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by John Berry, National President

Every night, more than a half a million people in America experience homelessness. Imagine walking past them knowing they are someone’s mother, father, or child. As Vincentians, we cannot simply walk by — we are called to act. As Vincentians, and as Christians, we understand our profound responsibility to act boldly in service to others.  The words from 1 John, “‘Let us love, not with words but with deeds” are a reminder to all of us of the profound responsibility we share as Christians to live out our faith not just in what we say, but in what we do. We transform this divine mandate beyond just our service to those in need into action as bearers of hope and justice; things we are called to do by our faith, and upon which our Society was founded..

We each are familiar with the calls to action required to address the many needs in the world. And we celebrate the profound joy that comes from growing in holiness through our response to Christ’s call to feed the hungry, cloth the naked, give shelter to the homeless, welcome the stranger, minister to the sick, and visit the prisoner. The work of every Vincentian here today is a vital lifeline for countless people in need, individuals and families often standing at the brink of despair, searching for a glimmer of hope.

Every year we are faced with new challenges and new opportunities. The world constantly evolves. Amid the excitement of new beginnings and the anticipation of fresh starts, there are also apprehensions about the changes and challenges that may lie ahead. But amidst these feelings, one constant always remains: the enduring power of hope. And so, we must be Bearers of Hope to the countless many who wonder if hope exists, who wonder if love exists, who wonder if anyone cares.

For Hope is the belief that even in the face of adversity, goodness and redemption are possible. It is the conviction that we can overcome obstacles, heal divisions, and build a more just and compassionate world. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”

Hope is the seed, but it is justice that is the harvest.

If we do not act, hope will remain just a dream. Justice must propel us to action, inspiring efforts that ripple outward, creating lasting change, and making our world a better place. And so, we must also become fighters for Justice. But we face a difficult challenge when frankly we sometimes must wonder if the world has lost its mind. A world that mirrors almost identically that of the 1830s in Paris, France where Frédéric Ozanam said:

“The problem that divides men and women in our day is… whether society will be only a great exploitation to the profit of the strongest or a consecration of each individual for the good of all and especially for the protection of the weak. There are a great many men and women who have too much and who wish to have more; there are a great many others who do not have enough, who have nothing, and who are willing to take if someone gives to them. Between these two classes of men, a confrontation is coming, and this menacing confrontation will be terrible; on the one side, the power of gold, on the other the power of despair.”

So, as in 1833 at our founding, we must become Advocates for Justice, transforming hope into action, and helping to heal our wounded world.

Now there are those who say we should not involve ourselves in advocacy or the great issues of the day. They say we should be content with the charity we offer and not try to change the things that cause or perpetuate poverty, dependency, and need.

To those people I would say that if we do not use the knowledge and learning we uniquely gain through our personal encounters with the people we serve to help change the causes of poverty, dependence, and need then we are failing in our duty as Christians and we are not being true to the foundations of our Society. Recall Frédéric Ozanam’s famous quote:

“Charity is the Samaritan who pours oil on the wounds of the traveler who has been attacked. It is justice’s role to prevent the attack.”

In 1848 Frédéric Ozanam was the Vice President of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. On the occasion on the General Assembly that year, he wrote a letter spoke to the vital importance of advocacy that the Society was obligated to undertake based on how we encountered the poor. Frederic wrote:

“Yes, without doubt, it is too little to relieve the needy day by day. It is necessary to get to the root of the evil, and by wise reforms to diminish the causes of public misery. But we profess to believe that the science of welfare reform is learned less in books and parliamentary debates, than by climbing up the floors of the poor man’s house,  by sitting at his bedside, by suffering the same cold as him, and by drawing out the secret of his desolate heart through the outpouring of a friendly conversation. When we have fulfilled this ministry, not for a few months, but for many years; when we have thus studied the poor at home, at school, at the hospital, not in one city only, but in many, in the countryside and in all the conditions where God has put it, then we begin to know the elements of this formidable problem of misery; then we have the right to propose serious measures, and instead of frightening society, we give it consolation and hope.

My friends, when the Society of St. Vincent de Paul began, in 1833, political groups were as present as today, armed as today, irreconcilable as today. It was the need to be united in the midst of a disunited people that forged our first bonds. Is this need not more urgent than ever? Do you not see that division penetrates everywhere, among honest people, among Christians, and even in the homes of all families? And when the times are so difficult, the problems so serious, the designs of God so hidden, how could the best citizens not be divided and not bring to their opposite opinions all the passion of their patriotism?”

The words are as true today as when they were written on December 14, 1848. They could have been written last week and been applicable to our world in 2025. They are our heritage, they are our history, they are the calling we must continue to follow in today’s Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Those who don’t understand that don’t understand the wholeness of the Society.

It is our Charity and our personal encounters with those we serve that gives us the credibility, the right — no, the obligation — to advocate on behalf of those we serve. As Frédéric wrote, we don’t learn about the poor from books and think tank sessions.  We learn about the poor be being with them, caring with them, suffering with them, praying with them, loving them.  That is what we must speak with and for them. To abandon our duty to serve them by advocating for them would be like abandoning them by refusing to provide them food or other aid.

Our call to serve the poor, the refugee, the sick, and all those who suffer injustice and oppression is also deeply rooted in Scripture. From the call of Isaiah in the Old Testament to the Gospel of Matthew we are told that our work must be holistic and transformative, addressing both immediate needs and systemic injustices. And Jesus tells us very clearly that our service to others is not just a charitable act — it is a divine mandate.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, celebrates a rich heritage of charitable work that began with our founding in 1833. That small effort by six college students has become a fire that lights the world. Today we serve in 155 countries around the world, with 800,000 Members and 1.5 million volunteers. We provided more 1.49 TRILLION Euros in Service to over 30 million people in 2023. And this year we will celebrate the 180^th Anniversary of the founding of the Society here in the United States.

Our SVdP core value is deep, personal encounters with those we serve. It is this heritage of compassionate, relational charity that is the foundation of who we are and what we cherish and honor as we move forward.

Vincentians understand the words that George Bernard Shaw wrote many years ago, “The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them.” So, the SVdP commitment to a human-to-human, Christ-centered encounter with all those we serve is unwavering and ensures that we are never indifferent to their material needs, but more importantly, we are not indifferent to their need to be seen, to be heard, and to be loved; by us and by God. Our commitment to compassion and service is unwavering.

Our founders underscored the importance of charity as an inclusive act, not merely an exchange of goods but a genuine relationship and community-building effort. But Ozanam also passionately spoke to the need to address the underlying causes of poverty and injustice. Frédéric said:

“Charity is not sufficient, it treats the wounds but does not stop the blows that cause them.
There comes a time when Charity is unable to do everything, and justice alone can ensure the well-being of all”

In his 2017 World Day of the Poor message, Pope Francis wrote:

“We may think of the poor simply as the beneficiaries of our occasional volunteer work, or of impromptu acts of generosity that appease our conscience. However good and useful such acts may be for making us sensitive to people’s needs and the injustices that are often their cause, they ought to lead to a true encounter with the poor and a sharing that becomes a way of life.”

That true spiritual encounter touches us. It enriches us. It’s true value is that it is a shared encounter.

To serve effectively in an ever-changing world, we are challenged to open our minds and hearts. We must ask ourselves: How can we be more inclusive? How can we address the root causes of poverty rather than just the symptoms?

The needs of the poor are evolving. And the face of poverty is changing; seniors, women, single parents, and the displaced middle class have become a larger part of the more than 5 million people we serve every year. And as the world evolves, so do the needs of the poor.

This year, SVdP USA is taking bold new action to increase the impact of our work and channel our hopes into concrete action. On April 4, we will open our second National Office in Washington, DC. We will increase our efforts to advocate on behalf of those we serve and turn our focus more intensely towards the pressing issues of our time, particularly the scourge of poverty and homelessness that afflicts far too many of our fellow Americans. As we were recently recognized as the 59^th largest nonprofit in the United States by Forbes Magazine, providing over $1.7 Billion in services directly to over 5 million people in need last year, we have a right to be heard and a voice that matters.  That 5 million people is not just a number — that’s 5 million lives changed, 5 million families given a second chance, and they have a right to have their stories told and their needs identified to the people who can change the law and break down the barriers that are preventing them achieving stability and self-sufficiency.  We are that voice!

The unique direct relationship we have with our neighbors in need gives us a perspective and view from the reality of the poor that we are obligated to share with policy makers and like-minded nonprofits and other organizations to help drive change. Our new DC office will anchor that advocacy work.

The stark and shocking reality of America and the world today is that millions of our brothers and sisters lack basic necessities — affordable housing, nutritious food, and quality healthcare. Families live on the streets, children go to bed hungry, and the cycle of poverty persists. Imagine a mother putting her children down to sleep on a cold night — with no bed and no roof overhead. Or a child going to school hungry, unable to focus on learning. This is the reality WE must change.

This is a crisis of conscience for our nation and every nation. It is a stark reminder that the pursuit of individual prosperity cannot come at the expense of the common good. We are called, as followers of Christ, to be our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers. We are called to love our neighbors as ourselves.

As we look ahead, I am inspired by what we can accomplish together. Imagine a community where every child has access to food, every family has a safe place to call home, and every individual feels valued. Together, we can make that vision a reality.

The task before us is daunting, but not insurmountable. We cannot solve the problems of poverty and homelessness overnight. But we can, each one of us, make a difference. We can be a force for good in the world. We can build a more just and compassionate society, a society where everyone can live a life of dignity and hope.

Our goal must be not just to alleviate suffering but to encounter the divine in our service to others. By looking to the future with hope and embracing new ways of doing things, we serve in ways that are both meaningful and transformative.

In his 2023 message for the World Day of the Poor, Pope Francis wrote:

“Our daily efforts to welcome the poor are still not enough. A great river of poverty is traversing our cities and swelling to the point of overflowing; it seems to overwhelm us, so great are the needs of our brothers and sisters who plead for our help, support, and solidarity.” … It is easy to delegate charity to others, yet the calling of every Christian is to become personally involved.”

This call to perseverance in the face of what at times seems like hopelessness reminds us that our efforts, though sometimes modest, are significant. Every novel approach, every innovative idea, can make a profound difference. Each of us matters.

We stand poised to face new challenges with courage and creativity. As we move forward, let us do so with hearts full of love, minds open to innovation, and spirits grounded in the timeless values of our faith.

Together, we can make a difference that echoes through the ages, bringing hope and healing to a world in need.

My Brothers and Sisters, the call to serve is a divine mandate that transcends time and tradition. Let us be committed and courageous in our approach to answering that call.

Let us commit, in the spirit of the Gospel of Matthew 25, to serving Christ in the least of our brothers and sisters.

Let us commit to be courageous in adapting our charitable efforts to meet the evolving needs of the poor.

Let us commit to embrace this new year with renewed hope and a renewed commitment to action as instruments of God’s love and mercy in the world.

Let us commit together to build a beloved community where all are welcome, where all are valued, and where all can flourish.

Let us commit to be bold, compassionate, and innovative as we work together to build a future filled with hope and healing.

And let us commit that our efforts will reflect the love of Christ in every act of charity we undertake.

Together, we are the light that dispels the darkness. We are the hands of Christ, the voice of the voiceless, the hope of the hopeless. And we will not stop until justice is done, until love reigns, until all are seen, heard, and embraced in dignity.

As we move forward with courage and faith; without fear or apprehension let us be inspired by the words of Blessed Frédéric Ozanam, “Let us not be discouraged; let us be better.”

In closing, I offer you the words of St. Vincent de Paul: “Go to the poor: you will find God.” This simple yet profound directive guides all of us in the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in our mission to serve with love and compassion.

Thank you, and God bless.