To the Coordinating Commission of the Vincentian Family of the Country,
“Come, you blessed of my Father, take possession of the kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. Because I was hungry and you gave me to eat” (Mt 25, 34-35)
The 27th of September, 2001 marked the official launch of the worldwide campaign undertaken by the Vincentian Family: THE GLOBALIZATION OF CHARITY: FIGHT AGAINST HUNGER. Since that time there have been many reports sent to us. And above all, in many countries there have been many concrete actions undertaken by the Vincentian Family to fight hunger, and as a result, to reduce the deaths of thousands of our poor sisters and brothers. We have received hundreds of reports from all countries notifying us of the publications, and the times of study and reflection in common, in order to detect the most urgent forms of poverty and their causes, and so to respond by programming and carrying out concrete responses. There are also many projects being carried out.
The international leaders of some of the branches of the Vincentian Family (AIC, CM, DC, SSVP, JMV, AMM, RSVP, MISEVI), gathered in Rome in February for their annual meeting, did a preliminary evaluation of the project. At the end of the meeting, they unanimously expressed their joy at the wide reception and the effective response that project has inspired in a high percentage of countries.
On this occasion, the members who form the Commission for the development and follow-up of the Project are writing to you to give you some information that will help us to move forward in our common actions in this fight against hunger.
First: We want to invite you to become familiar with some of the projects that the Vincentian Family, or some of its branches, are doing in Latin America to carry out this campaign. We have sketched them out for you and you will find them in the attached file. After reading them, we could reflect on them and ask ourselves, “Taking into account what other countries are doing, what can we do?”
Second: We ask that you send us the projects that you are carrying out in your country, whether in collaboration with the different branches of the family, or as your particular association. These projects that we are sharing with you now are not the only ones, either on a continental or a worldwide level. They are only some examples. And so we are requesting that you send us the projects that you are currently doing. We believe that together we can learn from each other and enrich our experiences and so live out the value of collaboration. What project or projects on a local, regional or national level, in the Struggle Against Hunger can we share with the Vincentian Family in other countries?
Third: Finally we want to encourage you to continue launching new projects. To help you we are offering you a document with a presentation in PowerPoint, in which you will find practical orientations on developing projects, so that they will be clear and concrete. On the part of the Commission we intend to offer you orientation about how to develop the projects and suggestions abut how to finance them through institutions that are dedicated to sustaining these kinds of projects. “What new project or projects are we able to begin as the Vincentian Family in our country, region or city to continue responding to this urgent need?”
Dear brothers and sisters, members of the Vincentian Family, with the grace of God, the intercession of St. Vincent, and our effective love of the poor, we can say with humility that much has already been done; but at the same time and with the same humility, we must recognize that there is still so much to be done! The Pope continues to exhort us to make the Gospel believable by the strength of our commitment. He invites us to be conscious that this is the time for a new “imagination of charity”, that will lead us to a closeness and solidarity with those who suffer (NMI 50). Let us go forward, searching with creativity for new ways to fight against hunger, to be creative, creative unto infinity”
We ask that you send us your comments, suggestions, reports and projects to:
Any Rodríguez, AIC Mexico
E mail: rany@att.net.mx
Benjamín Romo, C.M.
E mail: famvin@tin.it
Sincerely,
Any Rodríguez, AIC
Benjamín Romo, C.M.
Tags: Hunger
