VINCENTIAN STUDIES COURSE

BOQUERON, CHIRIQUI, PANA

JOHN P. PRAGER, C.M. 1995

VII. THE HISTORY OF THE C.M.

2. History of the C.M: From the Foundation to the French Revolution: 1625-1789

READINGS FOR THE TEACHER:

Herrera, p. 146-185.

 Julia, D., "L'Expansion de la C.M. de la Mort de Vincent de Paul à Révolution Française," in Vincent de Paul: Actes du Colloque International d'Etudes Vincentiennes, (Rome: l981), p. 362-419.

 La Cour, J., "General History of the C.M. from the Death of St. Vincent until 1720," Annales(English Ed.) (1898-1902).

 Mezzadri & Román, p. 87-109 y 329-353.

READINGS FOR THE NOVICES:

Poole, p. 29-44.

POINTS OF EMPHASIS:

 1. Expansion (1660-1700)

a. Many confreres knew St. Vincent.

b. Many come to the community.

-These new men have to be initiated into the spirit of St. Vincent, who they did not know personally. Thus the biography of Abelly, the two year novitiate, etc.

c. The primitive works continue. The royal parishes are accepted, not without some doubts.

d. One difficult moment is the election of 1697. This created tensions that existed for a long time between the French and non-French (Italian) provinces.

2. Stability (1700-1760)

a. Vocations continue to come, but more because of the success of the works than from desire to live the charism.

b. There are more seminaries and parishes, but less popular missions.

c. Jansenism becomes a problem

d. Houses are founded in Spain and Portugal via the Italian province. This and other events continue tension between the French and the Italians.

3. Break-down (1760-1789)

a. The charism becomes less and less a point of reference. Without that many practices and customs loose their meaning.

b. Many abuses creep in to the community. Some attempts at reform occur.

c. A bright spot was the work of the confreres in the Middle East and China.
 
 

Take some community documents from the period(letters of the superior general, decrees of the assemblies, etc.) and ask the novices to analyze them to see what they say about the community at that moment. For example: the need for assemblies to issue decrees on poverty indicates that their were many abuses.