On 27 September we celebrate the feast of St Vincent de Paul,1581 – 1660. He was a French priest who dedicated himself to caring in particular for the poor and was renowned for his compassion, humility and generosity. He was canonized in 1737.
Over 170 years ago a 20 year old student, Frederic Ozanam founded the St Vincent de Paul Society to enable like-minded people to put their faith into action and continue the ministry of care of the poor. Internationally, the Society now operates in 153 countries and has over 800,000 members.
A number of Brigidine Sisters are members of conferences of St Vincent de Paul in their local areas while other support the work of the Society by their donations of finance or goods and their prayer. On this day, let us review how we are putting our faith into action and what action we each are supporting to ensure support for those living in poverty in our neighbourhoods and beyond.
St Vincent de Paul, pray for us and for all who assist people in need and who work to overcome unjust structures that keep people in poverty.
