Embargo date 1/27/2014

Fr. Bernard Schoepfer, C.M. Appointed New Director General of Daughters of Charity.

Fr. G. Gregory Gay, C.M. Superior General of the Congregation of the Mission and the Daughters of Charity, announced that he has appointed Fr. Bernard Schoepfer, C.M., a confrere from the Province of Paris as the Director General of the Daughters of Charity. He will serve in this position for a three-year term. In a letter to Visitors, the Superior General noted, “After informing you of the resignation of Fr. Patrick Griffin, C.M., due to health concerns which no longer allow him to carry out his ministry as the Director General of the Daughters of Charity, I asked for your prayers. Having considered the suggestions I received, and with the consent of the General Council, I have appointed Fr. Bernard Schoepfer, C.M., as the new Director General.”

Fr. Bernard was born in Bale, Switzerland and grew up in the Alsace region in eastern France. A member of the Paris Province, he was admitted into the Congregation on 10 September 1984, and was ordained on 4 May, 1989. In his quarter century of ministry, Fr. Bernard has fulfilled a number of varied ministries. He has engaged in pastoral work in rural areas of the Diocese of Amiens; accompanied candidates in seminary formation for the Congregation; served as chaplain to the shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, worked as spiritual advisor to the St. Vincent de Paul Society, and a member of the provincial council for the Province of Paris. Currently, Fr. Bernard serves as Superior at the Maison-Mere, and the national chaplain to the AIC in France.

Fr. Gay expressed gratitude to Fr. Bernard Schoepfer for his generosity in accepting this assignment as well as offering thanks to the outgoing director Fr. Patrick Griffin: “I thank Fr. Bernard for his willingness to serve, and I assure him of our prayers and fraternal support in his new ministry. I express my deep gratitude to Fr. Patrick Griffin for his tireless devotion to duty as Director General these past three years. We pray the Lord grant him good health, so that he may continue for many years to “serve the Lord with gladness”. (Ps. 100:2)

Fr. Bernard is scheduled to assume his new duties in late March. At the end of his letter to the Vincentian Provincials, Fr. Gregory Gay exhorted confreres: “Let us entrust Fr. Bernard’s mandate to our Blessed Mother, because as St. Vincent told us, “When the Mother of God has been invoked and taken as patroness of important matters, everything can only go well and accrue to the glory of Jesus, her Son.” (SV: XIII b, p.3)

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The letter from the Superior General to the Visitors announcing this appointment is below.

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CONGREGAZIONE DELLA MISSIONE                                                                                     CURIA GENERALIZIA

Via dei Capasso, 30                                                                                           Tel. (39) 06 661 3061                          00164 Roma – Italia  Fax (39) 06 666 3831       e-mail: cmcuria@cmglobal.org

            ROME, 24 January 2014

To Visitors and Vice-Visitors of the Congregation:

Dear Confreres:

May the grace and peace of Our Lord Jesus Christ fill your hearts now and forever!

After my recent letter informing you of the resignation of Fr. Patrick Griffin, C.M., due to health concerns that no longer allow him to carry out his ministry as Director General of the Daughters of Charity, I asked for your prayers. Having considered the suggestions received, and with the consent of the General Council, I have appointed Fr. Bernard Schoepfer, C.M., as new Director General of the Daughters of Charity. He will serve in this position for a three-year term.

Fr. Bernard was born in Bale, Switzerland and grew up in the Alsace region in eastern France. A member of the Paris Province, he was admitted into the Congregation in 1984 and ordained in 1989. In his quarter century of ministry, Fr. Bernard has engaged in pastoral work in rural areas; accompaniment for candidates in seminary formation for the Congregation; chaplain to the shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, spiritual advisor to the St. Vincent de Paul Society, and a  provincial council member for the Province of Paris. Currently, Fr. Bernard serves as Superior at the Maison-Mere in Paris, and the national chaplain to the AIC in France.

I thank Fr. Bernard for his willingness to serve, and I assured him of our prayers and fraternal support in his new ministry. I express my deep gratitude to Fr. Patrick Griffin for his tireless devotion to duty as Director General these past three years. We pray the Lord grant him good health, so that he may continue for many years to “serve the Lord with gladness”. (Ps. 100:2)

Let us entrust Fr. Bernard’s mandate to our Blessed Mother, because as St. Vincent told us, “When the Mother of God has been invoked and taken as patroness of important matters, everything can only go well and accrue to the glory of Jesus, her Son.” (SV: XIII b, p.3)

Your brother in St. Vincent,

G. Gregory Gay, C.M.                                                                                                                         Superior General