Father Franssen, head of the French Vincentian Mission in Urumiah, Iran (c.1934)
The Congregation of the Mission (Latin: Congregatio Missionis), abbreviated CM and commonly called the Vincentians or Lazarists, is a Catholicsociety of apostolic life of pontifical right for men founded by Vincent de Paul. It is associated with the Vincentian Family, a loose federation of organizations that look to Vincent de Paul as their founder or patron.
Inspired by the "first mission" of Chátillon-les-Dombes and Folleville,[3] where he delivered his first mission sermon, St. Vincent de Paul discovered the need and importance of popular missions and general confessions. His concern to form a group of missionaries for the most abandoned areas of France was born in him, and in 1625 he founded the Congregation of the Mission[4] as an apostolic society together with other priests, Anthony Portail, M. Belin, Francis de Coudray and John de la Salle. Years later, this mission found its motto in the passage in Luke's gospel, Evangelizare pauperibus misit me (The Holy Spirit sent me to bring the Good News to the poor, Luke 4:18).
In 1633, motivated by that same Spirit, St. Vincent de Paul and St. Louise de Marillac founded the Company of the Daughters of Charity, a group of women dedicated to serving the "poorest of the poor". Prayer and community life were essential elements of their vocation of service, with a characteristic spirit of humility, simplicity and charity.[5]
The Congregation has its origin in the successful mission to the common people conducted by Vincent de Paul and five other priests on the estates of the Gondi family. More immediately it dates from 1624, when the little community acquired a permanent settlement in the Collège des Bons Enfants in Paris, which later became a seminary under the name of St. Firmin. The first missions of the Vincentians were in the suburbs of Paris and in Picardy and Champagne.[6] Archiepiscopal recognition was obtained in 1626. By a papal bull on January 12, 1633, the society was constituted a congregation, with Vincent de Paul as its head. About the same time the canons regular of St. Victor handed over to the congregation their priory of Saint Lazare (formerly a lazar-house or leper hospital) in Paris, which led to its members being popularly known as 'Lazarists.[7]
Within a few years the Vincentians had acquired another house in Paris and set up other establishments throughout France; missions were also sent to Italy (1638), Tunis (1643), Algiers and Ireland (1646), Madagascar (1648), Poland (1651), and Turkey (1783). A bull of Alexander VII in April 1655 further confirmed the society; this was followed by a brief in September of the same year, regulating its constitution. The rules then adopted, which were framed on the model of those of the Jesuits, were published at Paris in 1668 under the title Regulae seu constitutiones communes congregationis missionis. Its special aims were the religious instruction of the poor, the training of the clergy, and foreign missions.[7]
On the eve of the French Revolution, Saint Lazare was plundered by the mob and the congregation was later suppressed; it was restored by Napoleon in 1804 at the desire of Pius VII, abolished by him in 1809 in consequence of a quarrel with the pope, and again restored in 1816. The Vincentians were expelled from Italy in 1871 and from Germany in 1873.[7]
The Vincentian province of Poland was singularly prosperous; at the date of its suppression in 1796 it possessed thirty-five establishments. The Congregation of the Mission was permitted to return in 1816, where it is very active. In Madagascar it had a mission from 1648 until 1674. In 1783 Vincentians were appointed to take the place of the Jesuits in the Levantine and Chinese missions; and in 1874 their establishments throughout the Ottoman Empire numbered sixteen. In addition, they established missions in Persia, Abyssinia, Mexico, the South American republics, Portugal, Spain, and Russia, some of which were later suppressed. In the same year they had fourteen establishments in the United States of America.[7]
Mother House
The Mother House (Maison Mère) is the successor of the first Mother House which was the former priory of Saint Lazare. This house, located at 95 rue de Sèvres, was the former residence of the Duke of Lorges, and was made available to the Congregation of the Mission by the French government in 1817. Finally, in 2006, the French State made the Congregation of the Mission the owner of the house and its grounds.[8]
The Mother House consists of a series of buildings around a paved courtyard. The entrance is in the central neo-Renaissance style pavilion at the back of the courtyard. In a niche on the façade is a statue of Saint Vincent de Paul.[9]
Currently, for the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the Congregation of the Mission, the Vincentians are renovating the Mother House, with the aim of accommodating those seeking spiritual enrichment, especially members of all branches of the Vincentian Family, pilgrims and people of faith.[10]
Vincentian Family
There are people who do not belong to groups or congregations of consecrated life, but who live the spirit of St. Vincent, his spirituality and charism; they are volunteers, they are in parishes, schools, hospitals and so many other places.[11]
The spirituality of Vincent de Paul has influenced the foundation of other societies of apostolic life and even of some institutes of consecrated life which, in communion, form today what is called the Vincentian family.8 There are 170 congregations, with 2 million people involved, and groups of lay people, which have grown from a "family" to a "movement", reaching almost 4 million people:[11]
the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul of Zagreb, founded in the former Yugoslavia,
the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul of the Prince of Palagonia, founded in Parmelo, Italy, in 1835,
the Sisters of Providence of Kingston, founded in Canada,
the Malabar Vincentians of the Syro-Malabar rite, founded in India in 1927,
and the Vincentian laity, who share the work and spirituality of the Congregation of the Mission and of the various Vincentian congregations or societies. There are many Vincentian lay groups, among them the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, the Vincentian Marian Youth, the Miraculous Medal Association, the Volunteers of Charity and the members of the Conferences of St. Vincent de Paul.
Present day
In 2022, the Congregation of the Mission had 3,099 incorporated members, of whom 2,781 were priests. They have 476 houses,[12] spread over five vice-provinces: Mozambique, Nigeria, Costa Rica and St. Cyril and Methodius (Ukraine), and thirty-seven provinces on five continents.
Africa: Madagascar, St. Justin de Jacobis (Eritrea), Ethiopia, Kenya and Congo.
America: Central America (comprising Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Panama), Argentina (comprising Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina), Brazil (with three provinces, Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba, and Fortaleza), Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, United States (with five provinces, Dallas, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, New England, and St. Louis), Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela.
Asia: China, India (North and South), Indonesia, the Philippines, and the Orient (including Lebanon, Egypt, Israel, and Syria).
Europe: Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain (with two provinces, St. Vincent de Paul - Spain and Saragossa), France (with two provinces, Paris and Toulouse), Holland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy (with three provinces, Naples, Rome and Turin), Poland, and Portugal.
Oceania: Australia.
As of 2021, the Vincentians number about 3,100 worldwide, with a presence in 95 different countries.[1] Its specific apostolate remains the evangelization of the poor and the formation of the clergy. As of 2017[update], Tomaž Mavrič is the incumbent worldwide superior general of the Congregation of the Mission, elected during its general assembly on July 5, 2016.[13]
Opus Prize Finalist
On August 30, 2007, The Catholic University of America, (with the Opus Prize 2004 Foundation, affiliated with The Opus Group), announced that it would award on November 8 a $1-million and two $100,000 Humanity prizes to finalist organizations which contributed to solve most persistent social problems: John Adams (of So Others Might Eat which serves the poor and homeless in Washington, DC); Stan Goetschalckx (founder and director of AHADI International Institute in Tanzania which educates refugees from Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi);[14] and Bebot Carcellar of the Vincentian Missionaries Social Development Foundation. On November 8, 2007, David M. O'Connell, president of Catholic University, personally bestowed these Opus Prizes at the university's Edward J. Pryzbyla University Center.[15]
Philippines
In 2008 the Vincentian family marked 150 years in the Philippines, led by the provincial Bienvenido M. Disu, Gregorio L. Bañaga, President of Adamson University, and Archbishop Jesus Dosado of the Archdiocese of Ozamiz. The Philippine province has a deacon, 5 incorporated brothers, and 97 priests. A major work is the housing program for hundreds of families, especially those affected by demolitions and relocations along the Philippine North and South Railways tracks.
The CBCP[clarification needed] Newsletter announced on July 10, 2008, the appointment of the Philippine Marcelo Manimtim as director of Paris-based Centre International de Formation. Manimtim is the first Asian to hold the office.[16]
Housing programs
In 1991, Carcellar was assigned to Payatas. With his "Planning for a new home, Systemic Change Strategy," he organized Philippine massive home constructions, which he began by a savings program at Payatas dumpsite. Carcellar's "The Homeless Peoples Federation Philippines" provided slum dwellers of Iloilo City and Mandaue City with initiatives to survive poverty. In 2008 it promoted savings in Southeast Asia, since the Philippine Federation affiliated with an international network called "Slum/Shack Dwellers International".[17]
Another, younger Vincentian was also assigned by Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales as the Coordinator of the Housing Ministry of the Archdiocese of Manila.
Vincentian Center for Social Responsibility
On September 28, 2007, Philippine Vice President Noli De Castro welcomed the launching of the Vincentian Center for Social Responsibility[18] by the Adamson University. The center intends to engage the Adamson's academic community more deeply and directly in nation-building and to directly respond to Millennium Development Goals' poverty alleviation initiatives in the country.[19] De Castro also cited the Adamson University and a Vincentian priest named Atilano "Nonong" Fajardo for their efforts in putting up the Vincentian Center.[18]
The Vincentian Center for Social Responsibility is also responsible for the creation of the Vincentian Facilitators, the Academic Social Responsibility, the Academic Social Entrepreneurship, and the Academic Social Journalism at the Vincentian-owned Adamson University. Through the Vincentian Center, the movement towards academic social networking has become a reality in the university. It is also responsible for organizing the First Northville and Southville People's Congress,[20] consisting of around 750,000 relocatees from Metro Manila and the provinces of Cavite, Bulacan and Laguna.
The Western Province of the USA has a mission in Kenya, where in conjunction with parish ministry water projects have been initiated to provide clean water to the people.[22]
The New England Province was founded in 1904 by Vincentians from Poland. They staff parishes in New York and Connecticut. The provincial headquarters is in Manchester, Connecticut.[23]
St. Vincent's College, forerunner to Loyola Marymount University; the present university is the successor to the first institution of higher learning in Southern California, St. Vincent's College. Vincentian Fathers were commissioned by Bishop Thaddeus Amat y Brusi to found this for boys in Los Angeles.
Secondary schools
The Vincentian fathers also run a number of secondary schools, most notably in Dublin, Ireland, where the order is in charge of two such institutions.
1 2 "Manila Bulletin Online". archive.is. 2007-12-20. Archived from the original on 2007-12-20. Retrieved 2017-07-10.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul is an international voluntary organization in the Catholic Church, founded in 1833 for the sanctification of its members by personal service of the poor. Started by Frédéric Ozanam and Emmanuel Bailly and named after Vincent de Paul, the organization is part of the global Vincentian Family of Catholic organizations.
Vincent de Paul, CM, commonly known as Saint Vincent de Paul, was an Occitan French Catholic priest who dedicated himself to serving the poor.
Joseph Rosati, CM was an Italian-born Catholic missionary to the United States who served as the first Bishop of Saint Louis from 1826 to 1843. A member of the Congregation of the Mission, in 1820 he was appointed provincial superior over all the Vincentians in the United States.
Many religious communities have the term Sisters of Charity in their name. Some Sisters of Charity communities refer to the Vincentian tradition alone, or in America to the tradition of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, but others are unrelated. The rule of Vincent de Paul for the Daughters of Charity has been adopted and adapted by at least sixty founders of religious institutes for sisters around the world.
The Vincentian Family comprises organizations inspired by the life and work of Vincent de Paul, a 17th-century French priest who "transformed the face of France."
The Company of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, commonly called the Daughters of Charity or Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent De Paul, is a Society of Apostolic Life for women within the Catholic Church. Its members make annual vows throughout their life, which leaves them always free to leave, without the need of ecclesiastical permission. They were founded in 1633 by Vincent de Paul and state that they are devoted to serving the poor through the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.
The Society of the Divine Word, abbreviated SVD and popularly called the Verbites or the Divine Word Missionaries, and sometimes the Steyler Missionaries, is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men. As of 2020, it consisted of 5,965 members composed of priests and religious brothers working in more than 70 countries, now part of VIVAT international. It is one of the largest missionary congregations in the Catholic Church. Its members add the nominal letters SVD after their names to indicate membership in the Congregation. The superior general is Paul Boedhie Kleden who hails from Indonesia.
A society of apostolic life is a group of men or women within the Catholic Church who have come together for a specific purpose and live fraternally. It is regarded as a form of consecrated life.
John Timon, C.M. was a prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the bishop of the new Diocese of Buffalo in Western New York and founder of the brothers of the Holy Infancy religious order.
The Vincentian Studies Institute of the United States (VSI) is an American Catholic research outfit at DePaul Universityin Chicago, Illinois. It promotes research on the Vincentian Family.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Tolagnaro is a Latin suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of Fort-Dauphin in Madagascar. It depends on the missionary Roman Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
John Gabriel Perboyre, CM was a French priest of the Congregation of the Mission, who served as a missionary in China, where he suffered martyrdom. He was canonized in 1996 by Pope John Paul II.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro is an archdiocese of the Catholic Church in the Philippines.
The Congregation of the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres (SPC) is a Roman Catholic religious apostolic missionary congregation of pontifical right for teaching, nursing, visiting the poor and taking care of orphans, the old and infirm, and the mentally ill. It was founded in Levesville-la-Chenard, France, in 1696.
A parochial mission or parish mission is a special pastoral effort in the Catholic Church aimed at preaching to and instructing Catholic followers. These are "home missions" geared toward Catholics, distinguished from apostolic missions to make conversions among non-believers. Such missions may consist of systematic preaching and instruction, extending over a stated number of days, performed by authorized missionaries.
The Archconfraternity of Holy Agony is a lay association for giving special honour to the mental sufferings of Christ during His Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. It was founded as a confraternity in 1862, at Valfleury, France, by Antoine Nicolle (1817–90), a Vincentian priest. Joseph A. Komonchak described it as a type of "counterrevolutionary mysticism".
Michael O'Farrell, an Australian suffragan bishop, was the fourth Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bathurst, New South Wales. O'Farrell was consecrated by the Apostolic Delegate, Archbishop Cattaneo in 1920 and served until his death in 1928. O'Farrell was the first Vincentian bishop in Australia.
Theophile Verbist, CICM was a Belgian Catholic priest who founded the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, a missionary religious congregation of men. He led missionary activities in China.
Andrew Eugene Bellisario is an American Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Anchorage-Juneau since 2020, as Bishop of Juneau from 2017 to 2019 and as apostolic administrator of the former Archdiocese of Anchorage for almost a year. He is a member of the Congregation of the Mission.
Catholic religious institutions, associations, and communities in Macau operate in the territory of the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR), which is currently under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Diocese of Macau, founded on 23 January 1576. Besides its diocesan priests, this Catholic diocese is assisted by various male and female religious orders, congregations, and institutes. The diocese is also supported by various institutions, movements, brotherhoods, and associations of Catholic inspiration made up of lay and religious people. All these Catholic bodies provide a variety of religious, social, educational, welfare, and cultural services to the Catholic and non-Catholic populations of Macau.
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