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The Vincentian Family is a movement made up of more than 160 institutions and some 4,000,000 people who follow Jesus Christ, serving the poor, as did St. Vincent de Paul, St. Louise de Marillac and many other believers who, over the last four centuries, have enriched the Vincentian charism.
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Articles from the Famvin News Archive
Looking at the role of women religious in health care reform
"They didn’t just participate in the modernization [of health care]; they propelled it," says Bernadette McCauley, Ph.D., associate professor of history at Hunter College and author of Who Shall Take Care of Our Sick? Her comments note the particular contribution of...
Pope calls for “new humanism” and integral disarmament
"Only by pursuing an integral and solidary humanism, in which disarmament assumes an ethical and spiritual dimension, can humanity progress toward the true and lasting peace for which it longs." These were the words of the Pope at a recent conference in Rome. Read...
Putting a face on the homelessness crisis
"Meet the Birketts," the headline invites. Four months ago this middle-aged couple had a home and a mortgage, and then electrician Mark Birkett had a stroke. Now he has paralysis in one arm, is legally blind, and has a hole in his heart -- literally, and because his...
“We don’t judge why the person came down here”
In Manitowoc, Wisconsin USA the 175th anniversary of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul is being celebrated with a week of special activities. "Spirituality first," says a board member. The district president emphasized outreach to the needy and added, "We don't...
SSVDP offers young people a break
In the seemingly endless drought in Australia, some volunteers with the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul see an opportunity to offer some fun distraction for youth and their families. At the same time, they plan to pread the word about support services offered by...
Billings, Montana USA weighs in on hard times
The Billings, Montana USA Gazette describes the impact of increasing food and gas prices on the poor -- and includes a sidebar about how to help. A representative of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul describes one problem succinctly: "Most of them have old gas...
A Holistic Vision as Strategy for Systemic Change
The fifth in the Seeds of Change series: 20 strategies for systemic change described by members of the Vincentian Family’s Commission for Promoting Systemic Change. The Rev. Fr. Norberto L. Carcellar, C. M. writes: Systemic Change Strategy Five: Have a holistic...
Dying for Coverage
That's the title of a new report by Families USA that gives state-level estimates of the numbers of deaths due to lack of health insurance in the United States. “The conclusions are sadly clear—a lack of health coverage is a matter of life and death for many...
Raising Awareness of Hunger
A bank in the Midwest sponsors a hunger awareness week to bring attention to hunger and poverty. Teens in Calgary initiate a 30-hour fast to raise awareness of what it is like to be hungry. Read the articles here and here as a springboard to considering other...
New tool against poverty: the cell phone”
It isn't a straight line between poverty relief and the availability of cell phones, but the New York Times Magazine for April 13 describes some fascinating work being done by anthropologists who work for Microsoft, Nokia, and other companies. Take a look at the...
