Building Community and Hope: Reflections from the SSVP Canada National Annual Meeting 2024

The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul National Council of Canada held their annual meeting June 19 to 21 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. It was wonderful to have CGI President, Juan Manuel Gomez, and assistant, Isabelle Maria Garzo, join us for this event. Attendees heard from CGI President and had a chance to ask questions. Thank you to Juan Manuel and Isabelle for taking the time to visit Canada to meet Vincentians, hear about the work being done in Canada helping people in need, and answering questions asked.

At the event, we heard from guest speakers who shared lived experience living in poverty and talked about communicating across poverty barriers and living intentionally. Guest speakers spoke about spirituality and adapting to a changing world through the eyes of Frédéric Ozanam.

A variety of workshops were offered for the 150 attendees providing formation and education to take back to their Vincentian communities. Topics included Today’s Housing Crisis, How Faith Communities can Lead in Housing Solutions, Basic Income, Personal Encounters with Neighbours in Need, Youth Involvement, Funding with Grants plus much more.

There was time for networking, socializing and relationship building with Vincentians. It was a great event!

Linda Dollard, President

SSVP Canada