Society of St. Vincent de Paul

A Daughter of Charity who narrowly survived a building collapse in 1646 still made sure her pot of soup reached the poor before continuing her rounds. Her example reveals three hallmarks of Vincentian spirituality: active love, trust in Providence, and selfless service. Material aid matters most when it becomes a tangible sign of God’s love for those who suffer.

When the neighbor calls, we hear the voice of Christ. When go to visit him, we see the face of Christ. When we pray with the neighbor, together in His name, we feel the presence of Christ. When we feed Him, we are grateful. When we help Him, we feel God’s joyful grace. But when the neighbor calls a second time, a third time, a fourth or fifth time, do we always respond with the same love and gratitude?

We are called as Vincentians to serve person to person, not floor to floor; horizontally, not vertically. We form relationships based on trust and friendship, understanding as brothers and sisters. We can never turn back from our horizontal charity, for when we serve for love alone, no upper floor remains outside of the great hope that through our loving, horizontal charity we may together reach another level.

The motive for our works, the mission of our vocation, and the God whom we serve are all a single thing: charity. This theological virtue, which the Apostle teaches us is above all other virtues, is defined in our catechism with a recitation of the Greatest Commandment: to love God above all things for his own sake, and to love our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God.

Vincentian Conference meetings are not meant to become mere business sessions. Accountability matters, but their deeper purpose is to help members grow in holiness, friendship, communion, and service. When Christ remains at the center, even practical matters can become part of the shared journey toward heaven.

In our common discussions we often take the word “radical” to mean extreme or drastic; protesters from either end of the political spectrum are often described as radicals. New and unorthodox ideas are termed radical. In pursuing our vocations, professions, or other interests, then, we don’t aspire to be radical. Yet, stemming from the Latin radix, meaning “root,” the word radical does not mean extreme at all – it means fundamental, essential.

In our common discussions we often take the word “radical” to mean extreme or drastic; protesters from either end of the political spectrum are often described as radicals. New and unorthodox ideas are termed radical. In pursuing our vocations, professions, or other interests, then, we don’t aspire to be radical. Yet, stemming from the Latin radix, meaning “root,” the word radical does not mean extreme at all – it means fundamental, essential.

“It is not enough to be convinced,” Bl. Frédéric wrote to a friend. “You have to believe.” A bright intellect from a very young age, Frédéric had gone through his own period of doubt in his faith as he absorbed so many great accomplishments of reason and science in his studies. Many of the youth around him were falling away from the church, and perhaps there was an element of peer pressure helping to sow Frédéric’s doubts.

For St. Vincent de Paul, awareness of God’s presence shaped every moment of life. He recognized God in time, creation, prayer, daily duties, and above all in the poor. Remembering God’s constant presence fostered gratitude, attentiveness, and openness to grace, leading him and his followers to serve others as a direct encounter with Jesus Christ.