Reflections

Setting Out (Acts 9:1-20)

by Tom McKenna, CM | May 5, 2021 | Formation, Reflections | 0 Comments

As far as beginnings go, we’d have to look far and wide to find something more dramatic than the one portrayed in chapter 9 of the Acts of the Apostles: Paul knocked over and blinded on that Damascus road.

Wide-angle View of the Vincentian Family

by John Freund, CM | May 5, 2021 | Formation, Reflections, Systemic change | 2 Comments

We are people with a mission…to do what Jesus did. Pople who use the skills of their profession in frontline “field hospitals” or mobilize those who are committed to “seeking long-term solutions.”

Vincentian Prayer Images: Walking Through Each Day with St. Vincent VIII

by John Freund, CM | May 4, 2021 | Formation, Reflections | 1 Comment

St. Vincent told the Daughters of Charity: “Another means of placing ourselves in the presence of God is to imagine ourselves before the Most Blessed Sacrament of the altar.”

The Way of Vincent

by Rev. Hugh O’Donnell, CM | May 3, 2021 | Formation, Reflections | 3 Comments

In this brief reflection I want to share with you one of the great graces I received in my search to know Vincent better.

Lenten Video Series, Day 13: Cast Away

by The Miraculous Medal Shrine | Mar 16, 2022 | Formation, Reflections

Daughter of Charity, Sister Michelle Nguyen shares her harrowing story of her escape from Vietnam, and how her near-death sacrifice brought her closer to Christ than she ever thought possible.

A Vincentian View: Synodality and Listening

by Pat Griffin, CM | Mar 16, 2022 | Formation, Reflections

For me, the word most frequently invoked as one reflects upon and participates in the call to synodality in the current Church is “listening.”

Are You a “Whack-a-mole” or “Big picture” Person?

by John Freund, CM | Mar 16, 2022 | Formation, Reflections, Systemic change

It occurs to me that there are two approaches to problem-solving. – “Whack-a-mole” or “Big Picture.”

Patience like the Patience of a Farmer

by Ross Dizon | Jul 18, 2017 | Formation, Reflections

Jesus is the patience of God. God is, undoubtedly, great and does wondrous deeds. Yet he is merciful at the same time. We need patience, those of us who are in a hurry. So, little wonder we love fast food. We do not like, besides, long lines of people at the bank...

Bloom Where You Are Planted – You Are the Bounty

by Lynn L'Heureux | Jul 17, 2017 | Formation, Reflections, Society of St. Vincent de Paul

Bloom Where You Are Planted – You Are the Bounty – Servant’s Rules – We Are Fam-ily! Vincentian Day of Prayer and Fast: Re-post from July 15, 2014 Bloom Where You are Planted This is a phrase many of us use. My grandmother used this and many phrases often to solve any...

Am I a Person of Desire?

by John Freund, CM | Jul 15, 2017 | Formation, Reflections

Finally we ask, are we persons of desire, swept up and swept away by the call God gives?

Updating the Vincentian Family • A Weekly Reflection with Louise

by Benito Martínez, C.M. | Jul 14, 2017 | Formation, Reflections

The Procurator General "asked me if we considered ourselves regular or secular. I told him that we aspired only to the latter. He told me that such a thing was without precedent [...]. He said many good things about the Company and added that he did not disapprove of...

Unbreakable: Vincentians of Wherever

by Cathryn Dutton, CVV ’18 | Jul 13, 2017 | Formation, Reflections

I composed this poem thinking about the ties to service and those less fortunate that my service with CVV instilled in me. There are so many things in the world that try to pull us out of our purpose of being companions on the journey and so many circumstances in the...

A Vincentian View: The Childlike

by Pat Griffin, CM | Jul 12, 2017 | Formation, Reflections

A Vincentian View: The Childlike Some time ago I read a quotation from William Makepeace Thackeray and its truth holds a firm place in my mind: “‘Mother’ is the name for God in the lips and hearts of little children." Whenever I am around small children—whether in...

Systemic Change Lessons We Can Learn From Ozanam

by John Freund, CM | Jul 12, 2017 | Formation, Reflections, Systemic change

In his lifetime Frédéric Ozanam neither heard nor uttered the phrases “systemic change” or “systemic thinking.” Yet an incident in his life illustrates a compelling argument that he was committed to helping people move from poverty to a sustainable life, a key element in changing systems that entrap people in poverty.

Things Ordinary, Yet Eye-Opening

by Ross Dizon | Jul 11, 2017 | Formation, Reflections

In Jesus dwells bodily the fullness of God. He is the fullest meaning of things, which he uncovers for us to see. Being on top of things and aware of what is going on, Jesus tells the parable of the sower. He turns the sower of people’s experience into a “Gospel...