23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year A - 10th September 2017
Simple beginnings of the Congregation of the Mission, the “CM”s or the Vincentians.
In 1617 Vincent de Paul, while conducting a mission on the estates of an aristocratic family in the north of France heard the confession of a well-respected man. Later this poor penitent told others of how he had confessed a sin he had concealed for a life-time. Hence, the simple beginnings of the Congregation of the Mission, the priests of the Mission, “the cms” or known today as Vincentians. (Priests of St. Vincent.)
Charity must be organized – The Ladies of Charity, The Daughters of Charity and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
Within a few months, still in 1617, Vincent was in a parish called Chatillo-les-Dombes. While here, he saw the need to organize charity and so, gathered together a group of Ladies from the parish and wrote up exact and minute rules and protocols (They are on show in Chatillon to this day). It was the beginning of the Ladies of Charity (AIC), currently a world-wide organization with a branch in Sacred Heart parish. From this group the Daughters of Charity were founded with the collaboration of St. Vincent and St. Louise de Marillac.
The World-Wide Vincentian family today – One and a quarter of a million in all.
Many, many new foundations took their inspiration from the original double family of St. Vincent and Louise, and so we have the Society of St. Vincent de Paul which was founded by Frederick Ozanam in Paris under the tutelage of Rosalie Rendu, a Daughter of Charity. We also have the Anglican Company of the Mission priests in Britain, De Paul Trust, who are now a world-wide charity and the Vincentian Lay Missionaries.
A time to celebrate – Knock Shrine, Ireland
This week the Vincentian family gathered in Knock to celebrate four hundred years of its founding and we in Mill Hill are so happy to record that twenty five parishioners represented the parish on this graced occasion.
More to Come
There will be a parish celebration on Saturday, December 2nd to celebrate these four hundred years. Details to follow later.
Fr Michael McCullagh C.M.