FROM THE PROVINCIAL

A Family

Dear friends,

May Jesus Christ be praised!

On September 27, we celebrate the feast of St. Vincent de Paul, founder of the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentian Fathers and Brothers). Of course, we are not the only group St. Vincent founded. In his great charity – so great, in fact, that in the Church he is the universal patron saint of charity – and in his desire to serve the poor and share with them the good news of Jesus Christ, he also founded, with the help of Saint Louise de Marillac, the Daughters of Charity whose service to the poor is legendary.

There is another group St. Vincent founded, indeed it was the first group
he founded 390 years ago this year: the Ladies of Charity, a group of laywomen who in their charity voluntarily come together to serve the poor. The Ladies of Charity (better known in other countries as the International Association of Charities) are some 260,000 strong worldwide, serving in 52 countries.

The United States Ladies of Charity are celebrating a special anniversary this September. It is the 150th anniversary of their founding in the United States, and they began their outreach in this country at St. Vincent de Paul Parish in St. Louis! What began as a simple work of charity under the leadership of Catherine Harkins has grown to some 73 local associations throughout the country. The Ladies of Charity are committed “to provide Vincentian leadership to women living the Gospel message, acting together against poverty and injustice.” Their motto calls them “To serve rather than be served . . . in humility, simplicity, and charity.” Our warmest congratulations to the Ladies of Charity.

Of course, the Ladies of Charity are just one of many groups who constitute what today is called the “Vincentian Family,” groups who were founded by St. Vincent or regard him as their source of inspiration and dedication to the service of the poor. We priests and brothers of the Congregation of the Mission are only one branch of the Vincentian Family. The Daughters of Charity, the International Association of Charities (Ladies of Charity), the Vincentian Marian Youth, the Association of the Miraculous Medal, the Vincentian Lay Missionaries, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, and so many more groups either formally or informally help make up this vast and influential spiritual family in the Church. One recent study lists 305 associations or groups from the 17th century to the present that may be said to be part of the Vincentian Family!

I think of the many groups here in the Midwest who are close to us, and with whom we work in service to the poor – groups like the Sisters of Charity, our youth service groups (Colorado Vincentian Volunteers and Gateway Vincentian Volunteers), SOMOPRO (Southern Missouri Project), VOYA (Vincentian Outreach Young Adults), and many others.

I think of a group to whom we are reaching out in a new way and reconnecting with, namely, men, along with their families, who at one time were members of the Congregation of the Mission or students studying for the Congregation. Last fall, we had a first gathering for what you might call our “alumni” in Chicago. This month we have a second gathering being held in Perryville, Missouri, and in January, we will hold a repeat gathering in Chicago. We are excited to reconnect with these men with whom we have shared so much of our lives, and who in their hearts are still very much inspired by St. Vincent’s vision and values.

Today I am especially mindful of another group – you, our readers. You, too, are joined to all of us in the Vincentian Family through your support of and prayers for us. Many of you are able to share from your treasure with us, and for that I am particularly grateful since your doing so makes it possible for us to continue our mission, especially to the poor. This newsletter includes the annual development report, and in it you will note that in fiscal year 2007, 1,202 donors contributed nearly $2.3 million to benefit the Province and its many works. You, our friends and collaborators, have contributed through the annual appeal for operations, the Kenya mission appeal, the Journey Home Campaign, will bequests, charitable gift annuities, and more. Through your generosity, we can continue to evangelize the poor, especially the more abandoned, and to help the clergy and laity in their formation to do the same.

What binds all of us together is that remarkable saint of charity, St. Vincent. We sometimes say that “we love what St. Vincent loved.” Of course, to be a bit more exact, we should say “we love whom St. Vincent loved,” that is, the poor in whom he saw the face of Christ.

I hope you enjoy this issue of The Vincentian, and I again wish each of you the blessings of the feast day of St. Vincent de Paul.

Thank you for all you do for the Church and Congregation as our collaborators – joined together with all of us in the Vincentian Family. You are in my daily prayers.

Blessings,

James Swift, C.M.