John Freund, CM
Author
What would Vincent do today? – Wrong question
Before Henry Ford built his first car, he was quoted as saying: "If I had asked people what they wanted, they would've said faster horses." The right answer, but the wrong question. The astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus asked in 1543: "Could it be that Earth orbits the...
Francis models pastoral care of the homeless
Pope Francis not only raises consciousness about those who are homeless but in so many ways models comprehensive pastoral care of the homeless. After reading the following what questions does it raise for Vincentian Family ministries with the homeless. The Pope’s...
Welcoming the Stranger initiative of the SVDP
Newly Approved SVdP Immigration Position Paper Stresses “Welcoming the Stranger” The new position paper should be of interest to all branches of the Vincentian Family at a number of levels. It represents a comprehensive approach to a very complicated series of issues...
SVdP introduces Bold Culture Transformation Initiative
One hundred eighty Vincentian leaders from across the country were introduced to the Society's new Culture Transformation initiative at the annual National Midyear Meeting in the St. Louis. This could potentially be of great interest to other branches of the...
The Vincentian Family and parish renewals in Brazil
Parish renewals in Brazil involve the Vincentian Family. "Popular Missions"- in language that dates back to the early days of the Congregation of the Mission - refers to what we would call today parish missions. Eli Chaves Dos Santos, CM, Assistant General, describes...
Tipping points – Siddhartha, Vincent, Ozanam… and you
In his book Mister Vincent, J Patrick Murphy quotes Malcolm Gladwell who writes about tipping points - the time when things come together to tilt the scale of life to something new. For Vincent, the tipping point primarily came from two events in 1617, starting in...
175 nations sign International climate change agreement
Sr. Teresa Kotturan, (second from right) U.N. representative of the Sisters of Charity Federation attended the Paris climate change meetings, held Nov. 30 to Dec. 12. It is with great joy that what she witnessed will now be signed in a ceremony at the United Nations....
There will always be more – Vincent dePaul and Oskar Schindler
Continuing the series "Vincent’s Life Lessons" based on J. Patrick Murphy’s Mr. Vincent we read: Vincent lived 80 years and died worried that he did not do enough. Life expectancy in Vincent's time was 35-37 years. Lesson: You may get more time and opportunity to do...
Doing good behind the scenes
Dave Barringer, CEO of the Vincent dePaul Society USA, articulates something that many in the Vincentian Family can relate to: Doing good behind the scenes. And then seeing people finally catch on to an issue...even if they don't recognize all the spade work that went...
Uncomfortable with systemic change?
Uncomfortable with systemic change? It is no secret that many people are uncomfortable with systemic change. It seems to be so hard to get a handle on. On the other hand there are others who are comfortable with what they think is systemic change. Actually what they...