26/05/2023
Guided by its Rule, the Council General has sought to approach organizations and institutions that can, together with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, undertake programs, projects and initiatives to improve the lives of those most in need, and also to expand Vincentian professionalism and training.
The following agreements have been signed in recent years: Religious of St. Vincent de Paul (2019), Center for International Formation of the Vincentian Family (2020), Vincentian Lay Missionaries (2021), Depaul International (2022), and Fraternity without Borders (2022).
This year, at the General Assembly, an institutional cooperation agreement will be signed between the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and the Sovereign Order of Malta. The agreement with the Order of Malta is strategic and essential for the charitable mission areas of our Society. As we know, the mission of the Sovereign Order of Malta is very similar to ours; therefore, we have common principles based on our Christian heritage, the values of the Gospel and the Social Doctrine of the Church.
The content of the agreement provides for the exchange of projects on institutional issues of common interest, utilizing the experience of each organization in the mission of charity. In addition, the agreement encompasses collaborative work, training and capacity building, fundraising, common programs and volunteer actions, on behalf of children, adolescents, women, the elderly, the homeless and refugees.
The Order of Malta was born in the 11th century and is currently present in 120 countries, caring for the needy through medical, social, and humanitarian services, focusing on the excluded and the most forgotten in civil society. One of its strategies is to act in regions of armed conflict and natural disasters, helping war refugees with medicines and other benefits. It has numerous hospitals, medical centers, and specialized foundations.
Up to March 30th each year, National Councils can propose the names of institutions that could be the subject of future agreements with our Society. The agreement with the Order of Malta, like the previous ones, is available on the Council General’s website.
For these international agreements of institutional cooperation to be effective, they need to be signed at national level. We recommend that the National Councils contact the Order of Malta in each Vincentian territory for this purpose, respecting the autonomy of each entity.