St. Vincent and St. Louise lived an integral evangelization approach well before the phrase became part of the body of doctrine known as the social doctrine of the Church.
formation package
Frederic Ozanam: Hope in the Future…But Working! • A Reflection with Ozanam
I believe in the progress of Christian times. I do not fear the falls and the gaps which may interrupt it: the chilly...
The Prophetic Dimension of the Vincentian Charism • Part 7 • “Human Promotion” and “Integral Development”
A hand up literally means helping someone stand up on their own. It does not mean carrying them if they can walk.
A Truly Christian Life • A Reflection with Ozanam
It is easier to use an uplifting language, to fulfill certain positive precepts and to reject certain pleasures, than to be deeply filled with the evangelical spirit, to keep it in the depths of the soul to ennoble it, purify it and improve it; in the end: to...
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.
Charity Knows No Limits • A Reflection with Ozanam
Ozanam says, This [social] order rests on two virtues, justice and charity, Love and charity: are they the same? How do we try to promote justice?
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.
A Patron Saint to Imitate and Invoke • A Reflection with Ozanam
A patron saint is not, in fact, a trivial insignia for a Society, such as a St. Denis or St. Nicholas for an inn. Nor is it an honorable name under which a good impression can be made before the religious world: it is a model that we must strive to live, as he himself...
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.
On Almsgiving (Part 3) • A Reflection with Ozanam
Part three of four on Almsgiving…a reflection on a full article by Ozanam, which is among Frederic’s most outstanding.
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.
