Although this letter is addressed to the members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, we strongly recommend its reading to all members of the Vincentian Family.

Tenderness and empathy are the central themes of this year’s Circular Letter of the President-General

For the fifth consecutive year, Renato Lima de Oliveira, 16th President General of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, publishes a Circular Letter in which he addresses the members throughout the world and encourages them to reflection on various themes.

Since 1841, it has been a tradition among the Presidents General to write a Circular Letter. The document is divided into five chapters: 1) Introduction; 2) General Council News; 3) Recommendations to the members; 4) International Year of the co-founder Jules Devaux; 5) Conclusions. This year, the President General has subdivided the five chapters to make the reading of the Letter easier, and he has included 32 footnotes containing literary and bibliographic references that enrich the content of the document.

In this 2021 edition, our President General offers a message of hope and encouragement, especially in light of the challenges experienced by people throughout the world – and obviously by the members of the Society and the members of the worldwide Vincentian Family – during the pandemic. In addition, he takes stock of the activities carried out by the General Council over the past year, highlighting the progress in the areas of youth, the canonization of Ozanam, administrative management, online formation and the interaction among members.

The International Vice-President for Formation, Marisa Téllez, states: “The Circular Letter is a powerful tool for Vincentian formation for the entire Society of St. Vincent de Paul. The President General’s writings offer his reflections on the most significant topics of our time and on the challenges faced by the members, the Conferences, the special works and the Councils. The Circular Letter deserves to be read and reflected upon, since it can assist the work of the Society as it attempt to achieve greater efficiency and better quality in its service. The section of the text dealing with empathy, intelligence and tenderness is a positive message to all of us”.

Since the Circular Letter is quite long (12 pages), we suggest that it be read and reflected upon section by section during the Conference meetings. We thank the Superior Councils for collaborating with the General Council in the dissemination of this letter in their countries, publishing it in the official media of the SSVP, in addition to the social networks and the Internet and discussing it in formation sessions and Vincentian gatherings.

Suggestions and comments: cgi.circularletter@gmail.com. Good reading!

Click here to read the Circular Letter in the following languages:

• French
• English
• Spanish
• Portuguese
• Italian
• Arabic