FROM THE PROVINCIAL

Of the Hub and Its Spokes

Dear friends,

May Jesus Christ be praised!

I wish you and yours the grace and peace of Jesus this CHRISTmas.

Christmas celebrates love – the boundless love God has for each of us in sending us Jesus as our Savior. As the Gospel of St. John says, “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life.”

Christmas invites us to renew our love – our love for God and our love for each other. These two loves are related. We give expression to and grow in our love for God by our love for others – especially, in the Vincentian tradition, our love for the poor.

A sixth century saint, Dorotheos of Gaza, explained it this way. St. Dor­theos commented on the relationship between the hub and the spokes of an ordinary wheel. Notice, said the saint, the farther you move away from the hub, the farther you also move away from the other spokes. On the other hand, the closer you move towards the hub, the closer you also move to the other spokes. Our love for God and our love for our neighbor are related in a similar way, said the saint. The farther we move away from each other – as spokes on a wheel – the farther we also move away from God – as the hub of the wheel. Conversely, the closer we move to each other in love, the closer we move in love to God.

During this holy season celebrating love, let us renew our love for each other, especially those less fortunate than ourselves, trusting that such love for the neighbor is a sure path to loving God more dearly.

This newsletter announces a new ministry in the Midwest Province – a ministry of prayer by our senior priests and brothers at St. Mary’s of the Barrens in Perryville. Some of these men may have reached a point in their lives where they no longer can minister in our parishes or missions or outreach programs, but they still want to give to others. The most valuable gift they now can offer is their prayers for you. Please feel free to send us your prayer intention requests. Our “Apostles of Prayer” at the Barrens in Perryville are happy to pray for your intentions.

From Kenya comes the story of another kind of ministry – providing clean water. Something so basic that we take for granted in this country is a rare and valued commodity in Kenya. The Vincentians in Nairobi are blessed to have clean water in abundance and are committed to sharing that simple yet vital gift with others.

This past October we hosted a Chicago gathering for those who at one time or another had been in the Community or had been in our seminaries preparing to become Vincentians. This was our first such outreach, and we weren’t sure how
it would turn out. It was a great success, a real cross-generational event, with wives and family, sharing photos and old yearbooks – and lots of laughs. Everyone seemed grateful for the chance to re-connect with each other and with the Community. In the future we hope to host similar gatherings around the rest of the Province and maybe even form a kind of “CM alumni association.”

The Chicago gathering reminded all of us in the Province of how blessed we are to have you as our family, friends, supporters, collaborators. I know that by now you have received our annual year-end appeal asking for support for our year-to-year operations. Your generosity helps the Midwest Province continue our works of announcing the Gospel, serving the poor, forming future priests, ministering to young adults, and caring for our senior members. I renew my gratitude for your past generous support and ask for your continued assistance.

Again, may the blessings of Christmas be with you and your loved ones. Re­ mem­ ber St. Dorotheos’ image of the wheel and, in the tradition of St. Vincent de Paul, reach out in love to others, especially the poor, knowing that by doing so you are drawing closer to God.

You are in my daily prayers.

Blessings.

James Swift, C.M.