Javier F. Chento
Author
Open reflections in the Year of Vincentian Collaboration (6)
6. The pastoral relationship with the laity in the Vincentian family. It’s time for the laity to set their clocks to the correct time. The idea may seem new, but it is part of our Vincentian cultural heritage and also of the Church in general, at least since Vatican...
Pilgrimage to the tomb of Blessed Marta Wiecka
Marta Wiecka was a Sister from the Congregation of the Daughters of Charity, who sacrificed her life out of love for her neighbors. She is buried at a Sniatyn cemetery, not far from the chapel of St. John of Nepomuk, whom she venerated. The faithful used to come and...
At the Door of Mercy #IamVincent
Church of Saint Laurent (Paris), May 7, 2016. A poor man sleeps at the gates of St. Lawrence church, in Paris. It's 9 am, several hours have passed since the city has already begun its busy day. In the photo, a dirty and tatty temple with rehabilitation underway. At...
Open reflections in the Year of Vincentian Collaboration (5)
On our real life conditions. Our standard of living, in general, does not come close to that of the real poor in our society. Many who are near us have no fixed jobs and have to hold on to anything to survive... In many cases, our standard of living is also far away...
Open reflections in the Year of Vincentian Collaboration (4)
4. On retirement and “early retirement” of family members... The bourgeois society in which we are immersed sneaks through the cracks of our familiar habitat, whether of one kind or another, of one branch or another. Creeping all too frequently into our life, and our...
The tomb of Blessed Frederic Ozanam, now and then
The tomb of Blessed Frederic Ozanam is located in the crypt of the historic church of St. Joseph des Carmes in Paris. The church was the scene of some of the bloodiest massacres of ecclesiastics of the infamous Reign of Terror during the French Revolution. Visitors...
The “stress of poverty” and systemic change
The culture of poverty, characterized by feelings of marginalism, dependence and exclusion, originates within the family, starting in childhood. Social and behavioral sciences recognize “poverty stress” beginning at a very young age. For almost nine years, Dan...
Open reflections in the Year of Vincentian Collaboration (3)
3. Vincentian cooperation in the administration of goods ... In the society and in the streets, there is this implicit or explicit idea that the Church and its religious congregations and institutions are more concerned about maintaining and managing theirs assets...
Plan, song and images for the 400th Anniversary of the Vincentian Charism
The entire Vincentian Family is preparing for the 400th anniversary of the Vincentian Charism, which will be celebrated throughout 2017. Fr. Superior General, G. Gregory Gay, CM, has just invited us, in a video released last Thursday, to live this celebration with...
Open reflections in the Year of Vincentian Collaboration (2)
2. What it means to be a member of the Family Basing myself on Fr. Eli’s clear ideas, I dare expand the horizon of what, in my humble opinion, could encompass relationships among the members of the Family in this year of Vincentian Collaboration, a year that could...