President General’s “Christmas Message 2019”- Council General International

Dear Vincentian,

 As has been done every year since the beginning of his current term, the 16^th President General
of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul (SSVP), our brother Renato Lima de Oliveira,
today broadcasts the “Christmas Message of 2019” from the Council General International.

This message is addressed to all the members, employees, relatives, volunteers and to the people we are privileged to serve as Vincentians.

We ask to the Superior or National Councils to collaborate with the Council General in sharing this Christmas Message with all the Conferences, special works and the Vincentian Councils throughout the planet.

In the 2-minute video, the President General highlights the importance of the Holy Family – which is the most significant symbol of Christmas – in the life of Vincentians. Speaking of the Holy Family, the President General points out the central role of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the plan of salvation, while encouraging us to promote and practice family values.

In addition, in this year’s Christmas Message, our President General invites Vincentians to holiness.

“The world is already very bitter, hard and unfair. We need holy hearts that can transform such harsh realities. Today, more than ever, the vibrant testimony of Vincentians to the poor is a visible sign of the presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the heart of humanity”, stressed brother Renato Lima. And the President General concluded: “Thus, the arrival of Jesus Christ is the hope that should guide our purpose and inspire our actions in favor of those who most need some Vincentian help, especially with those who suffer more”.

At the end of the video, while wishing a Happy New Year to the entire Vincentian community, the President General announces that 2020 will be declared as “International Year of Felix Clavé”, one of the seven founders inspired by God for the creation of the SSVP.  Click here to see and hear the words of our brother Renato Lima de Oliveira on Christmas, on behalf of the entire International Board and the staff of the Paris headquarters.

Fraternal regards

Carlos Lafarga Campomanes
Chairman of International Communication Commission

Confédération Internationale de la Société de Saint-Vincent-de-Paul

Web : www.ssvpglobal.org

2019 – Thematic Year of Paul Lamache