ONE of the first things I noticed when myself and my colleague Andrea entered the Vincentian Fathers House in Grudë e Re—and briefly escaped the searing heat of an Albania summer—was a simple fledgling house plant, tied to two broom handles to assist its growth. It was an image that made me realise that this place is somewhere that is rooted in love, care and support and it’s an image that leans into the famous phrase uttered by St Vincent De Paul himself, ‘love is inventive

“SISTER Lulë, who leads the Franciscan Sisters community that runs the children’s centre, called me one day to say: ‘Father, we are very worried. We don’t know if we can continue. If we don’t receive help, we may have to close the centre.’ Their finances were becoming impossible, the bathrooms needed replacing as did the heating system.