Untitled

September 27, 1995

To the members of the worldwide Vincentian Family:

My dear brothers and sisters,

May God's grace and peace be with you!

I have been very struck by the warm enthusiastic response that so many of you have expressed in regard to the meeting which took place on June 3, 1995, involving those responsible for the four principal branches of our family. One of the resolutions of that meeting was as follows:

Each of the four branches will prepare five pages of basic information which will then be distributed in English, French, and Spanish to the members of the Vincentian Family. This information will describe the origins, historical development, and actual situation of each group and will give addresses that will be useful for establishing contact. Each branch will publish this information in some appropriate form so that it can be used especially in the formation of its members.

I was asked to coordinate this project. Today I am enclosing the materials that each of the branches prepared in three languages. I hope that they will be helpful in fostering reciprocal knowledge among the members of our family.

St. Vincent was wonderfully creative in drawing people to work together: clergy, brothers, sisters, lay men and women, young and old, rich and poor. He urged us to support one another in the service of the poor and strive for union and peace among ourselves. Such unity, he wrote, "is the wine that cheers and strengthens travelers along this narrow path of Jesus Christ" (SV IV, 262). I hope that our future meetings and continued contacts will forge deeper bonds of union among us as, together, we follow Christ as Servant of the Poor.

Your brother in St. Vincent,

Robert P. Maloney, C.M.

Superior General

Copyright 2009 Congregation of the Mission