VINCENTIAN SOLIDARITY OFFICE

215-843-9018 (Phone) • 215-843-9361 (Fax) • vsocm@prodigy.net (E-mail) • famvin.org/vso (Website)

The Vincentian Solidarity Office (VSO) is a program of the General Curia of the Congregation of the Mission in Rome, Italy.

November 9, 2002

To the Visitors and Vice-Visitors of the Congregation of the Mission

Dear Confreres,

May the grace of Our Lord be always with us!

On October 20, 2002, our Superior General, Fr. Robert Maloney, C.M., wrote to all the members of the Congregation of the Mission to announce the creation of the Vincentian Solidarity Office (VSO) and my appointment as the first Administrator of the VSO. In his letter, Fr. Maloney mentioned that I would be writing to you to offer some detailed information about the VSO and to provide copies of the materials that I distributed at the Provincial Economes' Meeting in connection with my talk on the VSO.

Enclosed you will find the following materials:

My talk on the VSO for the Provincial Economes' Meeting gives a detailed explanation on what the VSO is, why it was started, and how it works. The VSO Brochure is simply a summary of the major points of my talk on the VSO. The VSO Project Application Form is provided for those provinces or vice-provinces that wish to request VSO assistance for a project. Please fill out the application form, sign it and send it to me after January 1, 2003. If you need assistance in completing the application form, please get in touch with me.

If you have any questions about the VSO, please feel free to contact me. I look forward to working with you for the sake of our mission.

Fraternally in St. Vincent,