John Freund, CM
Author
![Systemic Change – Doing the Next Right Thing](https://b704496.smushcdn.com/704496/en/files/2016/10/see-judge-act-facebook-act.png?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1)
Systemic Change – Doing the Next Right Thing
Vincent accomplished so much by simply by seizing the day and doing the next right thing.
![A New Reality is Born! • “Contributions” #1](https://b704496.smushcdn.com/704496/en/files/2016/10/delgado-vincent-contributions-featured-facebook5-1.png?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1)
A New Reality is Born! • “Contributions” #1
This is the first of a series of formation packages meant for individual or group study which was introduced last week in “The Contributions of the Vincentian Charism to the Mission of the Church: A Formation Journey.” In that article, we also suggested a “Lesson...
![Could You Survive in Poverty – 18 Quick Questions](https://b704496.smushcdn.com/704496/en/files/2016/10/survive-poverty-facebook.png?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1)
Could You Survive in Poverty – 18 Quick Questions
“Could You Survive in Poverty?” This checklist was developed by Ruby K. Payne, an author and researcher in the field of socioeconomics whose work I’ve followed for years — but it’s a perfect gauge for how well you’d do if worse literally came to worse. It’s not at all...
![The difference a lens makes](https://b704496.smushcdn.com/704496/en/files/2016/10/see-judge-act-facebook-judge.png?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1)
The difference a lens makes
"Seeing" calls for "judging." But judging presupposes a lens! “Two men looked out from prison bars, one saw mud, the other stars!” This quote, variously attributed, seems to express that what one sees depends greatly upon one’s mental model and expectations. An...
![From War Relief to Hurricane Relief – A Vincentian Heritage](https://b704496.smushcdn.com/704496/en/files/2018/07/famvin-default-social-cell.jpg?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1)
From War Relief to Hurricane Relief – A Vincentian Heritage
From the war torn provinces of 17th century France in the brutal Wars of Religion (echoed today?) to the devastation of 21st century hurricanes, Vincent and Vincentians illustrate a rich heritage of providing war relief and disaster relief. In his correspondence...
![Seeing As The Beginning Of Systemic Change](https://b704496.smushcdn.com/704496/en/files/2016/10/see-judge-act-facebook-see.png?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1)
Seeing As The Beginning Of Systemic Change
Seeing is the necessary beginning of systemic change. Systemic change requires looking anew at something we see...but do not see. This kind of seeing is really more like reading, reading the "signs of the times." St. Vincent was a man of the concrete whose starting...
![How Much Can We Learn from Vincent to Make a Difference Today?](https://b704496.smushcdn.com/704496/en/files/2016/04/vincent-life-lessons-series-facebook.png?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1)
How Much Can We Learn from Vincent to Make a Difference Today?
Last January J. Patrick Murphy, CM presented me with a pre-publication copy of a little book he had just completed - "Mr. Vincent" - which you can download here. He wrote "My purpose here is to show in a few pages how much Vincent accomplished and how much we can...
![Vincentian Family and a Growing Trend – Lay Associates](https://b704496.smushcdn.com/704496/en/files/2016/10/lay-associates-featured-facebook.png?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1)
Vincentian Family and a Growing Trend – Lay Associates
Although many religious congregations have decreased in membership since the Second Vatican Council, a growing number of laypeople are offering a vital presence through associate membership. The Vincentian Family, with its deep roots in the organizations of laity...
![The Three Verbs of Systemic Change](https://b704496.smushcdn.com/704496/en/files/2016/04/systemic-change-poverty-possibilities.png?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1)
The Three Verbs of Systemic Change
What are the verbs of Systemic Change? Father Robert Maloney, C.M., former Superior General writes: Systematize, institutionalize and evaluate the project and its procedures, describing measurable indicators and results. In this strategy, all three verbs are...
![How Much Can We Learn from Vincent to Make a Difference Today?](https://b704496.smushcdn.com/704496/en/files/2016/04/vincent-life-lessons-series-facebook.png?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1)
Why Bother About a Man who Lived 400 Years Ago?
Why bother about a man who lived 400 years ago? Why are so many people all over the world on fire with passion to follow in his footsteps? As we approach another celebration of the feast of St. Vincent it seems fitting to look at these two questions raised in J....