It was in Châtillon-les-Dombes, a small French village, that St. Vincent created on August 23, 1617 the first of the “Confraternities,” later called “Charities.” This was the nucleus from which stemmed the AIC (known in the United States as Ladies of Charity). Watch...
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August 23: Foundation of the First Confraternity of Charity
The Confraternity of Charity was the first institutional expression of the Vincentian charism– lay leadership for social action. This came about when St. Vincent proposed that the women of the parish in Chatillon-les-Dombes join together for organized charity.
Prayer and Action: A Systemic Change Reflection
Prayer and Action go together for Vincentians. There cannot be one without the other. “I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient…” Abraham...
Don’t forget! Plan, song and images for the 400th Anniversary
The entire Vincentian Family is preparing for the 400th Anniversary of the Vincentian Charism, which will be celebrated throughout 2017. You should be, too! The former Superior General, Fr. G. Gregory Gay, CM, invited us, in a video, to live this celebration with...
The Good Samaritan and Systemic Change: A Call to Youth
I wonder how many homilies over the years have urged us to be like the Good Samaritan! Young people making a pilgrimage to Krakow this month are a “summons” to the entire Church to ditch the “bad systems” which encourage a merciless heart, Archbishop Mark Coleridge...
The “Mystique” and the “Mystic”
One says mystique and the other says mystic. How do we understand a Vincent who liked to use this motto: "Action is our entire task," and then would add, “Perfection does not come from ecstasy but rather from doing the will of God.” (SV 11:41. 317). Contemplative in...
#famvin400 Praying with a Broken Heart
When people say they have a broken heart, they have entered a deep poverty. They pray, and sometimes there's no answer. Vincentians are called to serve body and spirit. Listen to this Sarah Hart song. https://youtu.be/WBecGxKmEKM [box type="tick" size="large"...
Matthew 25: A Vincentian Life Process
“A process for Christian Life, a practical way to respond lovingly to the God who first loved us." You may have heard the expression “a Matthew 25 Christian,” referring to someone who emphasizes the Last Judgment in her approach to the faith. This approach takes the...
Françoise Marguérite De Silly: Herstory continues
Vincentian Herstory is the history of the women who responded to the promptings of the Spirit that we now call the Vincentian charism. Recounting the history of the foundation of the Congregation of the Mission, Australian Tim Williams, C.M., wrote It was not long...














