Identifying two crucial issues for women today Fr. Gregory Gay, CM, Superior General of the Congregation of the Mission and the Daughters of Charity, suggests Giving in a three-fold way he  calls the “Vincentian Family Triple A”: Accompaniment, Action, and Advocacy.      Fr. Gielow, CM introduced him as the successor of St. Vincent who accepted the challenge to address this “dangerous group of women”, the members of  LCUSA.

LCUSA Sept 2012 (Word format)

LCUSA-Sept-2012 (pdf)

The Meaning of “Giving in Faith and Love”

Your theme for this National Assembly, “Giving in Faith and Love” is an apt one for today. We live in a nation where giving is encouraged; indeed, it is part and parcel of our civic duty. Both as individuals and a country, we Americans are a most generous and giving people, especially in emergencies. But our theme today is not just about ‘giving’ in and of itself.

“Giving in Faith and Love” goes to the heart of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ and a bearer of the Vincentian charism. .. And your Mission Statement says it well: “To provide Vincentian leadership to women acting together against poverty… and to serve rather than to be served in humility, simplicity, and charity.” (Have we heard that piece on service before? Yes!)

Two Crucial Issues for Women Today

Vincentian leadership is crucial in today’s world, not only to carry on the charism of Vincent and Louise, but to join in alleviating the tremendous, constant suffering of the poor. As you know from your work, and from the excellent written and digital resources provided for you by this organization, there are several key areas of concern calling out for us as members of the Vincentian Family. Let me focus on two areas of concern to help raise awareness about them. They are the feminization of poverty and human trafficking.

The Vincentian “Triple A” for Today

While the AIC counts over 250,000 members world-wide, it began in 1617 in one parish, with one family, to meet one need. Similarly, the Ladies of Charity with over 8000 members began with one woman with a dream and a desire to serve. The lives and deeds of Vincent and Louse remind us that our mission is both spiritual and temporal. We must always be ready to meet the needs of the poor. Yet, to be ready to serve as Jesus and our founders did, I suggest a three-fold way I call the “Vincentian Family Triple A”: accompaniment, action, and advocacy.     

I hope the well-respected other “Triple A USA” (Automobile Association of America) won’t mind my borrowing their name for a moment. I think our “Vincentian Triple A” is a great support for disciples of Jesus and followers of Vincent and Louise who desire, in the words of Mother Teresa, to do “something beautiful for God.” Let me briefly explore the meaning of our “Vincentian Triple A”: accompaniment, action, and advocacy.

Accompaniment- the first ‘Triple A’

Action- the second ‘Triple-A’

Advocacy- The Final “A”

Systemic Change and the Vincentian “Triple A”