A bishop experiences homelessness for 36 hours
The headline cried "Saskatoon bishop tries out homelessness for 36 hours in charity challenge". It caught my attention. Perhaps because Father Pat Griffin eloquently reminded us recently that Vincent felt the pain for the poor... and they knew that. An undeniable...
If The World Belongs To All…
It is incredible that, in the 21st century, we are still witnessing such great inequalities and injustices, as those we see, every day, in newspapers and newscasts. Vincentians cannot, and must not keep silent. We must speak up against injustice and let it be known...
Is your pastor worth $12,000?
A recent article by Peter Feuerherd in the series "The Church as Field Hospital" got me thinking about what is a pastor worth. And as I thought about it I also wondered what people ought to legitimately expect from a pastor. The article begins... The buzz went around...
Leo Raymond de Neckère, C.M., first bishop of New Orleans
Leo Raymond de Neckère, C.M., was one of the pioneers of the Vincentians in the United States. Born in Belgium and completing his studies at the Seminary at the Barrens, he was ordained October 13, 1822. According to our Vincentian Calendar, today, June 24, marks the anniversary of his consecration as Bishop of New Orleans.
Telling the Tale of our Charism #famvin400 #IamVincent
To celebrate well, we must fully tell the tale of our charism. We must recount the story. ‘Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?’ And the Lord heard it and said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam ‘Come out, you three, to the tent of...
Ozanam: Promoting faith and justice on campus @SJUMission
When we speak of the greatest movers and changers the world has ever known, many individuals flood the mind. They come from all different nations and disciplines, but more often than not, they reach their pinnacle in the later years of life. Frédéric Ozanam is special...
Wonderful News. Blessed Are Those…
“Wonderful News.” Blessed Are Those… Matthew 5 What if we were to take these Beatitude behaviors and attitudes as descriptions of the way things already are in the world, as if we were hearing Jesus giving a kind of analysis of society as it really is? We’d have...
Systemic change, learning organizations and the SVDP
At the conclusion of an excellent article, Frederick Ozanam: Systems Thinking and Systemic Change, noted Ozanam researcher Ray Sickinger, points out that the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, for which Ozanam was such an inspiration, is a learning organization which has...
Disciples to the bitter end
Jesus is the good Teacher. He invites us to be his disciples. Jesus is resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem with his disciples. There, he will suffer greatly and die on the cross. The specter of a violent death does not make him turn back. Much less does...
Open reflections in the Year of Vincentian Collaboration (8)
8. ...with feet firmly on the ground… from time to time... I am aware that the statements or hypotheses that I have advanced in the previous post may seem, perhaps rightly, too lofty, not viable in the short term. So, I will try to reduce my expectations to proposals...
