Being Vincentian
From the desk of the Executive Director:
What does spirituality mean to St. Vincent de Paul Society?
Spirituality is a core component of our mission and activities at St. Vincent de Paul Society (SVdP). The spiritual dimension of SVdP can be understood through several key aspects:
1. Faith in Action: SVdP emphasizes living out the Christian faith through acts of charity and service. Members, known as Vincentians, are called to see the face of Christ in those they serve and to grow spiritually through their charitable work.
2. Personal Holiness: Vincentians are encouraged to deepen their personal relationship with God. This involves regular prayer, reflection, and participation in the sacraments. Spiritual growth is seen as integral to effective service.
3. Community and Fellowship: SVdP fosters a sense of community among its members. Vincentians support each other spiritually and emotionally, sharing their faith journey and experiences of service.
4. Service to the Poor: Serving those in need is not just a charitable act but a spiritual one, reflecting Christ’s love and compassion. Vincentians strive to serve with humility, respect, and empathy.
5. Vincentian Values: Inspired by St. Vincent de Paul, the society upholds values such as simplicity, humility, gentleness, selflessness, and zeal for the mission. These values guide members in their spiritual and practical endeavors.
6. Formation and Education: Ongoing spiritual formation and education of its members is important. This includes training in Vincentian spirituality, social teachings of the Church, and practical skills for effective service.
For the St. Vincent de Paul Society, spirituality is about integrating faith with action, deepening personal holiness, fostering community, serving the poor with love and respect, embodying Vincentian values, and committing to continuous spiritual and personal growth.
Dana Nelson
director@svdpricelake.org
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law.”
Galatians 5:22-23
REFLECTION ON SPIRITUAL RETREAT by a St Joseph Conference member
On May 11, 2024, about 25 Vincentians from across the Superior diocese gathered at Our Lady of Lourdes in Dobie (just outside of Rice Lake) for a spiritual retreat led by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul National Vincentian Formation Director, Tim Williams. During this grace filled day, Tim Williams challenged us to dig deeper into the heart and soul of our Vincentian vocation recalling our own moments of conversion; that is, our call to grow in holiness. In particular, he asked us to consider first, what called us to live the three essential elements of the Vincentian vocation, named Friendship, Service and Spirituality, and second, why do we continue to persevere in this vocation.
We were reminded of the humble beginnings of the Vincentian charism when St. Vincent made his first home visit in 1617 and upon Vincent in his homily telling the story of the destitute poor family in the parish, he observed God touch the hearts of fellow parishioners who then served the family in their time of need. It was here that Vincent realized that the poor suffer less from a lack of generosity than for a lack of organization. St. Vincent established, among other organizations, the Confraternities of Charity and the Daughters of Charity. Indeed, it was a Daughter of Charity, Blessed Rosalie Rendu, who mentored and guided the founder of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Frederic Ozanam, some 200 years later. The society was thus grounded and centered in the home visit through which we see the face of the Christ in the poor and the poor find Christ in us.
Throughout the day long retreat, Vincentians listened, prayed and shared with one another stories of hope, love and gratitude. Through this process, we were reminded of the heart and soul of our vocation, which is first and foremost the creation of relationships. Relationships with each other and those we serve. Tim reminded us that you can’t really separate friendship from service or spirituality because in forming relationships, we encounter and imitate Christ. As Vincentians, we are called to journey to holiness relying on our five Vincentian virtues of simplicity, selflessness, humility, gentleness and zeal to build relationships with each other and those we serve. The Vincentian ministry is grounded in dynamic giving and receiving whereby we are both neighbor who shows compassion and the neighbor who receives love from those we serve. The grace we experience is both joyful and transformative.
This theme of service and love continued through mass, which we celebrated at the end of the day. John exhorted us to love one another as we have been loved by God. During the retreat, we were reminded that the Society of St. Vincent de Paul provides a simple pathway for us to do just that, i.e. love how He loves. It was a beautiful day filled with good food, quiet reflection and stimulating conversation.