Province News

Your support of the Walking with the Poor campaign provides grants to help young people understand the history and charism of the Vincentians. The internship program at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, TX, is one example of your generosity at work. The program provides college students opportunities to either serve at Vincentian parish or minister to immigrant families at a local bus station. Click below to watch a brief video about this important ministry. Thank you for your support!

At a recent event in Denver, more than 150 members of the Vincentian Family gathered to discuss the Catholic social teachings regarding immigration issues in
the United States. Participants were committed to coming away with
 a shared vision and collective response to the challenges many immigrants face in their journeys. The theme for the event was Challenging Voices. Healing Voices. How Can We Be Silent? Participants were encouraged to meet people from various branches of the Vincentian Family, to learn from one another and hear different perspectives. Fr. Guillermo Campuzano, C.M., 
the delegate from the Congregation
of the Mission to the United […]

Fr. Henry Grodecki, C.M., has joined the international missions as pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Co-Cathedral in Anchorage, AK. He recently was recognized for his pastoral leadership and commitment to the local immigrant population. The Catholic Anchor, the local diocesan publication, featured an article about him. Read the article here.

Catholic Home Study, an evangelization ministry of the Western Province, is always pursuing new ways of spreading the Gospel in the digital age. In addition to Catholic faith formation resources available free on their website, the ministry recently launched a new prayer app and podcast. “We are looking for transformational ways to reach out to younger people and invite them to embrace and live their faith,” explains Fr. Ron Hoye, C.M., Director of Catholic Home Study. “I teach people that the more time you give to God, the more God expands in your life.” The new app, God Moments, is […]

Jerry Girsch and his wife Linda first learned about the Vincentians when Jerry was invited to join the board of trustees at DePaul University. As they drew closer to the Vincentians at DePaul – the largest Catholic university in the country – they knew quickly that they wanted to play a role in supporting the mission. “We liked that the university offered opportunities for first-generation college students and families in need,” Jerry recalls. “Linda and I did not come from wealthy families and our parents did not have college degrees, so the idea of helping students in need struck a […]

This summer, 13 Vincentian volunteers traveled more than 7,000 miles to the Vincentian region in Kenya, East Africa, to serve the poor. For months leading up to the trip, the volunteers raised funds to cover the cost of their travel and to provide supplies to the people they would meet. In June, the group made the long journey to Nairobi, and settled in at DePaul Centre, a Vincentian house of formation that served as the group’s headquarters. During the school year, the facility houses seminarians studying for the priesthood. The center offered the volunteers a comfortable place to meet, sleep […]

This year, we invited our friends, benefactors and lay collaborators to join in celebrating 200 years of Vincentian service and the start of a third century
of faith. The response was overwhelming! Dedicated people from throughout the United States have offered their prayers and financial gifts to enliven and expand our mission – the mission of St. Vincent – to evangelize the poor. This year, your gifts touched the lives of those we serve by helping to: Provide direct service to the poor in the United States Establish the Welcome the Stranger program in Kenya Enable care to our senior Vincentian […]

For 200 years, Vincentian brothers have farmed the land and taken care of the buildings at St. Mary’s of the Barrens in Perryville, Missouri. In the early years, they provided fresh produce, dairy, beef and pork to Vincentian seminaries throughout the region. This year, the farm will be winding down its operations. The last of the cattle herd will be sold and just enough equipment will be kept to maintain the pastureland. Fr. Ray Van Dorpe, C.M., recently acknowledged the farm brothers’ efforts and the work of so many dedicated Vincentians before them who were instrumental in sustaining the community’s […]

My heart is overwhelmed with thankfulness and joy for this ‘gift from heaven,’ allowing the Vincentian Family to celebrate the 400th Anniversary of the Vincentian charism. This charism has left such deep marks of Jesus’ unconditional love on the world throughout the last 400 years and continues to do so today!” These words of Fr. Tomaz Mavric, Superior General of the Congregation of the Mission, at the opening of the worldwide celebration, reflect the sentiments of the Vincentians in the United States who celebrate 200 years of service in this country. The Vincentians first sent missionaries to the United States […]

“I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”
 – Mt. 25: 35 “This Gospel quote describes how the Vincentians live every day,” says Bob Shadduck, long- time supporter of the Western Province. “The priests and brothers recognize people as individuals and share whatever they have with those they serve.” Bob and Catherine Shadduck first encountered Vincentians at Padre Serra Parish in Camarillo, California. Fr. Kevin McCracken,
C.M., was working as a professor at the nearby seminary and served in the parish on weekends. […]