Vincentian Sisters empowering women in Ethiopia
For several years now, a new branch of the Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy of St Vincent de Paul in Untermarchtal has been in development in Ethiopia through the engagement of Bishop Leonardus Dobbelaar - a Vincentian from the Netherlands. Today, the 12 Ethiopian...
UK government appoints FHA Commission member Dame Louise Casey to lead a review into rough sleeping
FHA Commission member Dame Louise Casey has been appointed by the UK Prime Minister to lead a review into rough sleeping in the country. "Homelessness, and within that rough sleeping, is something that causes misery, so I hope that I will be able to help the...
Watch the new 13 Houses video!
The “13 Houses” Campaign is changing the lives of homeless people all around the world thanks to the collaboration between Vincentian branches. A few months ago, we brought you Abundio and his family’s story from Hueyapan, Mexico, and the work carried out by all the...
The UN introduces homelessness on the agenda thanks to Vincentian advocacy
The UN has adopted the first resolution defining homelessness and asking countries to measure it. For the first time in its 75 years, the UN is considering homelessness as a mainstream policy issue. The work of the Vincentians has been crucial in helping to achieve...
Vincentians helping to develop Catholic Social Teaching on Homelessness
Members of the Famvin Homeless Alliance and broader Vincentian Family are helping to develop Catholic Social Teaching in the area of homelessness. They feature prominently as authors in Street Homelessness and Catholic Social Ethics, a collection of papers published...
The Sisters of Mercy spread the Vincentian spark among young women in Tanzania
In 1960, four Sisters of the Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy of St Vincent de Paul in Untermarchtal set out to serve Christ through their neighbours in the southwest of Tanzania, in line with their spiritual calling. The spark of Vincentian spirituality spread to...
From Lebanon to Rwanda – in solidarity with refugees
The chaplaincy of the Mahama Burundian refugee camp received a visit from the Lebanese Missionary group for Charity from the 15th to the 25th of August last year. The visit was part of a collaboration inside the Famvin Homeless Alliance but also among FHA ambassadors...
Diaries of a Vincentian: On top of the World
And suddenly I felt her little hand in mine. She had stood next to me for a while; staring up at me with her curious eyes; her bright smile framed by dusty, tangled hair. We were in the middle of a small square; surrounded by little houses; a buzzing community on the...
The FHA at the #Famvin2020Roma
The Famvin Homeless Alliance was present at the first meeting of all the Vincentian branches that took place in Rome from the 8th to the 12th of January 2020 under the motto The Vincentian Family Moving Forward. More than 100 branches came together at the Patristic...
Diaries of a Vincentian: An open ear at the railway station
At the heart of community life. With an ever present calling. To be close to the people and to be open to the needs of the time is the common thread running through the history of the Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy of St Vincent de Paul in Untermarchtal. For...
Diaries of a Vincentian: I Know
It was freezing. I had just stepped out from the warm embrace of my hotel and needed a moment to adjust to the cold now filling my lungs. It was a wonderful day. Blue skies and winter sun. A thin layer of ice paved the road, some spots of frozen old snow here and...
14 ambassadors to spread the word about the Alliance
Our 14 volunteer ambassadors are already spreading the word about the Alliance all over the world. Since the launch of the FHA in 2017, it has been clear the team will need all the help possible to achieve its ambitious objectives. As a global initiative, not...