From April 28 to 30, 2025, the Congregation of the Mission is celebrating a special Triduum in Paris to mark the Jubilee of its 400th anniversary. This significant moment gathers together members of the Congregation from around the world at the very heart of the mission’s origins, in a spirit of thanksgiving, renewal, and commitment. With liturgies, reflections, and community meetings, the Triduum invites participants to deepen their understanding of the charism of St. Vincent de Paul and to rediscover the ever-relevant call to evangelize the poor and form the clergy. This three-day celebration honors the legacy of four centuries of service and looks forward with hope to the future of the Mission.

Preliminary events on April 27

Homily of Archbishop Mons. José Vicente Nácher Tatay, CM.
“Touch the wounds of the world with deep respect in order to place in them a balm of hope.” Eucharistic Celebration – Meeting with the Bishops of the Congregation

Dear Missionaries, Pilgrims of Hope.

Dear Daughters of Charity, Pilgrims of Hope. Your life reminds us that Charity comes from faith and leads to Hope.

A happy coincidence of Jubilees, the general Jubilee, the Jubilee of Hope, and the Jubilee of the CM, clothed in the Spirit of Jesus Christ, the little Company celebrates the 400th anniversary of its Foundation. A foundation of which Saint Vincent himself had not thought, but as a man of faith, Saint Vincent “let himself be thought of by God.”

The first great teaching of this fourth centenary: open to the divine newness, which we will know how to recognize if we walk moved by the hope that does not disappoint.

Second great teaching of this anniversary: for God there is no hurry. We, who live in a time of haste, are called as a Congregation not to look for immediate goals, because they will not be high or eternal goals.

Third great teaching: if in 400 years the Lord has been with us and has shown us that he loves us, we cannot doubt that he will continue to be at our side on the path that leads to holiness. This Eucharist is also a memorial of God’s faithfulness. The reading from Revelation began: “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him to show his servants what must soon take place” (Revelation 1:1).

In this Eucharist that we celebrate eight days after proclaiming the Easter event, the Gospel twice refers to the wounds of Jesus that restore Thomas’ faith. These wounds reveal the glorified continuity of Jesus’ human condition that we keep on recognizing in the poor. We, sons and daughters of Saints Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac, touch the wounds of the world with deep respect, to place in them a balm of hope.

Several Vincentian bishops (Paúles, Vicentinos, Lazarists) are here as guests. In this sense, I will not say that every good Vincentian missionary will be a good bishop, but I will say that every good bishop will be so if he is first a good Vincentian missionary. What do we bishops do? What we learned in the Congregation for 400 years: to allow ourselves to be challenged by the poor and their sufferings; to proclaim the Gospel even in the most distant places; to be concerned in a concrete and fraternal way for priests; and, if we may also add, to administer our resources well, etc. Is that not what our Holy Founder, Vincent, taught us?

“You will not find anything in them [the Common Rules] which you have not been doing for a long time” (CCD XIIIa, 431). Likewise, I intend to propose nothing new to you but the five virtues that have characterized us throughout the world for four centuries: humility, simplicity, gentleness, mortification, zeal for souls. Allow me to remind myself and you of these virtues.

“Without humility, we must not expect to make any progress for ourselves or benefit for the neighbor” (CCD XI, 46). But with humility we can be close to and available for the poor.

“Simplicity, which consists in doing everything for love of God and having no other aim in all our actions but His glory” (CCD XII, 246). Acting with transparency, authenticity, and coherence.

“There are no people more constant and steadfast in doing good than those who are gentle and good-natured” (CCD XI, 54), having learned it from Jesus who is meek and humble of heart (Matthew 11:29).

“The practice of mortification is absolutely necessary … By this means mortification will dispose us to make our meditation well and, reciprocally, meditation will help us to practice mortification well” (CCD XI, 81-82).

“The fifth teaching is zeal, consisting in a pure desire to become pleasing to God and helpful to our neighbor: zeal to spread the kingdom of God and zeal to procure the salvation of our neighbor. Is there anything in the world more perfect? If love of God is a fire, zeal is its flame; if love is a sun, zeal is its ray. Zeal is unconditional in the love of God” (CCD XII, 250).

We thank God that for 400 years and on every continent, we have worked with “our lot,” the poor. With them we have shared our missionary, communal, and prophetic spirituality, so that our “lords and masters” “may believe in Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God, and that believing they may have life through him” (cf., John 20:31).

Thank you for allowing us to be part of this celebration. Happy anniversary to all.

Archbishop Mons. José Vicente Nácher Tatay, CM

“Saint Vincent and the Bishops” – Conference by Fr. Andrés R. M. Motto, CM

I feel very honored to be able to share with you this reflection during the second gathering of Vincentian bishops, as part of the celebrations of the 400th anniversary of the founding of the Congregation of the Mission. In front of such an eminent audience one would speak with “fear and trembling” as Soren Kierkegaard would say, but our common love for St. Vincent de Paul and the Congregation puts us in a pleasant fraternal atmosphere.

We can say that few priests have known as many bishops as St. Vincent. But we can say even more, he must be one of the priests who helped elect the most bishops. He was being promoted to the episcopate himself, something that would have cost him dearly. In fact, he formally rejected the offer made to him by the Queen Regent Anne of Austria to elevate him to cardinal. Likewise, we can point out that few priests have solved as many problems for the bishops as Vincent de Paul. He solved all kinds of problems: pastoral, ethical, spiritual, canonical, economic, political, etc. The services that Vincent rendered to the bishops were also extended to a considerable group of cardinals.

But the bishops also contributed much to our Founder. His frequent dialogues with them, his having been a source of tears for many bishops, helped him to see the real problems of the Church, as well as many of its solutions, such as, for example, giving a particular type of retreat to those who were about to be ordained. Although Vincent de Paul was known and valued for his charitable and evangelizing work, his activity with the bishops as secretary to the Queen Regent’s Council of Conscience gave a truly national scope to his proposal of renewal.

If we systematize Vincent’s experience with the bishops, we surprisingly find a beautiful teaching on the episcopate. That is to say, through his life of increasingly fluid dialogue with the bishops, as well as his various activities in so many dioceses, plus his prayer and reflection on the subject, he generated a spirituality of the episcopate.

In this order of things, it is not surprising that his first biography was written by a bishop, Louis Abelly.

Due to time constraints, I will refer to only one of the four points of this study: “The Vincentian doctrine on the episcopate”. I will tell you in advance that his ideal of a bishop is based on the doctrine of the Council of Trent, as well as on his readings of Holy Scripture and Patristics. In addition, long talks with people of God on this subject and his own work with the bishops.

Fr. Andrés R. M. Motto, CM

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April 28

Opening Eucharist of the Triduum, presided by Fr. Tomaž Mavrič, CM.

Homily:

“Vincentian missions: prophetic and synodal in preaching and charity to continue Christ’s mission.” Homily by Fr. Tomaž Mavrič, CM at the Chapel of the Miraculous Medal (Paris) during the triduum for the celebration of the 4th centenary of the Congregation of the Mission.

We are here today to give thanks to God— the very meaning of Eucharist— for the innumerable blessings and graces bestowed on the “Little Company” from its foundation to the present. Even though the actual foundation of our Congregation took place 400 years ago in the home of the de Gondis on 17 April 1625, the inspiration for our Congregation, as well as that of the International Association of Charities and the Daughters of Charity, dates from 1617, the year of the Charism. There were two parts to this inspiration: Folleville in January and Châtillon in August.

As we all know, Vincent preached the first “Sermon of the Mission,” on 25 January 1617 in the parish church of Folleville. A few days earlier, he had heard the confession of a dying peasant in Gannes, who later declared that he would have been dammed without it. Frightened by this admission, and realizing that other people on her estates might be in the same situation, Madame de Gondi asked, “Ah, M. Vincent! How many souls are being lost! How can this be remedied?” Or, in other words, “What must be done?” which has become known as the Vincentian question. She urged Vincent to preach on the need for general confession. As Vincent explained, “God had such regard for the confidence and good faith of that lady… that He blessed what I said; and those good people were so moved by God that they all came to make their general confession.” Thus, Vincent became aware of the spiritual poverty of the country people. He would take steps to alleviate it by gathering a few good priests to join him in catechizing the rural poor, eventually leading to our foundation.

August of that same year found him serving as a pastor in Châtillon-les-Dombes, where, on a Sunday morning as he was vesting for Mass, he was told of a family in dire poverty on the outskirts of the village. Everyone was sick, without anyone to help them. Taken by their plight, he recommended the family to his parishioners during the sermon. Again, as Vincent explained to the Daughters of Charity, “God, touching the hearts of those who heard me, moved them with compassion for those poor afflicted people.” He thus became aware of the material poverty of the people in rural villages. When, later in the afternoon, he witnessed almost a procession of the faithful going to or returning from that family’s home, he realized that their generosity was too much all at once and needed to be organized. This led to the foundation of the Confraternities of Charity, which we know today as the AIC: the International Association of Charities.

Some of those Ladies, particularly in Paris, were unable to carry out the humble services to the sick-poor, but young women from the countryside presented themselves to do so. Eventually, they gathered in the home of Louise de Marillac for formation, which led to the foundation of the Daughters of Charity. Thus, between 1617 and 1633, in the space of 16 years, Vincent’s three foundations in favor of the poor came into being. He had recognized the truth of what one of his confreres frequently expressed, “…the poor common people are starving for the word of God and are being allowed to die of hunger, for want of assistance.”

You will note that each of Vincent’s foundations involved the laity. He never worked alone. He always depended upon the collaboration of others. All of his foundations originated with and were nourished by prayer and action, perceived through attentive listening and study of the Gospel, as well as through discernment and in obedience to the “Will of God,” in celebration of the sacraments of the Eucharist and reconciliation, in recognition of the reality of the poor, and in journeying with the laity, which helped him become aware of the Lord’s call.

Let us now reflect briefly on how this history fits into the context of our liturgy today. In the first reading, from the Acts of the Apostles, we learn that “the community of believers was of one heart and mind” and that “there was no needy person among them,” because all gave freely of their possessions to be “distributed to each according to need.” Is this not what we are called to do: to give freely of ourselves—of our time, talents, and treasures—for the relief of those who are poor? In this way, we continue the mission of Christ on earth by bringing both spiritual and material assistance to those in need. The responsorial psalm declares what is our reward: “Happy are those who care for the poor.”

The Gospel outlines for us the two great commandments: love of God and love of neighbor. These form the foundation of all charitable action. We would not be able to carry out our mission of evangelization and service without love for God and all God’s people.

In Folleville and Châtillon, Vincent’s responses to the situations were both prophetic and synodal. He recognized what God was asking of him and involved others in the actions that followed. We too must reflect on what God is asking of us and put it into action. We also are called to be prophets in this world and to labor in synodality with others. We must put into practice the words of Jesus to a scholar of the law, “Go and do likewise” (Luke 10:37).

Let me leave the last words to our Holy Founder himself:

O my Savior, You waited sixteen hundred years to raise up for yourself a Company that professes expressly that it will continue the mission Your Father sent You to carry out on earth, and which uses the same means You did, making profession of observing poverty, chastity, and obedience. O my Savior, I have never thanked You for this; I do so now for all those present and absent. In Your eternal plans You destined us for this ministry; grant that we may carry it out by Your holy grace! But, O Savior of our souls, look at those whom You are using for the conversion of people and to continue your mission— poor people like us! What a subject of embarrassment for us! O Lord, grant us the grace to make ourselves worthy of this ministry and of our vocation.

Tomaž Mavrič, CM
Superior General

Joseph Doré, CM at the Maison Mère (Paris) during the celebration of the 4th centenary of the Congregation of the Mission.

Dear Brothers and Confreres in the Episcopate,

Just a few words of introduction to this conference, given on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the founding of the Congregation of the Mission by the great Saint Vincent de Paul.

First of all, let me say that I am both pleased and honored, but also very awed, to be addressing you here today on such a subject.

Secondly, you should know that, as Father de Lubac used to say, I shall be offering you a theological “meditation”. In other words, I will speak to you from my Christian conviction, which is this: the Church is invited to understand and organize itself, to live as “the People of believers who have responded to the call that God has addressed to them through and in Jesus Christ, so that together they may bear witness to the world that salvation is open to it.”

Finally, you should know that my talk will include the following four stages:

1. Believing that, understanding as I have just said, the Church and her mission cannot remain at the level of abstraction and pure theory– even if they are those of a venerable Tradition and Magisterium– I will devote Part One to what I designate here as “the situation” in which the Church is in any case obliged to live – and therefore to seek to understand and present herself.
2. My Second Part will then present what I’ll call the fundamental decision that the Church and all its members have to make and always make again, if they want to be effectively faithful to what they are called to be.
3. In Part Three, I’ll then be able to specify what they are called to be, by presenting the structures, the organization– let’s put it bluntly: the “institution”– called “Church”. I’ll do this under the title: “A very typical gathering”.
4. In what will then be my Fourth and final Part, I’ll come to the very concrete practical level of both general and particular functioning. I will do this by proposing a reflection on the question– which has become very topical, as we know– of what is known as synodality.

Mons. Joseph Doré, CM

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