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A 5-day Vincentian Retreat (PDF)
Success in the Society of St. Vincent de Paul cannot be measured by money, numbers, or visible results, but by growth in holiness and love. Service is fruitful when it unites us with Christ and the poor. Failure is not poor outcomes, but failing to give ourselves in love and trust God.
We are called to give as generously as we can, trusting that, like the poor widow, our generosity will be measured not by its price tag, but by the love, the selflessness, and the presence which accompanied it.
Study and prayer, Vincent taught, is essential, but it cannot stop there.
The quotes we read online from our founders and saints, the Rule, and even Holy Scripture, are always best understood within the context of the full passage from which they are excerpted. Reading and repeating only short clippings not only leads us astray from their wisdom but can also tempt us to seek quotes to support what we already have decided, rather than seeking understanding that can help us to better discern.
When faced with two apparent contradictions or polarities, the true answer is less about deciding either-or and more about arriving at both-and.
Across the USA, St. Vincent de Paul Charitable Pharmacies help neighbors access medications they otherwise couldn’t afford.
Vincentians are not soldiers, machinists, or nurses who are recruited to fill quotas, trained, and sent to fill open assignments. This is a vocation, not a profession, and there are no vacancies to fill in the Society, only longings for God in the hearts of potential members.
As Vincentians, we are people of contemplation and action in pursuit of our primary purpose, which is our growth in holiness.
One of the most distinguishing characteristics of Vincentian spirituality is its very physical nature – we “love God with the strength of our arms.”
One of the most distinguishing characteristics of Vincentian spirituality is its very physical nature – we “love God with the strength of our arms.”
In our judgment of the need, it is always best to err on the side of generosity, and always best to give the neighbor the benefit of the doubt.
There are limits to what we can do in serving our neighbors’ needs. Sometimes it is a simple matter of math – we literally have no money to pay the rent or the electric bill. Other times, the need calls for levels of expertise that perhaps no member of our Conference possesses. It’s easy to see what we can do. What we should do can be harder to discern.
