Congregation of the Mission, a NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION AT THE UNITED NATIONS


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A Vincentian Global Network


	In 17th century France, Vincent de Paul founded a number of organizations to meet the material and spiritual needs people who were poor, sick or marginalized in some way: the Ladies of Charity, the Congregation of the Mission, the Daughters of Charity. In the years since, other leaders, drawing inspiration from Vincent, formed similar organizations to meet similar needs. Taken together, these organizations consider themselves THE VINCENTIAN FAMILY. 1. The AIC - acting together against poverty An international non-governmental organisation (INGO) An association which is composed mainly of women and organised on a world level, with more than 250,000 volunteers in more than 6,000 local teams in 50 countries Founded by St Vincent de Paul in 1617 - to fight all forms of poverty and injustice - to give women an active role in society, recognised in a spirit of mutual support Established throughout the world in Africa, Latin America, Asia, Europe and the USA The AIC harnesses people’s energy and enthusiasm and develops social co-responsibility around innovative projects, firmly fixed in local reality, insuring partnership and ownership by people who are disadvantaged and excluded from society AIC IN THE WORLD: HOW YOU CAN HELP 2. The Congregation of the Mission Speaking to the Community he founded, Vincent de Paul repeatedly insisted that we should assist people who live in poverty in every way, that we should do it both by ourselves and by enlisting the help of others. To do this is to preach the gospel by word and by work. Writing to Fr. Greg Gay, Vincent’s most recent successor (2004), Pope John Paul II reminded Vincentians that all of their activity draws its efficacy from an intimate personal relationship with Christ: “The more you draw from the well-springs of Christian life and holiness through an ever deeper commitment to personal and liturgical prayer, the more closely you will be conformed to him whom you serve. With hearts open to God’s love, you will be able to witness effectively in a world that cries out in hunger for the healing that only God can bring.” Pope John Paul II continued: “Four centuries after your foundation, the task of bringing good news to the poor (Lk 4:18) remains as urgent as ever. Not only do millions of people throughout the world lack the basic necessities of life, but the modern world is afflicted by many other forms of poverty (cf. Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 15). Your Congregation is called to explore new ways of conveying the liberating message of the Gospel to our suffering brothers and sisters. Many generations of priests have reason to thank your Congregation for the formation they have received at your hands. The importance of this apostolate cannot be overstated. I encourage you to continue this vital mission in the years to come. Dear Vincentians, not only have you made an outstanding contribution to the work of the Church over the last four centuries, for which she is profoundly grateful, but "you also have a great history still to be accomplished!" (Vita Consecrata, 110). As you seek to consider how best to live the Vincentian charism, my message to you is this: Do not be afraid to venture forth, to put out the nets for a catch. God will be your guide! The CONGREGATION OF THE MISSION in the World: We work in 80 countries, and we are organized into 3 vice Provinces: St. Justin De Jacobis (Eritrea), Mozambique and Costa Rica, and 45 Provinces: Madagascar, Ethiopia, Zaire (with Belgium as a region), Argentina, Brazil (Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba and Fortaleza), Central America, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, United States (Dallas, Los Angeles, New England, Philadelphia, St. Louis), Venezuela, China, India, Indonesia, Orient, Philippines, - Austria, France (Paris, Toulouse), Germany, Holland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy (Naples, Rome, Turin), Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain (Barcelona, Madrid, Salamanca, Saragossa),-Australia. Some Provinces embrace different countries such as the Orient (Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Egypt), Central America (Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Panama). Ireland also includes England, Scotland and Nigeria, and Argentina also includes Paraguay and Uruguay. SOME NOTABLE WORKS: There are members of the Congregation who work with those who live in the great rubbish dumps of cities (as in Payatas, in the Philippines). There are confreres who commit themselves to work with communities for healing, for drug addicts, for AIDS victims (in certain European countries with the Daughters of Charity and lay volunteers); with indigenous groups (in many Latin American countries), with the deaf (in Ireland), with gypsies, with prisoners, with street children, with the homeless, etc. There are specialized pastoral ministries such as that in Brazil (Curitiba) where confreres work with truck drivers always on the move. There are members of the Congregation who set up basic Church communities and undertake the formation of lay assistants who will ensure spiritual help in places where there are no priests. Other confreres work at forming "multipliers of our Vincentian activity" by the animation of lay groups, in teaching inuniversities for ecclesiastical studies, or at other educational levels. There are confreres who take part in group meetings to reflect on the consecrated life, education atheism, means of social communication, family ministry, psychological help, etc., and devote part of their time to giving courses in institutions belonging to dioceses, to Provinces of the Congregation, or to other Congregations. HAVE YOU EVER CONSIDERED A YEAR OF SERVICE WITH THE CONGREGATION OF THE MISSION? HAVE YOU EVER CONSIDERED A LIFETIME OF SERVICE WITH THE CONGREGATION OF THE MISSION? The Daughters of Charity HOW WE BEGAN Our mission of assisting the most abandoned goes back to 1633 when a French peasant priest, Vincent de Paul, and an aristocratic widow, Louise de Marillac, established the Daughters of Charity in response to the cries of the poor in seventeenth century France. Over time, the community spread to every corner of the globe in response to the needs of those who are poor. The white wings of the Daughters of Charity became the universal symbol of charity throughout the world. This painting by Robert Vickrey is entitled "Morpho Aega" and is included here with permission of the artist, (from Robert Vickrey's Nun Paintings, Creatures of the Spirit by Donald Miller). WHAT WE DO Our works include education, spirituality, health care, social ministry, the creative arts, pastoral ministry and advocacy for change. As needs change, so do our services. Our mission calls us to be innovative and inventive, collaborative and inclusive. In whatever we do, we strive to perform our service in imitation of Jesus Christ. WHERE WE ARE Today, the Daughters of Charity are an international community of over 23,000 women ministering throughout 90 countries in the world. Wherever there is human suffering, you will find Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, happy, dedicated, caring, and creative! The Society of St. Vincent de Paul WHO WE ARE The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is an international organization of Catholic lay men and women founded in 1833 by Frédéric Ozanam in Paris, France. The Society's organizational structure and mission were shaped by its founder and guided by the spirit of St. Vincent de Paul. The Society has 600,000 members world-wide and has a presence in 131 countries. Listed below in the structure of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. WHAT WE DO The Society of St. Vincent de Paul offers tangible assistance to those in need on a person-to-person basis. It is this personalized involvement that makes the work of the Society unique. This aid may take the form of intervention, consultation, or often through direct dollar or in-kind service. An essential precept of the Society's work is to provide help while conscientiously maintaining the confidentiallity and dignity of those who are served. The Society recognizes that it must assume, also, a role of advocacy for those who are defenseless or voiceless. Some 12 million persons are helped annually by Vincentians in the United States. The list of services of the Society fo St. Vincent de Paul in the United States is endless. No work of charity is foreign to the Society. To quote it patron, St. Vincent de Paul: "Charity is the inventive to infinity." These are some of the services Vincentians provide for those who are poor and in need: * Food Programs * Emergency financial assistance * Rent/mortagage assistance * Low cost housing * Thrift Stores * Employment services * Job Training * Counseling * Burial of the indigent * Camp programs * Prison Ministry * Shelters for abused women and children * Social justice programs * Advocacy * Twinning: foreign and domestic * Youth programs * Shelters for the homeless: men, women, families * Half-way houses for ex-offenders * Information and referral service * Free pharmacies * Education Programs - G.E.D. * Homemaker services * Budget counseling * Emergency transportaion * Nutritional education * Programs for victims of crime * Embracing the lonely, forgotten and alienated * Services to those in any way challenged * Disaster relief and services to victims * Assistance for victims of Aids, substance abuse, alcoholism The Chance of a Lifetime \| The UN System \| MIGRATION AND DEVELOPMENT \| Vincentian Global Network \| UN Calendar \| Climate Change \| Ban - Chamber of Commerce \| Ban Ki-moon urges action \| Safe water for all \| Millennium Development Goals \| \| Return Home \| About Us \| What's New \| Current Focus \| Articles \| Great Links \| Email Form \|