As I write this article, it’s Easter Friday and members of the Vincentian Family at the United Nations along with Catholics the world over are celebrating the resurrection of Our Lord Jesus, and preparing to celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday. Earlier this week, on April 23rd, the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul commemorated the establishment of its first conference in 1833. This first meeting took place at Paris, France, on the 20th birthday of the society’s principal founder Blessed Frederic Ozanam.

Blessed Frederic along with the other founders recognized the necessity and importance of preaching the Good News of the Gospel. They realized the importance of serving people in need, and believed they had an obligation to care for those who were less fortunate. They believed they had an obligation to speak on behalf of people who were not in a position to speak for themselves. They understood the importance of practicing the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy. Additionally, they recognized the significance of advocating for people who didn’t have a voice, and realized they shouldn’t remain silent in the face of injustice and poverty.

These founding members of the Society placed themselves under the patronage of Saint Vincent de Paul and adopted important aspects of his spirituality.

“To love God, our Father, with the sweat of our brow and the strength of our arms;

To see Christ in the poor and the poor in Christ;

To share the compassionate and liberating love of Christ the Evangelizer and Servant of the poor;

To heed the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.” (Rule of SSVP 2.5)

Currently members of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul as well as members of the other branches of the Vincentian Family continue to follow in the footsteps of Saint Vincent de Paul practicing the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy.

At the United Nations the Vincentian Family Team actively participates and collaborates with other Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’s) and advocates for people in need. Team members belong to various committees and sub-committees. They work on different projects with the objective to seek equality and justice for those who might otherwise not have a voice.

An important example of current work of the Vincentian Family is the establishment of a Working Group to End Homelessness (WGEH) on a world-wide basis. This project is consistent with a major goal of the Vincentian Family to end homelessness in countries around the world. This WGEH is growing in numbers and has been recognized at the United Nations by a number of Member States. WGEH has placed a spotlight on the issue of Homelessness which previously wasn’t officially acknowledged by the United Nations. The WGEH has managed to have this important issue placed as a primary item on the agenda of the 2020 Social Development Commission. This is an important step in bringing attention to this world-wide problem, and hopefully will cause member states to focus on finding a just solution.

The formation of WGEH is an example of practicing both the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy as was indicated by Our Lord Jesus in His Conversations with the 20th Century “Servant of Mercy” Saint Faustina which we celebrate on Divine Mercy Sunday.