HONG KONG (SE): Listening to the poor, strengthening collaboration and nurturing a new generation of volunteers were central themes of a regional training seminar organised by the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul [SSVP] in Hong Kong on September 28 and 29.
Held at the Diocese Centre auditorium under the theme “Growing Together in Faith,” the two-day gathering brought together clergy, religious, lay leaders and society members from Japan, Taiwan, Mongolia, Singapore, the Philippines and Hong Kong.
Participants reflected on how attentive listening to scripture, to Christ and to people experiencing poverty can deepen their faith and shape their service.
In his opening remarks, Cardinal Stephen Chow, S.J., emphasised that service to the poor must come from the heart, rather than remain a purely intellectual exercise. He drew on the Jesuit understanding of tertianship—the final period of formal religious formation—as a “school of the heart,” in which deeper knowledge and love of God prepare a person to help others grow.
Cardinal Stephen said holiness develops through relationships rather than in isolation. Referring to philosopher Martin Buber’s I and Thou, he encouraged participants to encounter others as persons, rather than reduce them to objects of assistance.
He also urged members to build authentic communion through mutual listening and openness to the Holy Spirit. Discernment, he stressed, means seeking the Spirit’s guidance while making decisions, not merely asking for God’s blessing after a course of action has already been chosen.
Cardinal Stephen Chow, S.J., emphasised that service to the poor must come from the heart, rather than remain a purely intellectual exercise
A message from Juan Manuel Buergo Gómez, the society’s 17th international president general, called for renewed fraternity under the inspiration of Saint Vincent de Paul and Blessed Frédéric Ozanam.
Collaboration across the Vincentian family
Sister Ellen Marie Hagar, a Daughter of Charity and executive director of the Vincentian Family Office, addressed the importance of collaboration among the many organisations sharing the Vincentian charism. Her appointment to the office was announced in November 2025.
The wider Vincentian family includes both the SSVP and the Daughters of Charity. The Vincentian Family Office describes it as a worldwide family comprising more than 170 branches. Sister Hagar identified four dimensions of collaboration: relational, spiritual, structural and prophetic.
She encouraged members to become better acquainted with one another, root their shared work in Christ, develop effective leadership structures and speak together in support of systemic change for people experiencing poverty and marginalisation.
Father Yohanes Kusno Bintoro of the Congregation of the Mission led a series of spiritual reflections throughout the seminar. He reminded participants to serve people in poverty as brothers and sisters, rather than view them as “cases,” and to recognise the person behind every difficulty. Encountering Christ in others, he said, calls for personal holiness nurtured within a community of faith.
He also urged members to build authentic communion through mutual listening and openness to the Holy Spirit
Father Bintoro emphasised ongoing prayer, deeper formation and stronger collaboration among Vincentian branches. He also used the image of “sharpening the axe” to underline the need for rest and renewal, warning that exhaustion can undermine both judgement and the quality of service.
He urged participants to bring this renewed understanding of their mission back to their communities.
Regional experiences of service
Delegates’ presentations illustrated the different pressures facing people in poverty and those who accompany them across Asia.
Narciso Cruzar Jun, representing the Philippines, described the effects of working poverty, inflation, unequal access to digital resources and frequent typhoons on vulnerable communities.
Father Bintoro emphasised ongoing prayer, deeper formation and stronger collaboration among Vincentian branches
Dashdavaa Balsan from Mongolia spoke of volunteers delivering hot meals, helping repair traditional ger dwellings and providing vouchers for access to shower facilities. Severe winters, fuel shortages and logistical difficulties complicate these efforts, he said.
Kyojo Sato from Japan described the challenge of responding to natural disasters while maintaining an ageing and shrinking volunteer base. He outlined efforts to revitalise local councils and work alongside Caritas Japan.
Lucy Cher from Singapore said regular parish collections and corporate donations support the society’s charitable programmes, including an initiative providing milk and nappies for about 500 infants.
Kyojo Sato from Japan described the challenge of responding to natural disasters while maintaining an ageing and shrinking volunteer base. He outlined efforts to revitalise local councils and work alongside Caritas Japan
Monica Mao described the society in Taiwan as being at an earlier stage of development. Its fundraising includes an annual collection campaign and parish coin-collection bottles.
Ellis Suen, president of the Central Council of Hong Kong, highlighted the difficulties faced by residents of subdivided flats, isolated older people, households living in poverty and migrant workers.
He also outlined support for asylum seekers and refugees through monthly home visits, nursery programmes and community gatherings designed to build relationships and challenge prejudice.
Formation and the next generation
Towards the end of the seminar, Maurice Yeung outlined the society’s international reach and the contribution of its Asian members.
According to his presentation, the SSVP operates in 155 countries and territories through some 46,000 local conferences, nearly a quarter of them in Asia. Conferences are the society’s local groups through which members organise their service.
Participants emphasised that personal relationships and opportunities to see the impact of service can help sustain involvement among students and young families
Yeung reported that Asia received about 40 per cent of the aid and development funding for 2024–2025, supporting work in disaster response, housing, health, education and rural livelihoods.
He identified leadership formation, online spiritual education, operational accountability and financial transparency as priorities.
Delegates also discussed how to address an ageing volunteer base by engaging younger generations. Suggestions included inviting former members of Vincentian Marian Youth to join the society, offering age-appropriate service opportunities for children aged seven and above, and organising activities through which younger and middle-aged adults could experience its work.
Participants emphasised that personal relationships and opportunities to see the impact of service can help sustain involvement among students and young families.
The seminar concluded with a Mass celebrated by Father Bintoro and five concelebrating priests. Delegates committed themselves to strengthening youth participation, making greater use of online formation resources and expanding ecumenical and civic partnerships in pursuit of lasting change.
