It may come as a surprise to some, but Madame de Gondi had to push Vincent a little. Calling Vincentians of Wherever!

The Vincentian Family lives most of its life in a parish. And we need parishes equipped for the “new” evangelization. We need Vincentian “missionary parishes.”

Pablo Domínguez, C.M., has written:

Given the reality of de-christianization the mission of the parish cannot be reduced to maintaining the faith of those who are already practicing their faith but must take on a form of evangelization that is truly missionary. This means that

• we must accompany and support believers who are weak and/or disoriented;
• we must help those who are alienated to re-engage on a path of conversion that leads them once again to a Christian experience;
• we must dialogue with non-believers and listen to their criticisms, their values and their concerns …
• we must open to them a path that helps them in some initial acceptance of the gospel; we must make an effort to make the values of the kingdom operative and present in the midst of society.

The entire article by Father Pablo on our partner network, “We are Vincentians” merits your attention. he describes a NEW REALITY: The post-conciliar parish.

… with a missionary and liberating pastoral approach: missionary evangelization is a priority and adult catechesis has a more prominent role than that of children and adolescents. The celebration of the Eucharist is participative; pastoral responsibilities are shared and there are good services provided in the areas of welcoming, assistance and guidance. Sensitivity to the problems of the neighborhood and beyond is encouraged and promoted: unemployment, marginalization, drugs, aging, etc. There is a clear option for the poor and a concern for their evangelization. Injustice is denounced and human rights are upheld. The parish identifies itself with a community or with a network of communities and lives in ecclesial communion.

If your parish isn’t doing this, be like Madame de Gondi. Make a New Year’s resolution, and PUSH!

A VINCENTIAN “FIELD HOSPITAL”: Read about a missionary parish in the United States.