It is our vocation to set people’s hearts ablaze, to do what the Son of God did, who came to light a fire on earth to set it ablaze with His love. We must do what is agreeable to God. We must do what Our Lord Jesus Christ did when preaching the Gospel. Let us go to the poor Let us learn of Him.
— Frédéric Ozanam
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A VOCATION
TRUST IN PROVIDENCE!!!
TRUST IN PROVIDENCE!!!
Being a Vincentian — is for those who hear this special calling from God. It’s not for everyone, nor just anyone. Members are more than volunteers; this is not merely something that we do, but something that we are: Vincentians.
The vocation of the Society’s members, who are called Vincentians, is to follow Christ through service to those in need and so bear witness to His compassionate and liberating love. Members show their commitment through person-to-person contact. Vincentians serve in hope.
As Vincentians, we put our faith into action. We love God, as St. Vincent said, “with the strength of our arms and the sweat of our brow.” The Vincentian vocation calls us to participate personally and directly in helping the needy by person-to-person contact and by the gift of our hearts and friendship, within the communal spirit of a Conference of lay persons each inspired by the same vocation.
In an audience with Vincentians, Pope Paul VI praised our ministry as “a great testimony of living Catholicism. You give witness to Christ in the Church of the Poor. The critic from outside is impressed. If he wants to understand you, he must look for that mysterious religious vitality that animates your silent work of love. And those others, too, see you living the Gospel, those to whom you direct your steps, and whom you do not call by the name of the poor, but by that of friend and brother.”
TRUST IN PROVIDENCE!!!
TRUST IN PROVIDENCE!!!
TRUST IN PROVIDENCE!!!
To trust in Providence and to do God’s will are two sides of the same coin. After all, without trust in His Providence, doing His will would be merely a chore that would quickly become burdensome. Instead, it should be for us a source of joy! Trust in providence, then, begins with doing God’s will as best we can discern it, and then trusting that the outcome also will be His will. In other words, we should not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself.
Our trust in providence is certainly an act of faith. We believe that God will provide; God understands our weaknesses, but trusts us, also, and blesses us when we seek to do His will. In this way, we strengthen our relationship with God, and our trust becomes also an act of love. And so, in faith, hope, and love of God, we seek to serve the neighbor because we know this is God’s will. If we seek to serve in hope, we must serve also in trust !
Seeing Christ’s Face
TRUST IN PROVIDENCE!!!
Seeing Christ’s Face
St. Vincent teaches us to see Christ in the poor and suffering, so much so that the poor become our Lords and Masters and we their servants. Vincentian spirituality is centered around this concept. Jesus said “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” (see Matthew 25: 34-40). So we honor our Lord Jesus Christ by serving Him both materially and spiritually in the person of the poor. Vincentians believe that true religion is found among the poor and that as we attend to their needs, they inspire us and evangelize us.
“The poor have much to teach you. You have much to learn from them.” –St. Vincent. When we share in the life and goals of poor persons, we discover the presence of the Spirit of the Lord who renews us. As we speak with them, listen to them, and accompany them as the agents of their own way to liberation, we allow ourselves to be evangelized by them– we are inspired and humbled by their faith and hope in God under the worst of circumstances
People of Prayer
THE VINCENTIAN VIRTUES
Seeing Christ’s Face
Vincentians are people of prayer. We pray before and after our meetings, we pray with and for the neighbors we serve, and we promote a life of prayer and reflection, both as individuals and as a community of faith, sharing with our fellow members. An important part of our formation as Vincentians is the role of reflection and contemplation. At each meeting, members reflect upon spiritual readings from scripture, from our Vincentian publications, or upon our service. Reflecting together as a group, members are always invited to share their thoughts, so that each can benefit from the others’ insights as we grow in holiness together.
Vincentians often gather outside of regular meetings to pray and reflect together on retreats that may last a few hours or a few days. In praying and sharing in this way, we seek to grow in holiness together. In addition, Conferences and Councils work with clergy to plan special liturgies, especially to celebrate our Vincentian Feast Days, but also for Commissioning and Commitment ceremonies for Members and Servant Leaders.
THE VINCENTIAN VIRTUES
THE VINCENTIAN VIRTUES
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THE VINCENTIAN VIRTUES
THE VINCENTIAN VIRTUES
THE VINCENTIAN VIRTUES
- Humility
St. Augustine once called humility “the foundation of all the other virtues.” With humility, Vincentians accept the truth about our frailties, gifts talents, and charism, yet know that all that God gives us is for others and that we can achieve nothing of eternal value without His grace. St. Louise de Marillac suggested that “humility is the knowledge of truth.”
- Gentleness
Our gentleness is expressed through friendly assurance and invincible goodwill, which mean kindness, sweetness, and patience in our relationship with others. St. Vincent reminds us that this must be both interior and exterior; in other words, we don’t simply act patient and kind, we must truly be patient and kind!
- Selflessness
Dying to our ego with a life of self-sacrifice; members share their time, their possessions, their talents, and themselves in a spirit of generosity.
- Zeal
Zeal, which St. Vincent once described as “the soul of all the virtues,” is a passion for the full flourishing and eternal happiness of every person. We must be careful not to ever separate our zeal from our love of the neighbor, lest it become scolding, or what Bl. Frederic called it “the proud pharisaism of an indiscreet zeal.”