Parish Caritas and the World Day of the Poor
Sunday 15 November is the Tenth World Day of the Poor. Parish Caritas is open on Mondays from 18:30 to 20:00 in the parish halls at Calle Huertas 2, and anyone can help.
Published on 12 November 2026
Sunday 15 November · Mondays, 18:30 to 20:00 · Parish halls, Calle Huertas 2
On Sunday 15 November the Church celebrates the Tenth World Day of the Poor. This year Pope Leo XIV has chosen the theme “The Lord is the refuge of the poor”, taken from Psalm 14. Pope Francis instituted the day in 2016, at the close of the Jubilee of Mercy, and it is held every year on the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time.
“The Church, by its very nature, is called to be poor and a refuge for the poor.”
The Pope’s message, dated 13 June, the memorial of Saint Anthony of Padua, patron of the poor, denounces the “arrogant corruption” that breeds injustice and the indifference reinforced by the digital world, and asks us to listen to the poor instead of merely talking about them. This year the day coincides with the eighth centenary of the death of Saint Francis of Assisi.
Caritas at the parish
Parish Caritas helps people and families in the neighbourhood who need it. If you need help or information, come any Monday from 18:30 to 20:00 to the parish halls at Calle Huertas 2 and the Caritas team will see you.
Caritas in Madrid
According to its 2025 report, the diocesan Caritas of Madrid helped 84,939 people that year, with 9,090 volunteers, 362 parish Caritas groups and 13,982 donors. For this day it is holding a community prayer with the Community of Sant’Egidio on Thursday 12 November at 17:00, at Calle de Santa Hortensia 3. On Sunday 15 the day is celebrated with Mass in the parishes.
Santiago de Masarnau and the Saint Vincent de Paul Conferences
The pianist and composer Santiago de Masarnau came to know the Saint Vincent de Paul Conferences, groups of lay people devoted to helping the poor, in Paris, and in 1849 he founded the first one in Spain, in Madrid. He died in the parish of San Sebastián in 1882, and in 2021 the Church declared him Venerable.
How to help
Caritas relies on the time of its volunteers and the generosity of the parish. If you would like to volunteer or make a donation, write to caritas@sansebastianatocha.com or call 91 171 14 98.
