Feast of St. Vincent de Paul

St. Vincent de Paul, co-founder of the Daughters of Charity, was a man of many talents. Talents which have been emulated throughout the past four centuries by organizations around the world. Many of these groups attach Vincent's name to their programs for impoverished people and his name has become a symbol of charitable service and ingenuity.

The Daughters of Charity were one of the first three groups who worked under the inspiration of Vincent. The Ladies of Charity began in 1617, the Vincentian priests (the Congregation of the Mission) in 1625, and our sisters (the Daughters of Charity) in 1633. All three groups have remained international and active since their founding.

Among his many talents, Vincent was able to draw other people into sharing whatever gifts they had to facilitate programs which assisted desperate populations. Rich ladies gathered up and cared for abandoned infants. Government officials provided access to helping prisoners. Wealthy patrons provided the money to support country ministries and poor country girls served those who were homeless and sick in the city. There was always a balance of Vincent's audacious creativity and the resources he made available through people invited to help make those ideas a reality.

The sisters continue to do the direct service so dear to our hearts. However, we also follow Vincent's lead and continually invite others to help make that service possible. Little can be done without the resources, skills, influence, and collaboration that results in both effective service for the immediate problem and the systemic change that prevents or reduces the problem in the future. This "now and later" approach was Vincent's and is now ours. It means, for example, that programs do not just feed the hungry, but offer education or job preparation. It means not only respect for the dignity of each person, but also advocacy for equality in our laws.

We serve under the banner of St. Vincent de Paul because his example of organized service systems is as important and effective today as it was in 17th century France.

St. Vincent de Paul, pray for us!

Written by Sister Mary Louise Stubbs, D.C.

Foundation of the Little Company

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

We sometimes harbor the illusion that the saints "had everything figured out" in their lives as though they possessed some kind of heavenly GPS plotting their journey of life from its beginning to its final destination. Actually, the saints were often as unsure as the rest of us. Many of them needed to pray for God's guidance each day and waited for Him to reveal His will one step at a time. This was certainly the case for St. Vincent de Paul and St. Louise de Marillac, who founded the Daughters of Charity on November 29, 1633.

After St. Vincent delivered an inspiring sermon about the desperate need of a poor family in his parish at Clichy in 1617, parishioners flocked to the home to see how they could help. This experience led St. Vincent to the then-revolutionary idea of organizing charitable efforts for the poor. He gathered influential women together in groups which he called Confraternities of Charity (now known as Ladies of Charity) and asked St. Louise to visit, mentor, and oversee their efforts.

As time passed, the women, who were unaccustomed to menial tasks, began sending their servants instead of going themselves into the homes of the poor. St. Vincent and St. Louise recognized that another approach was needed. The solution came with the appearance of a simple peasant girl, Marguerite Nasseau. She, with her companions, was very willing to carry out the necessary, humble tasks. St. Louise realized that these young women needed support and training. In 1633, she welcomed them into her home. This was a shocking departure from the social norms of the day.

Through their faithful following of the Lord's guidance step-by-step, St. Vincent and St. Louise became the founders of a new type of religious community for women where the sisters were free to venture outside of the walls of a convent to minister directly to those in need.

Ten years later, St. Vincent would say to the Daughters gathered for his conference: "Who would ever have thought that there would be Daughters of Charity? ... I did not think of it ... God thought of it for you," (Conferences to the Daughters of Charity, June 14, 1643). In 1654, he elaborated further: "Now, dear Sisters, the fact is that no one on earth can say, 'I did that.' Mademoiselle [Louise] can't say it, neither can M. Portail, no anyone else. No, Sisters, no one can say, 'I'm the one who did this work,'" (Conferences to the Daughters of Charity, May 25, 1654).

Both St. Vincent and St. Louise recognized the presence of God in the events and circumstances with which they were faced and counted on Him to guide them step-by-step along the right path to accomplish His will. He continues to guide us in the same way, one step at a time.

Are you wondering about God's plans for your future? Trust Him to show you the path He wants for you, one step at a time.

Written by Sister Chris Maggi, D.C.

Play "Who Said It?" with Us!

See if you can guess "Who Said It?" each Wednesday during Lent! We'll post a quick clip featuring a quip from St. Vincent de Paul or Pope Francis. Without Google-ing or looking it up, take a shot at who you think was the original author of the quote. As Pope Francis brings out Vincentian qualities in his messages, it may be more difficult than you think to figure out who said what!

The quote will be posted on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Google+ Wednesdays during Lent. Add a comment to share your guess. The answer will be revealed Thursday afternoon.

Play along for fun here:

• Facebook: Daughters of Charity Vocations U.S.
• Instagram: daughtersofcharityus
• Twitter: @DofCharity
• Google+: daughtersofcharityus

Happy Thanksgiving and 'Feast Week'!

This week is a big week of celebrations for Daughters of Charity. Aside from Thanksgiving, we also remember and commemorate some important feast days and anniversaries in addition to prepping for Advent!

How are you celebrating? Tell us in the comments or connect with us on social media to share your photos and reflections.

Nov. 27: Apparition of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal

A Miraculous Medal

This year marks 183 years since the Blessed Mother appeared to St. Catherine Laboure, D.C., in Paris, France. Nov. 27 was the date of the second of three apparitions, during which the Blessed Virgin gave St. Catherine the vision of the Miraculous Medal. The Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal establishes the locations of the apparitions and can be seen in this photo tour from the Catholic Company. Read more on the Daughters of Charity international site.

Nov. 28: Feast of St. Catherine Laboure

St. Catherine Laboure and the Blessed Mother;
statue at St. Louise Provincial Office

St. Catherine  Laboure humbly kept her apparitions of the Blessed Mother mostly to herself until much later in her life, only initially confiding in her spiritual director to ensure the production of the medal. St. Catherine Laboure was canonized in 1947, 71 years after her death in 1876.

Nov. 29: Anniversary of the Foundation of the Daughters of Charity

After 380 years, Daughters of Charity are still active in ministry throughout the world. Founded by St. Vincent de Paul and St. Louise de Marillac in Paris in 1633, the Company stays true to its founding charism: "Given to God, in community, for the service of those who are poor."

St. Louise de Marillac;
statue at St. Louise Provincial Office

St. Vincent de Paul;
statue at St. Louise Provincial Office 

As we celebrate Thanksgiving and these days for the Company, reflect on your blessings with us. Share a glimpse of what God has blessed you with and what these celebrations mean to you.

Are Ministries Directly Established by St. Vincent and St. Louise Still in Existence Today?

An interesting question was posed prior to our last Holy Hangout on YouTube: "Are there any services that were started by St. Louise and/or St. Vincent from the 17th century in Paris that are still in existence today?  If there are still places that St. Vincent or St. Louise started, what are they called and is there a place to learn about their history?"

We dug around for an answer, and thanks to some help from the Archives, here it is:

In general, Daughters of Charity are still present in some of the cities to which they were sent by the Founders. Those cities would be Paris, Angers, Metz, and Warsaw. The actual ministries, however, have changed as the needs changed. For example, in Metz the Sisters manage a home for the elderly. When they went there in the 1600s, they took care of the sick and elderly, yes, but also any other need the people had. 

"The Daughters of Charity Sent to Metz Performing the Corporal Works of Mercy" in a chapel in Metz

Another reflection concurs that Daughters of Charity are still in many of the areas where ministries first started, but the Sisters may only be living there but serving more directly nearby.

From Sister Judith, who joined us on the Holy Hangout:

"I think the lack of precise examples of works or institutions that have continued is a reflection of our charism.  Especially for the Daughters of Charity, we have been sent where there is a need, often worked without an institution and often in collaboration (think of the Sisters' collaboration, even dependence on, the Ladies of Charity in the beginning), passed works on to lay collaborators and moved on to more pressing needs.  Some of the hospitals where the first Sisters worked continue, but without us."

Check out some other questions and answers from the last Holy Hangout on our Facebook page.

Have another question about the Daughters of Charity or discernment? Chime in and we'll help find an answer!

Feast of St. Vincent de Paul

Happy Feast of St. Vincent de Paul!!
This year we celebrate the 350th anniversary of the deaths of St. Vincent and St. Louise de Marillac. They lived amazing lives seeking Christ in the most vulnerable of society. The icon above is good to take to prayer. I have had sharing with a small group after reflecting on it in prayer and it is something how we are each touched differently in prayer.

He is the patron saint of charities and a number of other things. He and St. Louise laid the ground work for our current social services programs. Vincent had a spectacular way with connecting those who were rich with the service of those who were poor. Vincent believed that he met Christ in serving those in need as Matthew 25 tells us.

In the Pope's homily for this past Sunday, as found at CNA, regarding charity as connected to the gospel for the day he spoke of St. Vincent:
Concluding, the Pope pointed to several saintly examples of charity. Recalling the "happy coincidence" of Monday's celebration of the Feast of the patron of Catholic charitable organizations, St. Vincent de Paul, and the 350th anniversary of his death, Pope Benedict said that this saint "touched with his own hand the strong contrast between the richest and the poorest."
He also remembered the influence of St. Louise of Marillac, with whom St. Vincent founded the "Daughters of Charity," the first women's congregation to live out their vocation outside of the convent and among the sick and needy of the world.

May St. Vincent bless us in Christ today as we seek to follow his good example in living a Catholic Christian life in challenging times. May we be creative, as he was, in creating solutions to seemingly impossible problems or bringing changes to to the status quo so ingrained into society.