Becoming a Church of the Poor: The Vincentian Charism and Reform
April 13-15, 2023
(Chicago & livestream)
PLEASE NOTE: The conference schedule follows local Chicago time, which is Central Daylight Time (CDT); this corresponds to UTC-5, Coordinated Universal Time.
Each year, World Catholicism Week gathers scholars and practitioners from around the world to reflect on a theme. The 2023 global gathering will address how the Vincentian charism can contribute to the process of reform that Pope Francis has inaugurated: What is the Vincentian vision for making the Church more open to God and to the poor? How does the Church need to
Sr. Lorraine Toko, DC, serving the elderly poor as part of a Projets Rosalie initiative in Midjivin, Cameroon. reform, and what kinds of internal and external resistance does it face? How is a reforming Church simultaneously a Church dedicated to the transformation of the world, addressing pressing concerns of economic, political, and environmental justice? Join speakers from the Philippines, Chile, Haiti, Brazil, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Indonesia, Nigeria, Argentina, the U.S., and Europe to discuss the following topics:
- Historical perspectives on reform in the lives of St. Vincent de Paul, St. Louise de Marillac, Blessed Frederic Ozanam, and Vincentian communities worldwide
- The changing concept of "the poor" and the theme of marginality
- The internal reform of the Church, including the roles of laity and women
- Becoming an outward-facing Church dedicated to the transformation of the world
Keynote Speakers
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Tomaž Mavrič, CM (Rome, Italy)
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Superior General, Congregation of the Mission & Company of the Daughters of Charity
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Ex-officio President, Executive Committee, Vincentian Family
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Daniel F. Pilario, CM (Quezon City, Philippines)
- Associate Professor, St. Vincent School of Theology, Adamson University
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Director of Research, Adamson University
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Quentin Wodon (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia)
- Director, International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa, UNESCO
- Former Lead Economist & Poverty Specialist, World Bank
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See the full list of conference speakers here.
Download the conference flyer here.
Conference Organizers/Sponsors
Organized by DePaul University's Center for World Catholicism and Intercultural Theology (CWCIT), World Catholicism Week is an annual event, now in its 14th year, that gathers scholars from around the world to explore a single topic. CWCIT is grateful to its conference cosponsors here at DePaul: