Shadow Side of the Vincentian Vocation

Reflection by Fr. John Prager, CM on the difficulties of serving those who are poor.
“…maintaining the missionary spirit of St. Vincent has often been a struggle. That constant tension points to a reality which is frequently mentioned in passing, but rarely explored in any depth- the missionary vocation is difficult. Perhaps we idealize the goal and forget the innate problems involved in the process of becoming missionaries? Is it possible that we presume that the goodwill of those who come to serve the poor is enough to produce good missionaries?

            Unless we address the realities of the missionary experience that element of the charism recedes into the background. In this article I want to offer a few simple reflections on the Vincentian mission and specifically its shadow side.

FOr the full reflection visit http://www.famvin.org/cm/curia/vincentiana/1995/95-3-prager.html