Prayer & Service
PARISH MINISTRY
Since arriving in the United States more than 200 years ago, Vincentian priests and brothers have been dedicated to serving in parishes. We celebrate Mass and the other sacraments. We preach, teach and minister to those in need. We offer spiritual guidance and inspiration through parish missions, as we seek to walk with those we serve. Read more about our Vincentian parish ministries and learn more about the parishes where we serve.
Vice-Province of Kenya
Just as the Vincentians of the 19th century were called by the Holy Spirit to the United States, our priests and brothers are answering the call to spread the Gospel in towns and villages throughout Kenya, East Africa. We have witnessed a flowering of faith – Vincentian parishes, outstations schools and formation houses there are thriving. We even have established a woodworking apprenticeship program to lift families out of poverty and to help bring about systemic change. Read stories of some of the people we serve in Kenya, and offer your support.
Service To the Poor
St. Vincent challenged us “to prefer the service of the poor to everything else.” Vincentian priests and brothers, together with our lay collaborators, work to meet the needs of the poor we encounter every day. From Los Angeles to St. Louis, from Chicago to the slums outside Nairobi, Kenya, we seek out the least of God’s people. Like St. Vincent, we see the face of Christ in the faces of the poor we meet. Learn more about our service to the poor, and see how you can help.
EDUCATION AND FORMATION
Vincentians have always been committed to the education and formation of priests and lay leaders for the service of God and the Church. In addition to parish schools at many of the Vincentian-run parishes in the Western Province, the Vincentian sponsor DEPAUL UNIVERSITY in Chicago, IL, the largest Catholic University in the United States, founded by Vincentians as St. Vincent’s College in 1898. Today, Vincentians still teach at the university and serve it in other ways. Also in Chicago is DEPAUL COLLEGE PREP HIGH SCHOOL, which prepares young people for college learning in the Vincentian tradition. Organizations like VINCENTIAN MARIAN YOUTH SEMO seek to instill in young people, through service to the less fortunate, a love of the Gospel and formation in the Vincentian charism.
Spiritual Advising
Our members are also active in other faith communities and hold positions like Director and Chaplain in provinces of the Daughters of Charity, which were established by St. Vincent de Paul and St. Louise de Marillac in the 1600s. They also hold spiritual advisor and chaplain roles in organizations like the Association of the Miraculous Medal in Perryville, MO, Vincentian Marian Youth SEMO in Ste. Genevieve, MO, Colorado Vincentian Volunteers, and for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.