(ENG) I Was A Stranger and You Welcomed Me

Vincentian Family Office Bureau de la Famillie Vincentienne Oficina de la Familia Vicenciana
Dear Leaders and Members of the Vincentian Family,

As was mentioned in January at our meeting of the international
Vincentian Family in Rome, 2017 marks the 400th Anniversary of
the birth of the Vincentian charism.
The Vincentian Family Collaboration Commission, having received the
approval of the Vincentian Family Executive Committee as well as an
enthusiastic reception from those present in Rome, now presents to you
our Vincentian Familys Global Initiative for the celebration of this year.
A special note to the international leaders: please make sure you send
your Branchs work plan by October 1, 2016 to Fr. Joe Agostino
at vfo@famvin.org.
May the Lord bless all our efforts to welcome the stranger in our midst.
G. Gregory Gay, C.M.

Superior General
500 East Chelten Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19144, USA

+1 (215) 715-3984 @: VFO@famvin.org WWW: famvin.org
I was a stranger and you welcomed me

A global initiative of the Vincentian Family
to celebrate the 400th Anniversary of
the Vincentian Charism in 2017
In 2017 we celebrate the 400th anniversary of the birth of the Vincentian charism.
It was in 1617, while preaching in the parish church of Chatillon, that Vincent
exhorted his congregation to take responsibility for a poor family from the parish
that had taken seriously ill and were in need of food and comfort. The family was
saved by the overwhelming response to this call to action and Vincent as a result
had his great realization that for charity to be effective it must be properly
organized an event which has changed the world for the last 400 years.
This story also brings to life a gospel text at the heart of our shared Vincentian
calling - Matthew 25:35 " I was a stranger and you welcomed me". By reaching out
and helping the strangers in our midst we are showing solidarity with that event at
Chatillon and we are as one with our Vincentian calling - we model the example of
the Good Samaritan in our community.
Who are the strangers in our midst today? There are so many to choose from the
refugees fleeing from oppression and poverty, those internally displaced within
their country due to civil war, the migrants seeking a new life, the homeless, those
coping alone with physical or mental illness, those suffering discrimination
perhaps because of their faith or race or color, the lonely and vulnerable both
young and old. Many of these people and issues are already familiar areas of
work to members of the Vincentian Family globally. However, can we do more?
Are there new poverties emerging that we are being called to respond to?

To celebrate the 400th anniversary of the birth of the Vincentian charism the
leaders of the international Vincentian Family would like to invite all members of
the Vincentian Family around the world to consider how we might better welcome
the strangers in our communities by making it the focus of the 400th Anniversary
of the Vincentian Charism.
The year of welcoming the stranger will run from January 1st to December 31st
2017. It will be launched formally by Fr Gregory Gay, the Superior General of the
Congregation of the Mission, on the 15th of May 2016 the Feast of Pentecost.
This date is especially significant for our Vincentian Family. It also marks the end
of the Year of Collaboration, issuing a call to action and inviting us to discover
concrete ways to reach out to the strangers in our midst. It also connects us more
deeply with the Universal Church, which under the guidance of Pope Francis, is
celebrating the Jubilee Year of Mercy.
From May 15, 2016 onwards, the international leaders of the Vincentian Family will
take responsibility for developing a reflective process of consultation with their
particular branch of the Family, working closely with their regional and national
bodies. We invite them to focus on the following questions:
Who are the strangers in our midst?
How are we currently supporting them?
What new needs are emerging?
How might we respond to these needs?
Might we be the strangers in need of welcoming?
This consultation and the ideas emerging from it will allow each Vincentian Family
branch to develop a work plan by October 2016 to be rolled out in 2017.These
work plans will then be forwarded to the Vincentian Family Collaboration
Commission who will co-ordinate and support activities globally through the
production of materials for reflection and celebration as well promoting the year
and the activities generated on the Famvin website. The commission will also
collate a final report on the outcomes and impact of this initiative by mid-2018 so
that we can judge the result of our actions at a global level.
Where the Vincentian Family has strong connections on the ground, we
encourage the Family to collaborate at either a local, regional, national or
international level. As Vincent de Paul himself recognized - we are at our best and
most effective when we work together.
Welcoming the strangers in our midst should also be seen as an invitation to
everyone who shares (or might be interested in) our Vincentian values, mission or
spirituality. The people we currently serve are as capable of welcoming strangers
as we are - if we invite them to do so. It is not dependent on power or wealth or
hierarchy. This is an opportunity for everyone to be part of our family and to share
in our celebrations over the course of the year.
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Vincentian Family Office Bureau de la Famillie Vincentienne Oficina de la Familia Vicenciana

Dear Leaders and Members of the Vincentian Family,

G. Gregory Gay, C.M.

500 East Chelten Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19144, USA

Vincentian Family Office Bureau de la Famillie Vincentienne Oficina de la Familia Vicenciana

I was a stranger and you welcomed me

500 East Chelten Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19144, USA

Vincentian Family Office Bureau de la Famillie Vincentienne Oficina de la Familia Vicenciana

Vincentian Family Office Bureau de la Famillie Vincentienne Oficina de la Familia Vicenciana

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