As we celebrate the Feast of St. Vincent de Paul on 27 September, we join the global Vincentian Family in giving thanks for a charism that continues to transform lives. Throughout this Vincentian Month, we are reminded that charity is walking alongside people, restoring dignity, and creating opportunities for a brighter future. As St. Vincent urged,“Let us love God, … let us love God. But let it be with the strength of our arms and the sweat of our brow.” (CCD XI:32).  In this edition, we highlight 13 Houses projects from across the globe that bring this vision to life, showing how Vincentian collaboration is building homes, strengthening communities, and creating lasting change for those who need it most. 

In Nouna, Burkina Faso, families displaced by insecurity have found not only a roof over their heads through the 13 Houses Campaign but also new opportunities to reconstruct their lives. Building on the housing support provided to vulnerable families, a project livelihood extension introduced complementary income-generating activities. These efforts are strengthening household incomes, improving food security, and restoring hope for families who have experienced displacement and homelessness.

As a member of the women's soumbala production group, shared: "Thanks to the project, we have improved the way we produce soumbala. Now customers come back because they say our soumbala is clean and well made. With the sales, I can meet my children's needs. This gives us great courage." 

As part of the global 13 Houses Jubilee Project, inspired by Pope Francis' call to be signs of hope during the Jubilee Year, the Vincentian Fathers in Tanzania's Ruvuma Region have supported a vulnerable family of eleven by providing a new home in a community with better access to education, healthcare, and livelihood opportunities. The project aims not only to improve housing conditions but also to help the family build a more stable future and break the cycle of poverty. In August 2026, Fr. Tomaž Mavrič, Superior General of the Congregation of the Mission (CM) and President of the VF Executive Board visited the project and brought the Jubilee Key blessed by Pope Francis in 2024 to the head of the household receiving the house. May this symbol of hope be a seed of new beginnings, opening doors to dignity and opportunity..

In Brazil, the 13 Houses Campaign, led by Sr. Cleonice Regina Claudino, DC, continues to transform lives through the Moradia Digna (Dignified Housing) project in Curitiba and across the state of Paraná. Building on the campaign's achievements of constructing 14 homes and renovating five others, the expansion of Moradia Digna through the 13 Houses Jubilee Project has enabled the construction of four additional homes for people experiencing homelessness and severe vulnerability. These include a former homeless man rebuilding his life after years on the streets, a single mother and her two daughters escaping a cycle of violence and insecurity, an elderly woman caring for her daughter and granddaughters in a newly renovated safe home, and a low-income multi-generational family whose house was restored to provide dignified living conditions. Reflecting on the project, Sr. Cleonice shared that its greatest lesson is the joy of seeing someone once excluded and invisible become respected, included, and able to live with dignity once again.

This past July, during his visit to the 13 Houses Jubilee Project in Kyiv, Mark McGreevy, President of the Depaul Group and Coordinator of the FHA, witnessed firsthand the hope, compassion, and resilience that define the Vincentian response to homelessness in Ukraine.

These photos show the project's new transitional housing service, which provides not only a safe place to stay, but also social support and a pathway to rebuild lives for people affected by homelessness, displacement, and the ongoing consequences of war.

Since then, the situation in Kyiv has become increasingly challenging, with repeated attacks forcing many people, including our Vincentian colleagues and beneficiaries, to spend long periods in bomb shelters. Yet they continue to serve with extraordinary courage and dedication. As we share these images of hope, we ask you to keep the Vincentian Family in Ukraine in your prayers, that they may remain safe, strong, and steadfast as they accompany those most in need and continue to be a light of hope in difficult times.