From an interview on the international site of the SVDP…
According to you, what are the main objectives of the Youth Commission?
- A – Attract more young men to see Jesus in our Vincentian Apostolate;
- R – To help our young members Rediscover their faith, rediscover Jesus, rediscover the Vincentian Spirituality in our works of Charity;
- K – To inspire young people to commit themselves and so to Keep them in this SSVP Ark so that they will continue journeying, with fellow young Vincentians all over the world, towards Jesus who will later on call them to build more ARKs. More arks who will then journey towards the people whom the Church should give more love: the young (Church’s preferential love for the young) who are poor (Church’s preferential love for the poor).
This ARK of SSVP Youth should also not be confined within the members of the Society, but also for them to invite (Attract) our young beneficiaries to enter this same Ark. This can be done through a genuine Vincentian apostolate: seeing Jesus in the young poor, bringing the love and hope of Christ to them, and to evangelize and let ourselves be evangelized by them. After all, no one is so poor that he has nothing to give, or so rich that he has nothing to receive. Everyone can contribute, everybody are called to spread this love. The young beneficiaries should be able to rediscover their faith, rediscover Jesus, and rediscover our Vincentian charism so that they, too, can be empowered not just to overcome their own poverty but to also use this rich experience of God’s love to empower others.
What have been your first task as an International Vice President of Youth?
It is to review the Strategic goals of SSVP CGI, specially the goals and objectives for the young. This led me to recently propose the SSVP Youth Day program (Coming Soon!!).
Tags: Hila, Society of St. Vincent de Paul, SVDP, Youth
