1.1 THE VINCENTIAN FAMILY
The Vincentian Family is a worldwide, living reality. Countless persons live and breathe the spirit, tradition, and spirituality of “the Apostle of Charity and Father of the Poor,” Saint Vincent de Paul. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is one branch of a colossal Vincentian Family Tree. The Vincentian Family consists of men and women, young and old, rich and poor, educated and unlettered, Eastern and Western. Family members speak common languages and obscure dialects; they live in large cities and on small islands; they are married and single, priests, deacons, and religious; they are CEOs and manual laborers. Who they are does not matter; what they have in common does: their call to follow in the footsteps of St. Vincent de Paul, their love for him, and their desire to keep his Mission alive.
Origins
St. Vincent founded three organizations, the first in 1617: the Confraternities of Charity, known in the United States as the Ladies of Charity. Under its current title as the International Association of Charities (AIC), it continues its mission of serving the poor.
In 1625 St. Vincent founded the Congregation of the Mission, usually referred to as the CMs or Vincentian priests, a community of priests and brothers whose special purpose was to evangelize the poor in rural areas and help in the formation and education of priests.
St. Louise de Marillac and St. Vincent de Paul co-founded the third organization, the Daughters of Charity, in 1633. Its primary purpose was to honor Christ by serving him corporally and spiritually in the persons of the poor, the sick, the imprisoned, the young, and others in need.
These three groups have weathered periods of growth, decline, persecution, and renewal, but all three have survived and are very much alive!
Growth in the 19th and 20th Century
After St. Vincent, the Vincentian Family continued to grow, the Daughters of Charity becoming the largest community of religious women in the Church. In 1830, in the Chapel of the Motherhouse of the Daughters of Charity in Paris, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Sister Catherine Labouré, a novice in the Community. From this apparition, the Miraculous Medal was struck and devotion to this sacramental quickly spread throughout the world. The Vincentian Family branch known today as the Miraculous Medal Association owes its origin to St. Catherine’s vision.
In 1833, less than three years later, in walking distance of the Chapel of the Daughters of Charity, Frederic Ozanam established the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. It also spread quickly. Blessed Frederic saw the Society established in many countries, including the United States, Canada and Mexico. Members of the Society, Vincentians, went two by two to the homes of the poor to respond to their needs.
Fourteen years later, another request made by the Blessed Mother in her apparition to St. Catherine Labouré was fulfilled. “The Most Holy Virgin wants you to found an association of Children of Mary,” Catherine told her spiritual director. This association came into existence in 1847 and rapidly spread.
Following the French Revolution, 103 different religious communities were founded in the spirit of St. Vincent de Paul, among them the Religious of St. Vincent de Paul, started by former members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in the Chapel of St. Vincent in Paris.
Elizabeth Ann Seton founded the Sisters of Charity in 1809 at Emmitsburg, Maryland, patterning her Rule after that of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul in Paris. From Emmitsburg, several other communities of Sisters of Charity sprang up in North America and eventually formed a Federation.
In 1983, the Vincentian Service Corps began in New York City. This is a program designed for young adults to volunteer a year of service to the poor and marginalized, to learn and live Vincentian spirituality, and to live in community. The Daughters of Charity sponsor the VSC in St. Louis and in California. The Vincentian priests sponsor the Colorado Vincentian Volunteers in Denver and the Gateway Vincentian Volunteers in St. Louis.
MISEVI, a Vincentian Lay Missionaries program established in 1999, assists young lay women and men who want to spend several years of their lives in a foreign mission, offering them a pastoral and community setting, a financial stipend, and spiritual support.
The amazing growth of the Vincentian Family is due to the attractiveness of the charisms of St. Vincent de Paul, St. Louise de Marillac, Bl. Frederic Ozanam, and Bl. Rosalie Rendu, whose spirit and spirituality appeal to the human heart.
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The International Association of Charities (AIC) or Ladies of Charity consists of 260,000 members in 49 countries.
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The Congregation of the Mission has 4,000 members in 80 countries.
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The Daughters of Charity have 24,000 members in 87 countries.
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Vincentian Marian Youth groups number 240,000 members in 45 countries.
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The Society of St. Vincent de Paul includes 690,000 active members in 135 countries.
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The Sisters of Charity Federation counts 7,000 members.
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The Association of the Miraculous Medal boasts 5-10 million members in 15 countries.
Recognizing that there is strength in unity and numbers, the international leaders have challenged the Vincentian Family to collaborate more effectively to meet the escalating needs of the world’s poor. St. Vincent de Paul was a master of collaboration and organization. His vision of service entailed connections, relationships, and teamwork. “We should assist the poor in every way, and do it by ourselves and by enlisting the help of others,” Vincent advised. “To do this is to preach the gospel by words and by works.” Through collaboration, the Vincentian Family can, more quickly and more efficiently, fulfill Blessed Frederic Ozanam’s dream of embracing the world in a network of charity.
The international leadership urge the various branches of the Vincentian Family to use the excellent resources available to them to do spiritual formation in common. Each branch of the Family has much to offer the others in the field of spirituality, and each can benefit from the sharing of the collective wisdom and grace of the others. Eager to strengthen its relationship with the worldwide Vincentian Family, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in the United States recommends the following websites to its members as excellent resources for formation and education: www.famvin.org, www.ozanet.org, and www.svdpusa.org .
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