Today, July 4, on the feast of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SSVP) celebrates its International Youth Day, a day established by the current International General Council of the Society.

On the occasion of this celebration, brother Renato Lima de Oliveira, 16th President General, addressed some very special words to all the young members who are part of the 48,000 conferences of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. In his message, President Renato Lima speaks of the importance of youth for the SSVP: “Without youth, our rules die out, our procedures become stale, our energy diminishes, our joy fades away, our charity gets mechanized. The presence of young Vincentians among us is essential for the survival of our institution.”

Following Renato’s letter there is also a letter from Willian Alves, International Vice-President for Youth, Children and Teenagers, which explains in detail the commemoration of this date, whose theme is “Sharing hope and charity”.

Even if you do not belong to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, we invite you to read this message, which may also be of interest to other members of the Vincentian Family.

Click on the image to download the document: