On this same day, we also joyfully celebrate:
—the foundation of the Congregation of the Mission, established by St. Vincent de Paul in 1625 in France. This community of priests and Brothers was founded to evangelize the rural poor and to form the clergy. Rooted in a deep love for Christ and the poor, the Congregation continues to serve across the world, living out the Vincentian charism of humility, simplicity, and charity in both word and deed;
—the foundation of the Brothers of Our Lady of Mercy, a religious Congregation established in Belgium by Canon Victor Scheppers in the 1830s. Deeply moved by the spiritual and social abandonment he witnessed during a visit to the prison in Vilvoorde on March 25, 1837, he felt called to create a brotherhood dedicated to the care of prisoners. While praying at the shrine of Our Lady of Scherpenheuvel on July 19, 1837, he decided to found the Congregation. With support from civil and ecclesiastical authorities, including Cardinal Sterckx who approved their rule and oversaw the first profession in 1839, the Brothers began their mission. Though many were artisans and former students of Sunday schools, their first and primary apostolate was prison ministry—bringing mercy, dignity, and hope to the incarcerated, in the spirit of the Gospel;
—the foundation of the Sisters of Salvation of Souls, a religious Institute established on January 25, 1892, in Ning-po, China, by Reverend Bernard Ibarruty, C.M., and Bishop Paul Marie Reynaud, C.M. Founded as a native diocesan Congregation, the Sisters are dedicated to the education and catechesis of the faithful, with a special spiritual mission of offering prayers and sacrifices for the souls in purgatory. Rooted in Vincentian spirituality, they profess three simple vows, renewed annually on their foundation day, and serve with deep devotion to both the living and the departed within the Chinese Church.