What was the medical knowledge and understanding in 17th century France? How does the example set by St. Louise de Marillac help us in our ministry with those who are poor and ill? Find out in this presentation: St. Louise: Healer, Sister, Friend.

“One of the things that we are going to encounter as we engage in Systemic Change is working with diverse cultures,” says Sr. Caroljean Willie, SC. “It is important to understand some of the elements of culture that will help us to truly and effectively meet the needs of the people whom we serve.” Sister’s presentation, called “One Cloth Many … Read More

If you’re suddenly facing homelessness, what are your options? To get a sense of this, try the “game” called Hobson’s Choice. Choose the version that works for you:

1. Desktop
2. iPhone/iPad
3. Android or other phone (requires Flash plugin)

It’s very easy to get into the routine of daily ministry without stopping to take the time and look back at our roots, particularly the history of the Vincentian Family in the United States. Fr. Felix de Andreis CM and Fr. Joseph Rosati CM were the first priests from the Congregation of the Mission who arrived on American soil in … Read More

Those who serve the poor may find the following links helpful: Prayer Before Home Visit, Prayer for Vincentian Workers, the Open My Eyes prayer, and a St. Vincent de Paul Society Prayer. To see a list of all prayers in our collection, click here.

There’s something about watching the classics again… take a few minutes to revisit the YouTube “The Most Important Thing For Us” in which Fr. Manuel Ginete, CM casually shares his thoughts, returning to one of Vincentians’ most familiar themes: finding God in others.

For related resources, see Resources tagged “Seeing Christ in the Poor”.

Sr. Regina Bechtle, SC has prepared a mini-retreat: quotes from Sts. Louise and Vincent for each of the eleven days between Ascension Thursday (May 29, 2014) and Pentecost Sunday (June 8, 2014). May their words stir up the desires of our hearts to be open to the Spirit’s transforming grace. Come, Holy Spirit!

To receive Famvin’s Daily Reflection on your smartphone or tablet, go to http://bitly.com/vincentian-reflection then save it to your home screen. The procedure for saving to your home screen varies depending on the device. On iPhone and iPad, you click the icon at the bottom center of the screen that looks like an arrow coming out of a box, or click on the “+” sign (depending on which generation your device is). From the options that appear, select “Add to Home Screen.” On Android and other devices, you Bookmark the page then long-press on the bookmark and select “Add Shortcut to Home.” You now have a new button on your home screen. Click it any time you want to read the Daily Reflection on the go.

Where would you begin if you were new to Vincentian Spirituality, or simply looking for a fresh view of the basic elements that make us “Vincentian”? We have a section called Essential Reading for you to explore. This week we highlight the page Vincentian Virtues and Charism, which includes practical, brief overviews of the Five Vincentian Virtues (Simplicity, Humility, Meekness, … Read More

Today we highlight this story told by Fr. Dennis Holtschneider, CM. Father’s story is part of a category of posts on VinFormation, “Shared Stories”, in which we hear testimonies from people whose lives are transformed as a result of meeting God in the poor. We would be interested in publishing more stories that show how we are evangelized by the poor, be it through prison ministry, health caregiving, home visits, etc. Contact us if you wish to share a story.