We are going to try to describe, in ten points, the basic elements of the spirit that is proper to the Vincentian volunteer.  It is hoped that this will enable the volunteers to develop a more effective service in today’s society — a service that betters the lot of poor persons and their position in society, and consequently, a service that betters society as a whole.  In fact, the number of poor persons stands as a powerful sign that enables us to judge the health of our society.

            The formulation of the Vincentian volunteer’s intention is expressed very well by Frederick Ozanam, one of the founders of the Vincent de Paul Society, who at the age of twenty-one, encouraged young Catholics to begin to work for the poor in humble acts of service and to work with the intention, as he himself said, of renewing all of France, that is, renewing all of society.

The Vincentian volunteer is a believing member of the Catholic Church

            This is a fundamental requisite.  It is not enough to belong to the Church in some passive way, or to put it another way; it is not enough to have been baptized as a child.  Vincentian volunteers freely accept the fact of their baptism and profess it and give thanks to God for this gift.  The fact is, Vincent de Paul did not establish organizations of social assistance that were valid for anyone, of any religious persuasion or no specific religious persuasion.  Rather he formed these groups for men and women who professed before the world their membership in the Catholic Church.

            Nevertheless, Vincent de Paul gave numerous signs that he was clearly ecumenical (something that was rare at that particular time in history).  His ecumenism enabled him to collaborate with people of other churches in the realization of numerous charitable works.  Even though he was convinced that Rome should condemn Jansenism as heretical, he had no difficulty collaborating with other Jansenists in carrying out programs to help people who were poor.

            In today’s world of pluralism and respect of the individual conscience, Vincentian volunteers cannot refuse to collaborate with and/or become part of those other groups that are non-Catholic and atheist.  There are many people of good will who sincerely want to better the lot of the poor in today’s world.  Vincentian volunteers should embrace the ecumenical spirit which today, thanks to the Spirit of God, is much stronger than it was in Vincent’s time.  Those who are not against us, are for us (Mark 9:40).  In fact, it is hoped that the living faith of the Vincentian volunteers will have a beneficial influence on those who are non-Catholic or even atheist.

            This point is similar to the above but makes it more explicit, and is also more important.  We saw before that Vincent reminded the Daughters of Charity that frivolous individuals, or persons who saw the practice of religion as secondary, should not be easily admitted into the Congregation of the Daughters of Charity nor should the Congregation admit those “devout individuals” who in their practice of devotion displayed a type of Phariseeism, seeking the world’s applause.  The Vincentian volunteer must have a deep faith and sincerely live that faith.  Without faith it is impossible to develop in one’s personal life a true Vincentian spirit.

            But because of the reality of today’s world, certain difficulties arise here.  Some people have been baptized and though they have never renounced their baptism, they nevertheless have been led astray by the distractions of this world and have not developed good habits that support their faith.  Will the Vincentian volunteers close their doors to these individuals?  There is no reason to do so especially if it is seen that the individual is sincerely concerned about working on behalf of those who are poor.  One must also be given the opportunity to open oneself to a deeper living of the faith that can come about through group motivation.

            Nevertheless, the Vincentian group should be clear that if they wish to maintain their identity, then their members cannot be predominately persons who are lax in their practice of the faith and who simply “want to do something for the poor.”  Today many baptized Catholics have no interest in religious practices.  As a Vincentian, work on behalf of the poor demands a greater commitment: the dedication of one’s whole life and a lively faith that moves one to act on behalf of those who are poor.

The Vincentian volunteer is an imitator-follower of Jesus Christ

            This point is implicit in the previous points but made more explicit here.  Catholicism and religious practices are rooted in faith and in a love for Jesus Christ that leads one, as Vincent says, “to clothe oneself in the spirit of Jesus Christ.”  This idea is not only explicit in what has been previously stated but is also centered on a human person, Jesus Christ as revealed in the Gospels.

            All who have been baptized have to be aware of the fact that through their baptism in the Holy Spirit, they have been consecrated as children of God and called to model their life on that of Jesus Christ.  Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6), the most authentic human being that has existed in the history of humanity.  To imitate and follow him means that our humanness is perfected and that we are drawn into contact with the very heart of God.  For as Saint Thomas Aquinas tells us, Jesus Christ is at one and the same time the way, in as much as he is truly man, and the goal of that way, in as much as he is truly God.

            Here again this situation presents certain difficulties to Vincentian groups.  In today’s society there are many people, baptized and non-baptized, who admire Jesus as a human being and as a defender of those who are poor and seen as outcasts in society.  These same people, however, feel no inclination to accept all of his teaching.  They are selective and are less willing to follow and imitate him to the ultimate consequence.

            Vincentian groups, however, are able to offer these individuals the opportunity of knowing and loving Jesus better.  They are able to move them from simply admiring Jesus to following and imitating the person of Jesus that is presented in the Gospels.  This is true despite the fact that the members themselves might feel inadequate and lacking in their own following of Jesus.  Vincentians know, or ought to know, that following Jesus is not an easy process and that every day of their life they are able to deepen their commitment.  Indeed, the true Vincentian spirit is centered on this idea of process.

The Vincentian volunteer imitates Jesus Christ as evangelizer and liberator of the poor

            When speaking to the members of religious and monastic orders and addressing believers in general, Vincent said: everyone seeks to imitate Jesus Christ, but they do it in different ways.  Francis de Sales, who greatly influenced Vincent’s thinking and actions, wrote in his Introduction to a Devout Life: the nobleman and the farmer, the subject and the master, the widow, the married person and the single person will each develop their religious life in a different way.  He went on to say that religious, the professionals in the following of Christ, also have their specific way of doing this: it is a fact that lay people will not live like contemplatives or monastics or religious.  Yet there are many other ways for lay people to seek perfection.

            The different ways to follow Jesus and the spiritual vision that sustains them in following Jesus, arise from two realities that must be viewed together: on the one hand, the difference in temperaments and personalities, and on the other hand, the action of the Holy Spirit who distributes the diverse charisms or ways of living the Christian life as he pleases (1 Corinthians 12:11).

            Therefore, individual volunteers, with their distinct personalities and with all the different circumstances of their lives, and also admitting that these same individuals are inspired by the Holy Spirit, at a given time become convinced that their way to follow Jesus Christ should be focused on the model of Jesus as the liberator and evangelizer of the poor.  They have come to this conclusion through the influence of the Holy Spirit, even though they may not be consciously aware of this fact.  To decide on this aspect of Jesus Christ and no other, does not mean that they have forgotten about the other dimensions of Jesus — rather it implies that this specific model will give meaning to their lives.  Indeed, this model of Jesus will give meaning to their whole life and not just to those hours when they are working with people who are poor.  It will give meaning to their life as widows, married persons, single persons, mothers, fathers, professionals, priests; it will give meaning to their vowed life, their prayer life and their sacramental life.  They will see their life in a new light and at the same time, all of this will help them to deepen their faith and their commitment to the following of Jesus Christ.

The Vincentian volunteer sees liberation of the poor as a reality that embraces the whole person

            Besides learning how to work for the liberation of those who are poor, there are many other things to learn from Jesus.  We have stated this before.  For example, we learn how to relate to God, how to pray, how to suffer, how to live with other people, how to exercise and administer authority.  Vincentian volunteers will have to learn this and much more.  They will use all of this knowledge to help them focus on a particular dimension of the Gospel — namely dedicated and active service for the liberation of people who are poor.

            Vincentian volunteers must also learn from Jesus how to liberate those who are poor and what aspects of poor people’s lives are in need of liberation. They must also learn how to proclaim the Gospel, the Good News, so that the life of the poor is made better.  If we read the Gospels carefully, we immediately see that Jesus’ liberation freed the poor from their sins.  At the same time, Jesus also freed them from hunger and ignorance; he restored their health and brought them in from the margins of society.  Jesus restored their human dignity, a reality that is often overlooked by those who do not see themselves as poor. For this reason Jesus told the poor that they were blessed, blessed in the eyes of God who alone knows who is worthy and who is unworthy of the Kingdom of God.

            In the midst of an unbelieving society, Jesus was not content to simply proclaim the dignity of the poor and their value in the eyes of God.  Throughout his life Jesus gave them humble, but effective signs of the nearness of the Kingdom: he satisfied the hungry, cured the sick, reintegrated the cured leper into the society that had excluded him; he opposed the rich and the civil and religious leaders who exploited the poor and held them in contempt.

            But the Son of God did not become flesh and dwell among us to simply save souls.  He wanted to save human beings who cried out from their souls wounded by sin and who cried out from their flesh wounded by a lack of material goods necessary for daily existence.  Today, this is known in theology as integral liberation — a vision of reality that wants to put aside, once and for all, the idea that Jesus’ liberation was just a redemption from sin.  As Vincent de Paul pointed out thousands of times to the men and women who were inspired by him, we must work for the spiritual well-being and the physical well-being of the poor.  Both dimensions are equally important.

            Vincent said this and strongly insisted on this when he spoke to his missionary priests who at times, because of their position, were only concerned about the spiritual needs of the poor and did not give equal weight to their physical needs.  He said the same thing to the Daughters of Charity and the Ladies of Charity, who held no official position in the Church and could be tempted to be concerned with satisfying the physical needs of people, leaving the spiritual needs to the priests.

            Today, Vincentian volunteers must also be attentive to these words of Saint Vincent.  Since there are many movements that work on behalf of the poor, Vincentian volunteers can believe that their own organization is just one more organization that is concerned about the physical well-being of the poor (health, food, culture, recreation, social relations) and has nothing to contribute to their spiritual well-being, to their relationship with God.  Vincentian volunteers ought to work in the same way or even better than other humanitarian organizations in caring for the physical needs of people and they can never neglect the spiritual needs of these people

            Humanitarian organizations see the poor as people who have rights — the eyes see this and they are not deceived.  But this is not everything.  Vincentian volunteers also affirm the rights of the poor, but they also view the poor as children of God.  Furthermore, they affirm that the human dignity of the poor is rooted in the reality that the poor are children of God, that the poor are their sisters and brothers and not just human beings who are lacking in material goods and therefore worthy of their compassion, which may be more or less sincere.

The Vincentian volunteer is a Christian of any age and from any state of life

            Age should never be an obstacle for an individual to live the Christian faith in a Vincentian way.  Indeed, little children are capable of understanding the meaning and the demands of the Vincentian spirit.  Voluntary membership in a Vincentian institution is another matter.  This demands a certain human and Christian maturity that allows one to make a free choice — a life-long commitment.  Therefore, maturity is necessary, and it goes without saying that this decision must be guided and inspired by the Holy Spirit who, as we said before, distributes the different charisms according to his pleasure.

            We have already sated that in the Catholic Church there are many and various ways of following Jesus Christ.  Therefore, the Spirit does not call everyone to live as a Vincentian although when the occasion arises, everyone ought to be concerned about the poor.  But there are many forms of the Christian life that do not see, as Vincentians do, this demand of service to the poor as a fundamental element of their life.

            One’s state of life, civil or canonical, should also not be an obstacle for membership in a Vincentian institution.  Even though certain canonical states place a focus on other elements in their way of following Jesus, this need not be an obstacle.  Such is the case of certain religious that we saw in a previous study.  But we also note that in Vincent’s time, and throughout subsequent generations, the Vincentian option was offered to people of every social class, regardless of their state of life: priests, married men and women, single persons, widows.  Throughout history there are examples of single people and widows (Louise de Marillac for one) who decided to dedicate themselves to work in Vincentian institutions.

            The example of married people is even more numerous — the members of the Vincent de Paul Society and the International Association of Charity are for the most part married people.  Nevertheless it must be clearly admitted here, since it happens with a certain frequency, that marriage can create certain difficulties for the spouse, man or woman, who as a member of a Vincentian institution dedicates an extensive amount of time to this work. This can become a source of conflict as they attempt to balance this work with their family obligations.

            We have witnessed all kinds of situations in our lay Vincentian institutions, cases where the non-Vincentian spouse is resentful of the work that the other spouse is doing.  But we can also affirm that from our own experience, which takes into account many, many years, the great majority of couples are able to resolve these problems.  Spouses, who are not officially Vincentian, rarely place obstacles in the way of the work of the Vincentian spouse, in fact, more often than not, they actively support this work.

The Vincentian volunteer is a member of one of the traditional Vincentian institutions or one of the new institutions

            In this section we use the term “traditional institutions” to refer to those institutions that we have previously mentioned.  Vincent de Paul founded three of them; the others, more numerous, were founded by other individuals.  We highlight here once again the Vincent de Paul Society and the various associations related to the Miraculous Virgin.  When we speak of “other institutions” we refer to the more than two hundred institutions that have been established after the death of Vincent de Paul.  Some of them were short-lived; the majority of them are still in existence even though many of them are not known outside of the place where they were founded.

            Many of these institutions display the name of Saint Vincent de Paul in their official title; others do not.  Some institutions were known by a certain name, and then changed their name — thus eliminating the name of Vincent de Paul.  Such is the case of the Ladies of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, known today as the International Association of Charity.  In this case, the change of name has not altered in any way their spirit.  This institution, with its guiding principles and effective work, continues to present itself as an organization of Vincentian volunteers.  Though they have changed their name, they have firmly maintained their principles, thus showing that it is possible to have a distinctly Vincentian character even though the name of Vincent de Paul is not part of their official title.

            It should also be stated here that incorporating the name of “Vincent de Paul” in the official title of an institution is no guarantee of its Vincentian spirit.  The members of such an institution have to explicitly state that they wish to be Vincentians.  Indeed, it is not enough to have a Vincentian heart or to belong to an institution that bears the name of Vincent de Paul, even in the case where said institution was founded by him.

            In the past, members of the Congregation of the Mission or Daughters of Charity have founded many institutions.  This fact is also not sufficient to classify them as Vincentian institutions.  The situation can arise where some of these foundations might have some spiritual relationship with other Vincentian institutions, yet in reality they themselves are something quite distinct.

            Leaving aside the foundations that we have called “traditional”, there is nothing, today or in the future, to impede the creation of new institutions inspired by the Vincentian spirit.  It is also not necessary that they incorporate the name of Vincent de Paul in their official title.  But it is important that they guarantee that their principles and statutes clearly express the basic Vincentian ideals.

            A new institution would not classify as Vincentian simply because its members dedicate some hours and some resources to assist the poor if in reality their primary goal makes no reference to the evangelization and liberation of people who are poor.  Many Catholic institutions care for the poor, and do this in a very intense way, yet do not see themselves as Vincentian, nor do they pretend to be such.

            We are not saying that new Vincentian groups, or the traditional institutions, are not able to engage in any other activities except direct service of the poor.  Vincent de Paul not only sent his missionaries to serve the poor in the rural areas of France but also accepted the work of forming diocesan priests.  This did not mean that Vincent took a detour around his original idea of evangelizing the poor.  Vincent was clear in stating that those missionaries who were involved in the work of formation were ultimately preparing good pastors for the people who were poor and humble.  Thus, even in this case, he was concerned about providing for the well-being of the poor, even though he did it in an indirect way.

Vincentian volunteers and their secular condition

            Vincentian volunteers do not leave the world in order to live more deeply their faith, nor do they leave the world to remove those obstacles and dangers that might impede their following Jesus Christ.  In their dedication to the poor, they desire to base their way of holiness on the following of Jesus Christ without leaving the world, but rather by trying to better it and transform it according to the spirit of Jesus Christ.

            Every kind of Vincentian vocation is basically secular in character.  Despite the many difficulties that have arisen throughout history, the priest and the laymen and women of the Congregation that he established, such as the Daughters of Charity, have firmly maintained, despite occasional hesitations, their lay character.  The members of the Vincentian institutions are by and large laymen and women.

            The secular nature of the Vincentian volunteer is rooted in one basic principle: the Vincentian volunteer is a form of Christian life based on the following of Jesus Christ, the evangelizer and liberator of the poor.  Even though Vincentian volunteers adore the Risen Christ seated at the right hand of the Father, the reality that animates their lives, is that which theologians call the historical Jesus, that is, the Son of Mary who lived on earth for thirty-three years, who went into the desert on some special occasions to talk face to face with his God and recuperate his strength, thus enabling him to continue his difficult mission in the midst of society.

            Using the meaning that we have given to the word here, Jesus’ own life was a life that was truly secular.  He did not live his life as a monk at Qumran (persons who viewed the Judaic society as impure and therefore went into the desert so that they could build some pure and uncontaminated Kingdom of God just for themselves).  Jesus of Nazareth, as he worked for the Kingdom of God, acted in this world even though he knew very well, and said it several times, that one arrives at perfection and purity only in heaven.  In heaven there will no longer be poor people and there will no longer be any necessity for Vincentian volunteers to work on their behalf.  Rather the volunteers will be able to rejoice in a well-merited rest; merited even though the rest is given as a gift — a definitive gift from God.

            In conclusion, we state that Vincentian volunteers (all of them — even those who are priests) are secular and as such are to transform the world.  This distinguishes them from religious who according to Canon Law are to bear witness to a future life through their lives of poverty, chastity and obedience.

Vincentian volunteer seeks to renew their work through charity and justice

            We said previously that the number of poor people and their treatment are infallible signs of the “health” of society in general.  Even though society is developed and very sophisticated, it is still very “unhealthy” and is afflicted by many “illnesses”.  Almost all of these “diseases” spring from an insufficient or non-existent personal and social relationship with the living God.  This “illness” is revealed in interpersonal and social relationships that produce massive poverty (the greatest sin in today’s world, though certainly not the only sin).

            Christian faith offers two remedies for the world’s redemption and healing.  The first is a radical remedy: true love, charity; the second, to give it some name, is an instrumental remedy: justice.  Neither one of these alone will be an effective remedy if at the same time the other is not also present.   Justice prepares the ground for the practice of true love.  But if justice is lacking, charity then becomes absurd or is simply present as some nice feeling that has no serious effect on the liberation of humanity.  Very often charity is not accompanied by work for justice and thus charity becomes devalued.  Yet charity is one of the most beautiful and demanding words in our human vocabulary.

            But if charity is lacking then even the greatest justice designed to confront specific social situations will be lacking heart.  It must be remembered that charity and true love go beyond justice and are more demanding that any kind of justice, even the most perfect justice.  No form of justice is able to place demands on the human being in the same way that the love that was taught and proclaimed by Jesus Christ: to be willing to give one’s life for one’s brothers and sisters.  Therefore the Vincentian volunteer ought to be a person who, motivated by the charity of Christ, works consistently and enthusiastically, and is not discouraged by the lack of results.

            Vincentian institutions ought to keep this dimension of justice in the forefront of their work.  It must be admitted that this has not always been the case.  In a history that goes back two and three centuries, Vincentian institutions have always been characterized and noted for their constant practice of charity.  These institutions could not act otherwise if they want to be called truly Vincentian.  They ought to be inspired by Vincent de Paul, the great apostle of charity (as he is popularly known).  But even in the life of Vincent de Paul there were clear signs (indeed many and important signs) of his eagerness to establish justice for poor people.  Even though this aspect has not been totally forgotten in the tradition of our diverse institutions, it has not always been very clear.  Too often the question of justice has been viewed as the work of political parties, organized labor unions and other social agents, and not therefore, something that charitable institutions should become involved in.

            It is necessary then for Vincentian institutions to change this way of thinking.  Even though this thought pattern characterized Vincentians in days gone by, today our Christian conscience, our Vincentian conscience, demands more.  The Vincentian conscience ought to know from its own tradition that justice is one of the fundamental demands of any true charity.  Even if this is not known from their tradition, the Vincentian conscience ought to assume this idea from the unequivocal teaching of the Church today — an idea frequently expressed in the social teaching of the Church from the time of Leo XIII.

            In 1987, the Synod of Bishops stated in their document on the Laity: The Holy Spirit leads each one of us to discover more clearly that today holiness is impossible unless it is accompanied by a commitment to justice, a commitment to solidarity with those persons who are poor and oppressed.  As lay people strive to become holy they must integrate into their lives this social dimension that seeks to transform the world according to God’s plan.

The Vincentian volunteer believes in the utopia of the Kingdom of God and works for its realization in this world

            It is very common today for theologians and scripture scholars to speak of the Son of God becoming flesh and dwelling among us as an “event” — an event that allows Jesus to speak to us about God and to speak to us about himself.  Those realities that Jesus addresses to us about God and himself are part of the foundation of our Christian faith.  But what constitutes the heart of the Gospel is the proclamation of the Good News: God the Father, through his Son Jesus Christ, offers humanity the gift of redemption, a new form of life that is called the Kingdom or the Reign of God.  Humanity’s salvation rests on the fact that men and women allow God to reign in this world.  Jesus teaches us to do this and through his works shows us how to make this a reality.  Finally he promises us that when the history of this world is concluded, the Kingdom of God will be established definitively and completely — there will be no more suffering or tears, no more sin or death.

            This teaching is the Christian utopia — the ideal utopia will be given in eternal life.  Thus this is not to be seen as some illusion or dream, but rather is meant as a future reality since it is based on the infallible Word of God.

            What then should Christians do now as they await the fulfillment of that future promise?  By following and imitating Jesus, they should sow little seeds of the Kingdom of God and they should do this continually, without being discouraged by the lack of results: acts of kindness, compassion, solidarity, justice, tolerance, long-suffering.  In other words, Christians should sow seeds of life in human history, seeds of new life, a life that is different from the life offered by the world.  Jesus says: the Kingdom of God is among you, i.e., God is acting in our presence and through the works of those who believe in Him.

            The whole world has to be evangelized and liberated, the world of culture, politics, economics, recreation, sports, social relations, international relations, etc.

            The proper vocation of Vincentian volunteers does not embrace the liberation of the whole world, rather their vocation and charism, which proceeds from the Holy Spirit of God, impels them to become involved in the liberation of the world of those who are poor.  This is certainly a tremendous undertaking that can appear to be beyond their ability.  Humanity cries out from the burdens of poverty and Vincentian institutions will never be lacking in work, not in the coming years, nor for that matter, not in the coming centuries.  If Vincentian institutions should cease to exist, it will not be due to a lack of work but due to a lack of people who are faithful to their vocation.

            From the very beginning, Vincentian volunteers ought to realize that in their lifetime, they will not see the complete liberation of the poor.  Jesus does not demand that they achieve this goal — rather he invites them to attempt it and work with all their strength and sow the seeds of the Kingdom in the world of the poor.  They should do this with enthusiasm, encouraged by their love for the poor and by the words of Jesus: Come blessed ones and take possession of the Kingdom of God, for I was hungry and you fed me.

The basic principles for Vincentian volunteers

            1.  The Vincentian volunteer is a believing member of the Catholic Church

            2.  The Vincentian volunteer is a sincere and practicing Catholic

            3.  The Vincentian volunteer is an imitator-follower of Jesus Christ

4.  The Vincentian volunteer imitates Jesus Christ as evangelizer and liberator of the poor

5.  The Vincentian volunteer sees liberation of the poor as a reality that embrace the whole person

            6.  The Vincentian volunteer is a Christian of any age and from any state of life

7.  The Vincentian volunteer is a member of one of the traditional Vincentian institutions or one of the new institutions

            8.  Vincentian volunteers and their secular condition

            9.  Vincentian volunteer seeks to renew their work through charity and justice

10. The Vincentian volunteer believes in the utopia of the Kingdom of God and works for its realization in this world

Part III

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