Circular Letter of the President General
Tenderness and empathy are the central topics of this year in the Circular Letter of the President-General
For the fifth consecutive year, our brother Renato Lima de Oliveira, 16th President General of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, publishes his Circular Letter in which he addresses the fellow members of the world, contributing themes for general reflection.
Since 1841, it has been a tradition among the Presidents General to write the Circular Letter. The document is divided into five chapters: 1) Introduction; 2) General Council News; 3) Recommendations to the Vincentians; 4) International Thematic Year on Founder Jules Devaux; 5) Conclusions. This year, the President General has divided the five chapters into several sub-items to make the reading of the Letter easier, and he has included 32 footnotes containing literary and bibliographic references that enrich the content of the document.
In this 2021 edition, our President General offers a message of hope and improvement, after the challenges experienced by humanity – and obviously by the SSVP and the Vincentian Family – during the pandemic. In addition, he takes stock of the activities carried out by the General Council over the past year, highlighting the progress in the areas of youth, the canonization of Ozanam, administrative management, online training and the interaction among the fellow members.
“The Circular Letter is a powerful tool of Vincentian training for the entire Society of St. Vincent de Paul. The President General’s writings provide his reflections on the most significant topics of our time and on the challenges faced by the fellow members, the Conferences, the special works and the Councils. The Circular Letter deserves to be read and reflected upon, as it can help the Vincentian work in its quest for greater efficiency and quality in service. The section of the text dealing with empathy, intelligence and tenderness is a positive message to all of us,” stressed the International Vice-President for Training, Marisa Téllez.
Since the Circular Letter is quite long (12 pages), we recommend to reflect on it section by section during the Conference meetings. We thank the Superior Councils for collaborating with the General Council in the dissemination of it in their countries, publishing it in the official media of the SSVP, in addition to social networks and the Internet, besides discussing it in training courses and Vincentian gatherings.
Suggestions and comments: cgi.circularletter@gmail.com. Good reading!
Click here to read the Circular Letter in the following languages:
