RESULT OF THE CULTURAL CONTEST “SONG THE SEVEN FOUNDERS”
The Council General International of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul and the International Youth Committee, organizers of The Seven Founders’ Song, are pleased to officially announce the winners of this contest.
In 2019, the Council General International (CGI) of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul (SSVP) celebrated 180 years of existence. During the Annual Assembly, held in the city of Porto (Portugal), the Song “THE SEVEN FOUNDERS” was officially launched in Portuguese and Spanish versions.
At the end of 2020, the Council launched the Cultural Contest to choose the English, French and Italian versions of the Song that pays tribute to the 7 founders of the SSVP: Antoine Frédéric OZANAM, Auguste LE TAILLANDIER, Jules DEVAUX, Paul LAMACHE, François LALLIER, Félix CLAVÉ and Emmanuel BAILLY DE SUCY.
Over the course of a year, the International Youth Committee, organizer of the contest, received several suggestions for lyrics that were always aimed at remembering the legacy of the 7 founders and the history of the SSVP creation.
To put an end to the expectations of the brothers and sisters, in February of this year, during the meeting of the board of the Council General, brother Willian Alves, responsible for the organization of the contest, announced to the board the decision of the jurors and revealed the winners.
I want to recall here the message of our President General, brother Renato Lima de Oliveira, when writing the introduction and invitation to the cultural contest, ‘the more we know the biography, the legacy and the virtues of the seven founders of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, the more we will be in tune with the original spirit that moved those young men to create a work so providential for humanity, inspired by the Holy Spirit, with a dual purpose: the salvation of its members and charity to those who suffer” In view of this, we have the joy of announcing the victors:
English version: David Ogega Nyamora and Veronic Nituenya Mutisa both from St. Marys Mukuru Conference in the city of Nairobi (Kenya).
Italian version: brother Vicenzo Restino ofVincenzo Ferreri Conference of Sant’Antimo (Italy).
French version: brother Jules Marie Razafindrakoto ofSt. Luke’s Conference of Ville Fianarantsoa (Madagascar).
We thank the other 10 Vincentians who participated with their equally well elaborated lyrics and in a special way we congratulate the winning authors for contributing to the history of our dear SSVP and making known in different languages the legacy and all the contribution of our Seven Founders.
The Council General will do the official recording and soon release the song which is to be widely used by all Vincentians.
The President General, Renato Lima de Oliveira, used the occasion of the announcement of the winners to leave a special message to the participants and winners: “I want, in my name and in the name of the entire board of the Council General International, to thank the beautiful participation of the 14 brothers and sisters from different countries who collaborated in this contest, and to highlight the four winners for their beautiful works. The lyrics that you composed lead us to reflect on how important it is, for us Vincentians, to always remember with affection the memory of the seven founders, because among them there was neither higher nor lower in relevance, but they all had the same zeal and the same love for the SSVP. You have managed to imprint this in the lyrics of these songs. Therefore, I acknowledge here our admiration to you for using such a beautiful gift in favor of the history of our institution.
