Date of publication: 14/10/2022

The day of the Poor and the Vincentians

Church

The World Day of the Poor will be celebrated on 13th November.

Father Motto has prepared an excellent reflection which will be very useful for all members of our Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, and for all the other branches of the Vincentian Family. It is not lengthy, but is a very profound and knowledgeable piece. Going from the Introduction to the Conclusion, it is divided into three, very well-written parts: Jesus and the poor; Vincent and the poor; Ozanam and the poor. At the end, there is a list of 10 suggestions for a more focused way of living the World Day of the Poor, serving those who suffer in more practical ways. I know that we are presently living through a health crisis, but the suggestions can be implemented without anxiety, always respecting safety protocols.


Father Motto’s text is incredibly rich, but at the same time, easy to understand, full of examples with scripture quotations or references to major writers, not just Catholic and Vincentian, linked to human history. It is pleasant, encouraging and, above all, very comforting to read Fr Andrés Motto’s words. He always teaches us to live our Vincentian charism with prayer and action, like St. Vincent and our leaders and founders, through Ozanam. We can never lose sight of our servants, our loved ones, our friends and our masters -the poor- who open to us the gates of Heaven.

May this WORLD DAY OF THE POOR help us achieve the aims proposed by Pope Francis in this world, helping us to build a more fraternal, fairer civil society, since the poor you will always have with you (Mk 14:7).

Brother Renato Lima de Oliveira
16th President General

PDF- Vincentian Reflection on the Wold Day of de Poor