At the heart of the Second Vincentian Family Gathering in Rome, held from November 14 to 17, 2024, was a stirring visual journey entitled Faces of Charity. The video, featuring stories from eleven different initiatives around the world, offered a moving testament to the vitality and diversity of the Vincentian charism in action today.

What united these stories—told in local languages from Belgium to Brazil, from Indonesia to the United States—was a single question echoing the spirit of St. Vincent de Paul: What more can we do for those living in poverty? From simple acts of neighborly hospitality to long-term structures for education and advocacy, each project answered with its own creative fidelity.

In Belgium, five elderly Daughters of Charity, with an average age of 88, reflected on how they turned their twilight years into a ministry of presence. Offering food to people at their door, hosting neighbors in their garden, and welcoming younger sisters into community life, they revealed that no age is too late to love.

In Italy, the vibrant community of La Charité di Santa Luisa in Turin became a harbor for people without homes, offering breakfast, relationship, and belonging. The volunteers speak of the space as an orchestra where every voice matters—a place where friendship, prayer, and service come together in harmony.

Other stories highlighted global solidarity across cultures: in Germany, Peru, and Ghana, a dance project used movement to connect young people across continents. In Mbinga, Tanzania, sisters run a vocational center where girls are empowered through music, tailoring, and tech. And in Indonesia, a home for girls abandoned by family nurtures not just safety but self-esteem and environmental awareness.

Latin America’s network FAVILA stood out as a regional embodiment of unity in diversity. Present in 23 countries, it fosters confraternities—lay Vincentian communities deeply rooted in Scripture, synodality, and service. It’s a movement built on joy, hope, and the prophetic voice of the poor.

In Brazil, a pastoral ministry offers roadside Masses for truck drivers—turning gas stations into sacred spaces. Meanwhile, in Panama, young Vincentians paint murals of hope, proclaiming “life is not only black and white, but many colors.”

From the United States came stories of migrant support and housing transformation. In Maryland, Amigos Vicentinos en la Periferia walk alongside immigrant families in need, echoing the Gospel mandate to welcome the stranger. And in Pittsburgh, Sisters’ Place offers transitional housing for mothers emerging from homelessness, restoring dignity one family at a time.

Finally, at the global level, the Vincentian Family at the United Nations advocates for systemic change, amplifying the voices of the poor before those in power. Their presence ensures that charity and justice walk hand in hand.

Faces of Charity reminded the Gathering participants that the Vincentian Family is not just a global network—it is a living body of hope. In each of these faces, we see a spark of the fire that St. Vincent lit centuries ago—still burning, still moving, still transforming lives.

In addition to the video, we are also including below several links to the full script of Faces of Charity, translated into various languages. These texts offer a valuable resource for prayer, formation, and deeper engagement within Vincentian communities around the world.

• Click here to download the full script in English.
• Pulse aquí para descargar el texto completo en español.
• Clique aqui para fazer o download do texto completo em português.
• Cliquez ici pour télécharger le texte intégral en français.
• Klicken Sie hier, um den vollständigen Text auf Deutsch herunterzuladen.
• Clicca qui per scaricare il testo completo in italiano.
• Klik hier om de volledige tekst te downloaden.
• 点击此处下载中文全文。