Spirituality Is The Heart Of The St. Vincent De Paul Society
St. Vincent spoke eloquently of the fire that he hoped would burn in the hearts of missionaries. He envisioned it as a flame, an all-encompassing zeal that would drive the members of his congregation toward those in need. His dream was that this flame would energize not just those engaged in foreign missions, but also those preaching missions at home or laboring in works among the abandoned around the world.
Where would this flame get its sparks you ask? Through our own desires to grow in Christ through our search for an inter-connecting spirituality that connects the Vincentian Society around the world.
Vincentians are called first and foremost to come together to grow in spirituality. We achieve this in many ways: during our conference meetings, quarterly breakfast, retreats and training seminars. Prayer and service, however, are where we put our faith into action.
Vincentians believe that Jesus Christ is not only God, but also truly human and at home in our world. When the voice of the poor calls, Vincentians willingly offer their prayers or other religious practices, knowing that they are leaving God for God. They seek to honor, love and serve God by honoring, loving and serving the poor, the abandoned, and the victims of exclusion and adversity.
Inspired by the compassion of Jesus Christ to all, Vincentians seek to be compassionate, kind and deeply reverent to all those they serve. With trust in God’s help, we see our work as a continuation of Christ’s own work. We express our love for God and for all God’s people by the sweat of our brows and the strength of our arms. We seek to do this with gentleness and humility, striving to be selfless and genuine, yet passionate about the needs of the poor.
This is a hard term to describe, as every culture, religion and person is unique and expresses spirituality in different ways. The Spiritual mission of the Society is to continue the mission of Jesus Christ. The Society sees in the life of Jesus compassion, simplicity, integrity, gentleness and concern for all people in everyday situations – especially the outcast, rejected or deprived in our community.
Spirituality is also about relationships, and the Society understands that we as people are searching and learning about faith and spirituality, and that we use our experiences as a way to develop and deepen the relationships with each other and the people whom we serve. The spirituality of the Society transcends age and culture.
When Vincentians come together to provide services for our friends in the community it may appear to the outside world that we are there to fill a need – praying for the lonely; offering friendship and companionship to the sick and shut in; and helping with rent and energy assistance, food, clothing, or any number of other requests. But for Vincentians, it is our greatest opportunity to grow in spirituality and share our love of Christ.
We come together in prayer before meeting with friends in need. We offer prayer once we are together with those we are serving, and usually offer a prayer card when we leave their residence. We pray for the resources to be able to lighten the financial burdens of those we serve. We pray we will be accepted into the homes of our friends, praying that we treat our friends and neighbors in a way that they can feel we are “seeing the face of Christ in the people we serve.”
All these prayers are answered after making a home visit and helping our brothers and sisters in need.
Are you looking to grow spiritually? Come see us at one of our 19 conferences, get involved and grow in love. You can find more information on our website (www.svdpevansville.org), or check your local bulletin for more information.
