To Be Vincentian

St. Vincent De Paul, born in 1581 in South Western France to an average family. Starting his life in the priesthood in his early twenties Vincent had no clue what impact he would have on the world. After traveling and helping the poor and sick he found his calling. The fire within him ignited, he knew to help the less fortunate in any way he could. With help from Louise de Marillac the Ladies and Daughters of Charity was founded and the purpose took off. After helping prisoners, orphans, the dying, hungry and thousands more Vincent knew he would have to write down his guidelines, purposes, and morals for the followers. All the work was focused around one question: what must be done? By helping those that suffer in Christ, advocating for justice and change are shown through example. The five values in this grand missionary are as follows: simplicity, humility, gentleness, mortification, and zeal. To better understand these values they must be translated. These five values are also known as being honest, reasonable, self declined, and hardworking. It is important to be honest, this was Vincent’s favorite virtue. Always speaking the truth despite the convenience. Humility is being aware of our actions while showing gratitude and serving others. Understanding zeal is understanding living concrete, practical, and effective love. This means accepting His love, getting dirty in labor to serve others while being creative, and always being persistent. Treating other humans as children of God regardless of how they came to be or past actions, humans all deserve to be cared of despite everything. To do this, prayer and service are called to action. The Vincentian family is made of many groups all over the world that followed Vincent’s modeling. By praying, being one with the poor, working together, living as a community, and many more roles in life help the bond form tighter regardless of residency. All of these values form the Vincentian way of life and helped St. Vincent engage in his life of positivity each day which lit the flame in others across the world even to this day.

Above is the link to another article I used to help guide this response.

As a student at St. John’s University the university follows Vincentian morals. The mission statement is: “inspired by St. Vincent de Paul’s compassion and zeal for service. We strive to provide excellent education for all people, especially those lacking economic, physical, or social advantages. Community service programs combine with reflective learning to enlarge the classroom experience. Wherever possible, we devote our intellectual and physical resources to search out the causes of poverty and social injustice and to encourage solutions that are adaptable, effective, and concrete. In the Vincentian tradition, we seek to foster a world view and to further efforts toward global harmony and development by creating an atmosphere in which all may imbibe and embody the spirit of compassionate concern for others so characteristic of Vincent” (link attached at end). This is seen through the staff and students who attend. Serving the community of New York and interactions between everyone shows compassion, honesty, self discipline, and a hard working mindset. As only a freshman I am learning why St. John’s follows this moral compass/guide and I try to practice it each day. I am grateful to be in an environment to do so and I plan on continuing it in my future day to day life. If we all learn to life with these thoughts in mind, we are creating a better world for the next generations to thrive in.