VINCENTIAN STUDIES COURSE

BOQUERON, CHIRIQUI, PANA

JOHN P. PRAGER, C.M. 1995

VII. THE HISTORY OF THE C.M.

 
4. FROM THE SECOND FOUNDATION UNTIL THE PRESENT (1843- )

READINGS FOR THE TEACHER:

De la Rallaye, L., Eugene Bore, (Paris:l894)

Herrera, p. 363-428 & 476-487. Le Pere Eugene Bore, (Paris:A. Josse, l879).

 Meuffels, H., "Tres Honorè Pere Antoine Fiat," Annalesde la C.M. 114 (l949), p. 3-56.

Poole, S., "Eugene Bore and the Vincentian Missions in the Near East," Vincentian Heritage 5 (l984), p. 59-102.

 Rosset, E., La Vie de Jean Baptiste Etienne, (Paris: 1881)

 Zimmerman, J., "Recollections of Fr. Slattery, The Years of his Generalate: 1947-1968," Vincentian Heritage 4 (1983), p. 47-84.

READINGS FOR THE NOVICES:

Poole," Major developments", p. 739-742

Udovik, E., "What about the Poor:Nineteenth Century Paris and the Revival of Vincentian Charity, Vincentian Heritage 14 (l993), p. 69-94.

 

POINTS OF EMPHASIS:

1. The Second Foundation (1843-1870)

a. Fr. Etienne assumed the leadership of the C.M. in a difficult moment. The community had been rocked by scandals, divisions, etc for several decades. Most of the confreres were old men who had lived outside the community for years.

b. Etienne worked to revive the C.M. He went about it by centralizing and codifying. The positive results were that abuses were corrected and a certain unity of spirit and practice grew up. On the negative side, the tendancy was to make us more like religious. There was also an imposition of French culture with many of the practices.

c. Etienne is criticized today for his cultural prejudices and leadership style. He was a product of his times. In his favor it should be remembered that he took a community in crisis and helped it survive and grow.

d. 120 new houses were founded under Etienne and the community spread outside of Europe.

 2. Expansion (1860-1939)

a. The community expanded all over the world. The membership tripled in this period. There was a great emphasis on the traditional works(missions and seminaries) and a very strong current in favor of missions ad gentes.

 

b. Parishes and schools also became more important.

 

c. The tendancy, especially after the promulgation of the Code of Canon Law in l917, to become more and more like religious.

 3. Stabilization (l945-1965)

a. Some of the characteristics of the former period continue, but with less dramatic increases.

b. The Constitutions of l954 capture the spirit of the C.M. at the time: more like religious, less emphasis on the poor, a tendancy to accept any work.

4. Break-down and Crisis (l965-l980)

a. Vatican II, Medellin, Puebla and other events in the Church and the world brought to the surface many problems.

b. The big question is one of identity. People begin to question practices, works, structures. Experiments are tried in many areas of Vincentian life.

c. The questions; Who are the Poor? and Who are we as Vincentians ? become more and more important.

d. Many leave. Few enter.

5. New Beginnings? (l980- )

a. The New Constitutions and the process of trying to implement them on the universal and provincial level have helped to create a clear vision.

b. Evangelization of the poor in many forms has begun to reanimate the provinces.

c. There has been a renewed interest and concern for the Vincentian tradition, prayer and the quality of community life.

e. The third world provinces are growing.