DePaul University hosts World Catholicism Week
Lectures will be given by international experts
From April 13 to 15, DePaul University, one of the most prestigious institutions of higher education in the United States of America, located in Chicago, will promote the “World Catholicism Week – 2023”, with the theme “Becoming a Church of the Poor: The Vincentian Charism and Reform”. The event will be a hybrid, and registration is free.
Each year, “World Catholicism Week” brings together academics and experts from around the world, many of them members of branches of the Vincentian Family, to reflect on a theme. This year, the focus will be on how the Vincentian charism can contribute to the process of reform and modernization of the Church that Pope Francis has inaugurated: what is the Vincentian vision for making the Church more open to God and the poor? Why does the Church need reform, and what kinds of internal and external resistance does it face?
Speakers from various countries and organizations have been invited, among them brother Renato Lima de Oliveira, 16th SSVP President International, who will participate in Roundtable #4 (Saturday), entitled “The Transformation of Society”. His lecture has the theme: “Society of St. Vincent de Paul: 190 years of Love, Empathy, and Hope for Those in Need”. Brother Renato will present 10 innovative initiatives of the SSVP around the world to face the new poverties, complementing the home visitation that is traditional in the Vincentian Conferences.
Another SSVP member who will make a presentation is brother Raymond Sickinger (United States), author of several books and responsible for the area of formation of the National Council, who will speak on “To Become a Church for the Poor: Antoine-Frédéric Ozanam’s lay vision of Reform and Transformation”,within the Roundtable #1 (Thursday), which has as its background “Historical, Vincentian Perspectives on Reform”.
One of the most anticipated talks will be given by Matthieu Brejon de Lavergnée, member of the “The Seven Founders” Department (formerly the Historical Research Commission) of the Council General International. He is the author of several books, two of them very famous: on Amelie Ozanam and on the SSVP in the XIX Century. His presentation will have as theme: “Do We Invent the Saints We Need? Pope Francis, the Saints ‘Next Door,’ and Lay Vincentians”, and will be within Roundtable #3, entitled “The Internal Reform of the Church”.
DePaul University was founded in 1898 by the Lazarist Fathers (Congregation of the Mission). It is, indeed, a Vincentian university. Since then, DePaul has grown into a renowned institution on the international and academic scene, offering a wide variety of undergraduate and graduate programs in areas such as business, law, art, music, social sciences, natural sciences, and more.
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