The site of the Ladies of Charity USA presents Sr. Betty Ann McNeill’s 2000 presentation to their National Assembly on the topic “Vincentian Women”. Gathered together in a sacred place, Saint Louis is holy ground for the Ladies of Charity of the United States. The state of Missouri holds a privileged place in the story of the Vincentian Family in North America. Do we appreciate the significance for the Vincentian family? Do we recognize one another as belonging to the same family?
We are all descendants of Louise de Marillac (1591-1660) and Vincent de Paul (1581-1660), our spiritual ancestors. We usually recognize our relatives by certain family characteristics. So, too, members of the Vincentian Family can be recognized by their simplicity of life, their compassion, and concern for persons in need, and their mission of service–choosing to serve rather than be served.
Blending in among those we serve and responding to their needs without distinction, it’s not how we look but how we serve our neighbor. It’s a matter of identity–of knowing and living who we are as Vincentian women, as Christian women, and as Ladies of Charity. As Thea Bowman often said: “It’s a matter of knowing who I am and whose I am.” For us, it’s a matter of being contemporary women of faith and integrity, radically living our Vincentian identity.
In order to know whose we are, we must first know ourselves, then others, in relation to ourselves. This is what Jesus was teaching when he asked the disciples and Peter: “Who do you say that I am?” Peter responded simply that Jesus was the Messiah. Jesus Christ addresses this same question to us as contemporary Christian women: “Who do you say that I am?”
“Daughters of Charity, ‘Who do you say that I am?’”
“Ladies of Charity, ‘Who do you say that I am?’”
For the full text see http://www.famvin.org/LCUSA/vincentian-women.html
