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As you know, this past week we celebrated the last of our Patron Saint Feast Days for this year—for St. Vincent de Paul. The following is a brief summary of the life of St. Vincent de Paul taken from the publication, Give Us This Day, a Catholic Daily Mass booklet.
Vincent de Paul was born to a peasant family in Gascony. Though he later achieved fame for his dedication to the poor, his early life was spent in a determined struggle to escape his humble roots. For this goal, he chose a career in the priesthood. After ordination, his charm and social skills gained him entry into the highest levels of society.
A turning point came in midlife when he was summoned to hear the confession of a dying peasant. He was struck as never before by the seriousness of his vocation and determined afterward that his priesthood would be dedicated to service of the poor.
Eventually he established a mission congregation—later known as the Vincentians—and, with St. Louise de Marillac, founded the Daughters of Charity to serve the poor and sick. Of their unenclosed congregation, he wrote, "Their convent is the sickroom, their chapel the parish church, their cloister the streets of the city.” There were few charitable projects in which Vincent was not engaged. He founded hospitals and orphanages as well as homes for the humane care of the mentally infirm. He ministered to prisoners and galley slaves and became, already in his lifetime, something of a legend. The rich and powerful vied to endow projects, while the poor accepted him as one of their own. His spirituality was based on the encounter with Christ in the needs of one's neighbors. As he instructed his priests and sisters, "The poor are your masters and you are their servants.”
He died on September 27, 1660, at the age of eighty, and was canonized in 1737.
"If God is the center of your life, no words are necessary. Your mere presence will touch hearts." –St. Vincent de Paul
Our parish mission statement says that we are a community of believers who seek to Know Christ, Love Christ, Serve Christ and Invite others to Christ through Word, Sacrament and Sacrifice. This beautiful mission statement succinctly summarizes the true meaning of discipleship. We are called by Christ to live our lives as he did in conformity to the will of God our Father, which is to love God and love our neighbor.
How do we love our neighbor? Through service and proclamation of the Gospel! These two acts go hand in hand. Service to those in need and educating people of all ages about the Catholic Faith are the two legs upon which every disciple walks.
As we begin a new year of religious education, I am extremely grateful to our catechists and our catechist volunteers and our whole Faith Formation staff. You will notice in our bulletin and our website the many opportunities for people of all ages to know Christ and to live our faith in Him more fully. As a parish family, we provide educational opportunities for everyone and not only this, but also, countless opportunities to serve. These efforts are bearing much fruit! And in next week’s bulletin, I will share with you the number of families that have recently joined our parish!
God love you,
