On January 4, 2026, we, the members of the Vincentian Family, pray for children who suffer from poverty and neglect.

Around the world, countless children wake up each day without food, shelter, education, or love. Many are denied not only basic needs but also the care and protection every child deserves. In them, we encounter the suffering Christ—fragile, vulnerable, and forgotten.

Saint Vincent de Paul and Saint Louise de Marillac never turned away from abandoned children. They gathered, educated, fed, and clothed them—not just with charity, but with a fierce commitment to justice and mercy. As Vincentians, we inherit this mission: to defend the dignity of every child, to ensure their rights, and to build communities where no child is invisible.

We pray today for children who are hungry, homeless, orphaned, trafficked, abused, or left to survive on their own. May their cries awaken our conscience. May we become tireless advocates of tenderness, protection, and hope for them. Let us never grow indifferent to their pain.

Word of God
“Let the little children come to me; do not stop them, for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.”
(Mark 10:14)

Prayer
God our Father, You call us to care for the smallest among us. Look with compassion upon children who suffer from poverty and neglect. Embrace them with Your love, and awaken in us a deep concern for their lives. Through the intercession of Saint Vincent and Saint Louise, make us bold defenders of their dignity and faithful builders of a world where every child is cherished. Amen.