Who We Are and What We Do

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The Vincentian Family

Our Mission, Alive in Our Members

Any organization calling itself “Vincentian” must extend Vincent’s dream to its own time and place. All of us are inheritors of St. Vincent’s legacy and vision. The challenge before us, as with every generation, is to choose whether Vincent’s vision will be a piece of history or a living, breathing mission alive in its members.

Common Purpose

The Vincentian Family is made up of religious congregations and lay associations, that were either founded by St. Vincent de Paul or that follow his charism of service to the poor. Common elements found in each group in spite of their diversity and uniqueness:

All the groups recognize Vincent as their founder or inspiration
A common mission of evangelizing and serving the poor
A common lifestyle and a concrete form of service to the poor.
A common incarnational spirituality, which means that I experience God in an encounter with the poor, and that I serve and love God in the service of the poor.

Major Branches of the Vincentian Family

The AIC (International Association of Charity or “Ladies of Charity”) was founded to honor Jesus and His Blessed Mother, and to assist the sick poor corporally and spiritually.
The Congregation of the Mission (Vincentian priests) to evangelize the poor by word and works, and to help in the formation of the clergy.
The Daughters of Charity, to be servants of the poor, seeing Jesus Christ in the poor and the poor in Christ.
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul to deepen the faith of its members and to uplift the poor from their miseries.
The Sisters of Charity Federation to respond to the cries of poor and marginalized persons.
The JMV (Vincentian Marian Youth) to animate a missionary spirit in young people; to live and pray like Mary, with simplicity and humility, taking on the spirituality of the Magnificat.
The Miraculous Medal Association to venerate Mary conceived without sin, for the sanctification of its members, and to aid the poor.

MISEVI (Lay Vincentian Missionaries) to foster, facilitate, and sustain the missionary presence and work of the laity.

There is a wealth to be found in the diversity of the Vincentian Family. We are called to love God “with the sweat of our brow and the strength of our arms.” We strive to listen attentively to what God is trying to tell us, through the voices of the poor and marginalized, and allow ourselves continually to be evangelized by them.

Source: Vincentian Center for Church and Society Back to top