Diaries of a Vincentian: Our return from Kenya to Germany
At the end of March this year we were told, all of a sudden, that we - Sr. Lucia, Sr. Dorothea, Sr. Zeituni and I - had to leave Kenya as soon as possible. The Corona Pandemic had spread unexpectedly quickly. The news took the four of us by surprise. Sr. Zeituni, Sr....
A very different Vincent’s Day
This year, St Vincent de Paul’s Day is going to be very different from what we would have liked. After these tough months, in which the Vincentian Family stepped up to Covid-19 and the tragedy in Beirut, we want to remember both what we have achieved and the brother...
The context to Laudato Si’ – The Famvin Homeless Alliance and Laudato Si’ (I)
In 2015, Pope Francis’ published Laudato Si’ an encyclical on climate change and inequality. The following is a reflection on his words and a consideration of how Laudato Si’ both informs and affirms the work of the Famvin Homeless Alliance. The reflection will be...
Slum Dwelling: Annual Theme 2020
Over the past two years, the Vincentian Family’s annual theme has focused on forced displacement and street homelessness. For 2020, we are focusing on slum dwellers. We refer you to our briefing paper, which outlines in greater detail the problem of slum dwelling and...
Letter from Fr. Tomaž Mavrič, CM, on the Occasion of the Feast of St. Vincent de Paul 2020
FHA and post-COVID-19 opportunities and challenges for the worldwide Vincentian Family TOGETHER IN PRAYER, THOUGHT, AND ACTION Dear brothers and sisters, May the grace and peace of Jesus be always with us! The year 2020 had hardly begun when it brought us so...
The FamVin Coming Together for Beirut!
The August 4 Beirut blast devastated the city and added a climate of high insecurity in the country, which was already struggling with a severe economic and financial crisis coupled with uncertainty at several levels. On top and above with the huge material damages,...
Affective and effective solidarity during the COVID-19 pandemic
After 10 years of work in the field of education, in Chiclayo, I was assigned to Pisco, in Peru, as the pastor of a parish. I had not settled into my new missionary appointment when I was confronted with a series of restrictions, confinement, fear and uncertainty. I...
An explosion of homelessness in Beirut
There are 300,000 new homeless people in Beirut after the explosions of August 4th in the heart of Lebanon, including many Vincentians. Despite their suffering, the Lebanese Vincentian Family immediately sprang into action: sheltering the homeless, taking care of the...
Another Look at the Coronavirus Pandemic
More than four months have passed since the first positive case of COVID-19 was reported here in Rwanda. On the one hand, it is normal that a new disease, which spreads with such incredible speed, should scare all humanity. But on the other hand, with an insightful...
The Vincentian Family launches an appeal to reach the #HeartofLebanon
The Vincentian Family has launched the appeal “From our hearts to the heart of Lebanon” to support the work of Vincentians in Beirut. The Lebanese Vincentian Family sprang into action right after the blast that devastated the city on August 4th, sheltering some of the...
Diaries of a Vincentian: From Beirut
On the 4th of August 2020, two major explosions rocked Beirut port, killing more than 150 people and injuring over 6,000. More than 60 people went missing. What happened on Tuesday is greater than the size of Lebanon in its current situation, adding to the economic...
FHA Commission member appointed to the UK House of Lords
FHA Commission Member Dame Louise Casey has been appointed for a life peerage in the House of Lords, the upper chamber of the UK Parliament. Dame Louise will sit with the “crossbench peers”, the non-party affiliated members of the Chamber. The majority of members of...