr. Kathleen Appler, D.C. (DC), Sr. Blandine Klein, S.C. (SC-Stras), Sr. Julie Cutter, D.C. (SC-FED), Sr. Eileen Haynes, SCL (SC-FED) Alicia Duhne (AIC), Maria Eugenia Magallanes (AIC)

In the coming weeks, we’ll share more about some of the commissions and projects that collaborate with the Vincentian Family Executive Committee (VFEC) through the efforts of the Office:

• the Commission for the Promotion of Systemic Change,(2007)
• the Vincentian Family Collaboration Commission,(2011)
• the Vincentian Family Haiti Initiative,(2009)
• VFO special task forces (2015), and
• the .famvin Digital Network, which includes not only this web site, famvin.org — the “official website of the Vincentian Family” —  but also its network of social media channels, its consulting services at famvin.com, and its collaborators throughout the worldwide Vincentian Family.(1998)