The year 2017 marks a Jubilee Year for the Family of Charity. We celebrate 400 years of the charism that comes to us from St. Vincent de Paul. While preaching in a parish church in Chatillon, France, in 1617, Vincent experienced a deep conversion of heart. He explained at Sunday Mass that there was a very poor family in need of every kind of assistance. The response of the parishioners was so overwhelming that it inspired Vincent to dedicate his life and ministry to organizing outreach to the spiritually and materially poor. He became a great connector and collaborator, not only providing direct service himself and gathering others for the work but also using his many connections to advocate for changes in the systems that create poverty.
Today the Family of Charity that traces its beginning to St. Vincent de Paul includes priests (Congregation of the Mission), women religious (Sisters and Daughters of Charity), and many lay associations (Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Ladies of Charity, Secular Vincentian Missionaries and more). To celebrate this 400
th
anniversary the Vincentian Family launched a global initiative called, “I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” We have challenged ourselves to explore how we can better live the Charity charism we share by reaching out to the strangers in our communities: refugees, migrants, those subject to discrimination, the homeless, and any other marginalized persons.
During this Jubilee Year we pray: “Grant us the grace we need to continue this marvelous collaborative work together with those who are living in poverty so that we might build a more just and equitable world. Help us communicate your love to our brothers and sisters with enthusiasm and hope so that they, in turn, might become active in their own development. Teach us to be obedient to your will. Give us the strength we need to be authentic and hardworking within the Church and to be a force of transformation in society. May our numbers increase, so that each day, there can be more people convinced of Jesus’ words: “Whatever you do for one of these least brothers or sisters of mine, you do for me” (Matthew 25:40).