What is spirituality?
Spirituality is a way of seeing: Life – Creation – Events – People.
The Vincentian Millenium Partnership is offer three days of reflection in the Vincentian tradition.As Christians our spirituality is rooted in the person of Jesus Christ – but within the Christian Family different groups highlight different aspects of Jesus’ personality or the Gospel values he preached in their own unique way. Here are a few well know spiritualities: Carmelite, Ignatian, Benedictine, Dominican, Franciscan and Vincentian.
VINCENTIAN SPIRITUALITY
Vincent de Paul was a French priest who worked among the poor and marginalised of France in the 17th century. His spirituality was deeply rooted in the the mystery of the Incarnation. From his ordination as a young man to his death at the age of 79 his spiritual journey was a developmental, unfolding, mysterious recognising that Christ
is present in the Person of the Poor. “God with skin” – that is Incarnational Theology. For Vincent de Paul every encounter between himself and a person in need was a mutual encounter with Christ.
Over the centuries Vincentian spirituality has been lived and developed by other family “heroes” such as Louise de Marillac, Frederic Ozanam, Catherine Laboure, Rosalie Rendu, Jeanne Antide, Canon Trieste and many others. You can read about this in our HERITAGE section.
CORE VALUES
For those who belong to the Vincentian Family there are a number of core values which lie at the heart of ministering to another person who is in need:
1. Holistic support and care (people are more than just physical bodies)
2. Non-judgmental approach
3. Straightforwardness in dealing with others (WYSIWYG)
4. Respect is central to relationships
5. LOVE should be the primary motivation
6. Prayer and action must go together
For more information and other related resources visit http://www.vmp.org.uk/Spirituality.htm
