Vincentians must be accustomed to “serving in hope,” because we are called to bring the love of God to those who are poor and suffering.

Serving in Hope is a new spiritual formation program developed by the National Office, for the Conference and Council level. We are urging all of our conferences in North Broward to begin using the Serving in Hope program as part of their regular conference meetings. Vincentians must be accustomed to “serving in hope,” because we are called to bring the love of God to those who are poor and suffering. Therefore, all Vincentians must become rooted in the spirituality that is at the heart and soul of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

Serving in Hope consists of a video and a Formation Guide program. The video provides an introduction to the Module and a short (4-5 min) presentation to each Session. The Formation Guide provides prayers, readings, and a dialogue question for sharing. Participation in the Serving in Hope program will deepen your understanding of what it means to live and act as a Vincentian in the spirit of St. Vincent de Paul and Blessed Frédéric Ozanam. The video for each Module costs $5.00 (only one copy needed for each Conference). Formation Guides cost $1.25 each (all members should have their own copy).

Serving in Hope consists of the following Modules (and dates of publication):

Module I: Our Vincentian Vocation – 2003
Module II: Our Vincentian Spirituality – 2003
Module III: Our Vincentian Heritage – 2004
Module IV: Our Vincentian Mission – 2005
Module V: Our Vincentian Rule – 2006
Module VI: Our Vincentian Conference Life – 2007

Serving in Hope is a spiritual formation program, and therefore it is not just about information and facts. Formation is designed to move us from our heads into our hearts. Just as we hear the readings from Scripture at Mass every Sunday, letting the words of Jesus sink deeper into our hearts, we find that as the years go by we understand more clearly the meaning of our call to be Christians.

It is the same with this spiritual formation program Serving in Hope, as we may be hearing many facts that we already know, but each time they will be going deeper into our hearts. This program is designed for every current member of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul as we are called to renew our own hearts as we renew the Society. It is also designed as an introduction for new members, where one or two current members can sit down together and go through the program with a new member.

Serving in Hope can be used at a Conference Meeting a session at a time, with each session lasting about twenty-five minutes. Or the entire Module of six sessions can be used as a day or retreat, which will take about four hours to complete.

Serving in Hope was developed by Sister Kieran Kneaves, who can be contacted at:

Email: kkneaves@svdpusa.org
Phone: (314) 576-3993
Fax: (314) 576-6755

If you wish you can order materials directly from the organization’s national website.