A hand up literally means helping someone stand up on their own. It does not mean carrying them if they can walk.
Charism
The Prophetic Dimension of the Vincentian Charism • Part 6 • Solidarity As A Mindset
The word solidarity is not found in any of Vincent’s writing. This word was not used until the nineteenth century. In Vincent’s writing we do find, however, expressions of compassion toward those sisters and brothers who suffer.
The Prophetic Dimension of the Vincentian Charism • Part 5 • Finding God in Administration
Two centuries before public assistance and three centuries before social security, Saint Vincent put in place a number of works and services for the poor — services that were totally free of charge. Therefore Vincent had to find resources in order to continue these works and services.
The Prophetic Dimension of the Vincentian Charism • Part 4 • Saint Vincent and the Challenge of Consistency
Saint Vincent intervened directly and indirectly in politics. While his personal vocation was that of evangelizing the poor, in an attempt to be faithful to his vocation he intervened in order to obtain the well-being of poor men and women who were condemned and dying of hunger.
The Prophetic Dimension of the Vincentian Charism • Part 3 • Vincent in the Midst of Today’s Battles
Saint Vincent affirmed that we must serve all people and serve the whole person. The separation between the spiritual and corporal needs of the person seems to have created problems during the seventeenth century.
The Prophetic Dimension of the Vincentian Charism • Part 2 • (How) Did Vincent See Into The Future?
We will see how Vincent de Paul, his teaching and his life were centuries ahead of the Church’s magisterium.
The Prophetic Dimension of the Vincentian Charism • Part 1• Still So Much to Learn
The research of Sister Maria Pilar Lopez, DC, on St. Vincent regarding the dignity of the person, justice, management of material goods, solidarity and human promotion will stimulate Vincentian visions and dreams.
A Spiritual Spiral • “Contributions” #10
The Vincentian charism fosters a dynamic, ever-deepening encounter between Christ and the poor, creating “alternate spaces” where the poor experience the joy of the Gospel, healing, and a life shaped by the Good News.
Have You Dreamt Any Dreams Recently? • “Contributions” #9
St. Vincent’s unwavering commitment to creative and responsive charity, his adaptability, attentiveness to Providence, and belief that “love is inventive to infinity” continue to inspire the Vincentian Family to evolve and respond boldly to emerging needs.
Father Vincent Taught Us That! • “Contributions” #8
The “new evangelization” emphasizes a dynamic, creative integration of evangelization, mission, and charity—calling for new ways of serving the poor that go beyond tradition, rooted in a living Vincentian legacy of active, innovative love.
The School of the Poor • “Contributions” #7
The poor do not merely receive the Gospel—they reveal it, evangelizing us through their faith, wisdom, and lived experience, and thus becoming both our teachers and the place where we encounter Christ most profoundly.
Solitaries Need Not Apply • “Contributions” #6
The Church needs missionaries and apostolic workers to serve the poor and marginalized, a vision echoed by Frederic Ozanam and Pope Francis in urging clergy to engage deeply with the world and its suffering.
