CIRCULAR LETTER TO MY DEAR BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
AND MEMBERS OF CONFERENCES OF THE
SOCIETY OF ST. VINCENT DE PAUL AROUND THE WORLD

Introduction

Praised be our Lord Jesus Christ! Dear brothers and sisters, fellow members and aspiring members, esteemed employees of the Society and of our Special Works, dear colleagues and volunteers, spiritual advisers, friends of the Vincentians and of the International Vincentian Family.

I am very pleased to be writing to you all again, the sisters and brothers in the Vincentian Conferences around the world, for the fourth time since I was elected the 16th President General of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, with this Circular Letter for 2020.

It has been the custom since 1841 for the serving President General of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul to write Circular Letters, covering important matters on the Vincentian agenda, or for guidance in improving the work of the Conferences and Councils. For me in particular, it is a gift from God to be able to write these lines, to the brave army of charity, the 800,000 volunteers around the world, working on behalf of those in need on five continents. You cannot imagine the happiness and emotion I feel in writing these words.

I hope that God inspires me so that the content of this Circular Letter might be appreciated by everyone, and read in Conferences and in the various branches of the Vincentian Family during 2020, the year of our founder Félix Clavé.

During these three years and more of my term of office, I have been privileged and very honoured to visit some 40 Vincentian countries, always being welcomed with great affection and charity. I learn a great deal everywhere I go, and carry in my heart the extraordinary experiences I have had, the lessons I have been able to assimilate, and the good practices I try to share around the world. What pleases me most in my official trips is to embrace and talk with our fellow members, find out what they want, appreciate their successes and understand their disappointments, and above all, take the message of peace, unity, concord and hope which the International Council General has sent out to all nations, ever since it was formed in 1839.

Being President General is a great privilege and honour, as well as a huge responsibility to represent you all. Of course, the international presidency is not only for me. I have the invaluable support of the Board, and of the office staff. Sometimes, we do not agree about everything, but we always seek conciliation when taking decisions. We can also make mistakes, but we also know how to forgive each other for any fault.

We are also blessed with the support of Superior or National Councils, which guarantee solidarity, respect and financial support for the Council General, so that it can fulfil its official role as defined in the Rule and the Statutes. It is a collective force, in which our Lord Jesus Christ is exalted and those in need are cared for. We are simply instruments of Divine Providence, serving our brothers and sisters who are most in need.

I humbly suggest that this letter should be divided into blocks or topics, and read in short sections at the meetings of Vincentian conferences. I would be delighted to receive comments, criticisms and suggestions about the content of this Letter. We have set up an e-mail address for this, cgi.circularletter@gmail.com which you can use. May our Lord protect us from the evils of this world, and may we increase our faith in his Name, through works of charity, among ourselves and with those who are suffering first of all. And together may we act on what Jesus tells us: “Anyone who wants to be first, must be the very last of all and servant of all” (Mark: 9, 35)

I hope you enjoy reading our Circular Letter of 2020.