For more than 165 years, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Lebanon has remained faithful to its mission of serving people who are poor, vulnerable, and displaced. Founded in 1860, SSVP Lebanon has continued its work through war, political instability, and severe economic hardship, becoming a living sign of Vincentian perseverance and practical charity. Today, it includes 50 Conferences, 8 Particular Councils, and 13 special works, with a long-standing relationship of friendship and twinning with SSVP France.

The strength of this Vincentian presence lies in its closeness to people’s real needs. In a country where many families face deep insecurity, SSVP Lebanon accompanies the elderly, supports children’s education, assists refugees, promotes health care, and develops sustainable initiatives that help fund service to families in need. Its work is not limited to one area of poverty; rather, it responds to the whole person and to the complex challenges affecting Lebanese society.

Among its services, SSVP Lebanon cares for elderly people in homes, supports children through learning centers, and helps maintain camps for refugees, many of whom come from Iraq and Syria. These works show a Vincentian understanding of charity that is both immediate and long-term: offering shelter, care, education, dignity, and hope to those whose lives have been marked by displacement, poverty, or abandonment.

The organization also promotes creative and sustainable responses to poverty. One example is a honey production project whose profits are used to support families in need. This initiative reflects a model of charity that does not only distribute aid, but also seeks ways to generate resources, strengthen local capacity, and make service more sustainable over time.

Another significant initiative is Mobilab, a mobile medical unit that brings consultations and clinical analyses to some of the poorest areas of Beirut. Through this service, health care reaches people who might otherwise be unable to access basic medical attention. In the Vincentian spirit, Mobilab brings help directly to the places where suffering is found, making care more accessible and human.

The Lebanese Vincentian Family also carries a strong sense of mission among young people. The young Vincentians in Lebanon have been described as united, motivated, and deeply committed to the mission and values of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Their presence is a sign of continuity and renewal: a new generation receiving the Vincentian charism and translating it into service in a country marked by great challenges.

One of the major projects introduced by SSVP Lebanon is “Rebuilding Lives,” which aims to restore the Church of St. Vincent de Paul in Beirut, destroyed by bombing during the civil war, and to build a social center alongside it. This project is more than the reconstruction of a building. It is a symbol of healing, memory, and service. By restoring a place connected to the Vincentian spirit and creating a center for social outreach, the project seeks to rebuild not only walls, but also lives, relationships, and hope.

In Lebanon, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul offers a powerful witness to the whole Vincentian Family and to the wider public. Its history shows that charity can endure even in the hardest circumstances. Its works remind us that service must be concrete, organized, compassionate, and creative. And its future depends on the same spirit that has sustained it since 1860: the conviction that Christ is encountered in the poor, and that no crisis can cancel the call to love.

With information taken from Bulletin “Ozanam Network”, no. 1/2020