Formation
Our Unfinished Business – All Saints and All Souls
In recent years I have reflected on that wonderful phrase of Pope Francis – “the saints next door.”
God Hears the Cry of the Poor
As a member of the Social Justice Representatives of North America, I find myself grateful over and over again for the global view of the Vincentian Family.
A Vincentian View: The Guardian
I like the term “guardian.” It has an association with St. Joseph. Frequently he receives the title “Guardian of the Lord” and “Guardian of the Holy Family.”
Hannah’s Prayer – Fr. Tom McKenna
Fr. Tom Mckenna offers this reflection on Hannah’s Prayer (I Samuel 1:9-20) In a talk on the spirituality of the Twelve Steps, the speaker told a story of a woman who was being swept along in a powerful ocean current. She was a swimmer and so at first wasn’t...
Let God In
Let God In - Called by Name - Forgive and ask for Forgiveness - Ordinary Time Vincentian Day of Prayer and Fast – Tuesday January 19, 2016 Dear Vincentian Family- Please pray and serve with Mercy in this Jubilee year. Pray for our clergy, religious and seminarians. ...
Holy Hangout – Life issues
The most recent Daughters of Charity Holy Hang Out focused on the full spectrum of life issues. They invited questions via YouTube and Twitter. Sisters involved with life issues across the Catholic pro-life issues spectrum from conception all the way through natural...
Connect and Learn: Brothers of Charity
The Brothers of Charity were founded in 1807 at Ghent, Belgium, by Pierre Joseph Triest (1760-1836) for nursing and education. This priest founded four congregation to aid the poor in the spirit of Saint Vincent de Paul, the patron of this institute. Triest himself...
Personal judgment
In his weekly series "Considering Consecrated Life" Father Pat Griffin reflects on Personal Judgment. At the daily Eucharist during this past week, the First Book of Samuel provided the first reading. We heard the interesting story of the origin and commissioning of...
Vincentians of Wherever: Relationships—Can’t shake ‘em!
Josh Wise, who talks to us about significant relationships, is a Louisiana native that joined the Colorado Vincentian Volunteers (CVV) in the summer of 2008. He worked with Archdiocesan Housing and the Mary Lucy computer Lab & Neighborhood Network Center. He has...
Reading the Signs: Dark or Light?
In this reflection, written for a celebration of the feast of the Epiphany Fr. Tom McKenna offers thoughts on how do I understand this particular story -- how am I reading the signs -- that is so outside my usual way of looking at the world? You could look on this...
The stress of poverty and our role as advocates
In "Behavioral Science and the Stress of Poverty: Dan Torrington, SVDP Western Region Voice of the Poor Leader writes "Once we as Vincentians begin to really appreciate the mental and emotional stress of scarcity, as well as the physical toll poverty exacts, we know...
What It’s Like To Be Homeless and Lose Everything
A great vinFormation resource teaches what it’s like to be homeless and lose everything. Hobson's choice* is the literary way of saying one has no choice at all. The only option you have is the one that is being offered to you. We have all found ourselves in such...