VINNIES VIEW, by Brian Moore
IN September, the St Vincent de Paul Society celebrate two important feast days, Blessed Frederic Ozanam on September 9 and St Vincent de Paul on September 27.
Readers in recent Vinnies Views would have noticed vice president Robert Leach’s references to the Society’s patron St Vincent de Paul and the Society’s founder Blessed Frederic.
There would be no doubt in anyone’s mind that St Vincent and Blessed Frederic certainly put their faith into action.
As Christians we are all a part of the one Body in Christ, who are all called to be Christ-like like St Vincent and Blessed Frederic, by going out in service to meet the needs of others, especially the poor, the marginalised and the disadvantaged.
I honestly feel that there are times when we all need to follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit by renewing our commitment to find Christ in the heart of the poor.
It was Blessed Frederic Ozanam who saw the suffering face of Christ in the Poor.
The St Vincent de Paul Society was founded in France by a group of young men in 1833, the principle founder being Blessed Frederic.
This group of young people decided to name the Society after the patron Saint of Charity, St Vincent de Paul (1581–1660.
A group of Catholic University students led by Frederic, were involved in many debates on religion.
Against sceptical opponents, Frederic argued that Christianity had always fostered human progress.
He demonstrated this with evidence from history.
They challenged him by saying … “Don’t try to impress us with what the priests and nuns are doing for the poor. Tell us Frederic Ozanam, what are you doing for them – you and your fellow Catholics? Show us your works, then we might believe”.
The challenge was taken up by Ozanam. His response was?
“We must do what Jesus did… Let us go to the poor”.
That night Ozanam and his roommate Auguste took some of their own fire wood to an old man living in an attic a few doors away.
Frederic then proposed to his friends that they put their faith into action by forming a ‘little society’ to work for the poor.
The St Vincent de Paul Society is a way of life that Vincentians have adopted because they believe in it. It is built on love … love of God and love of our neighbour for love of Him.
Their charity is limitless, without bounds. Such was the love that burned in the heart of Frederic Ozanam. Such is the love that has carried the Society over many years. Such is the love that must perpetuate the Society into the future. Such a love can be summed up in the following quotation from Blessed Frederic.
“The knowledge of social well-being and of reform is to be learned, not from books, but in climbing the stairs to the poor man’s garret, sitting by his bedside, feeling the same cold that pierces him, sharing the secret of his lonely heart and troubled mind.”
Let us now pause and reflect on what Blessed Frederic’s challenge means to us all as Christians today.
St Vincent, the evangeliser of the poor, also poses many questions.
It was the human Jesus who captivated Vincent.
From the beginning, the picture of Jesus telling the people in the Nazareth synagogue that his life’s purpose was to bring his Father’s hope to the poor excited Vincent.
He saw himself seated in that assembly and felt the energy which moved Jesus go through him too.
For most of his active life, Vincent set his course by what Jesus would do.
He was especially attuned to the gospel scenes in which Jesus encountered needy people.
In fact he often reminded his followers how fortunate they were to be doing exactly what the Son of Man himself had come to do, bring the Good News to the poor. In some ways, Vincent’s fundamental accomplishment was to have communicated to the poor of his day that God really loved them.
In the prayer practices he recommended, Vincent told his directees to come with Jesus before His God, to be part of the vital exchange going back and forth within the Trinity.
Only in such open communication with the all-loving God could they have confidence that the work they were doing was really God’s work.
Only then could they be sure it was, in Vincent’s favorite phrase, the will of God. Today St Vincent’s care for the poor continues to be universal.
It is the wellsprings of human dignity, the basic goodness of people.
The reason St Vincent could give his care so lovingly in the first place was because he believed that when he served the poor, he “touched God”.
And when he came before God, he found himself reaching out to the poor.
For St Vincent, Christian discipleship did not exist in the abstract.
It came to life in practical service to the poor. He mirrors today’s active apostles, needing nourishment from action and prayer as they serve the poor.
He stands before God, prayerfully active and actively prayerful in bringing the Good News to the poor.
Many readers of The Catholic Leader would realise that, the St Vincent de Paul Society is a lay Catholic organisation that aspires to live the Gospel message by serving Christ in the poor with love, respect, justice, hope and joy, by working to shape a more just and compassionate society.
For sometime due to the aging process, sickness and death there are now many vacancies in some parishes for conference members and volunteers in our conferences, centres of charity and special works.
Members of the Vincentian family are continually praying that we can find caring people to embrace the Vincentian vocation as the demand for the Society’s assistance is increasing.
Should the Society fail in a parish because of the lack of membership, it will not be because of its philosophy or structure.
It will not be due to the lack of clergy support, lack of money or lack of work.
It will fail because of us.
How heavy then, the responsibility of each of us as Christians to look beyond the status quo and consider becoming a member of the Vincentian family.
The Society challenges the best in us to be caring and spirit-filled people.
The most fitting tribute to our founder Blessed Fredric is to make sure the work he started 180 years ago is handed to others.
Any person young or old who is willing to give those in need “a hand up” is welcome to join the St Vincent de Paul Society.
At this moment there are people less fortunate than ourselves who urgently need our talents, our know how, our concern and our love.
Just a couple of hours of your time each week are precious to the needy and distressed.
Should you desire to become a member of the Vincentian family feel free to contact your local St Vincent de Paul conference president, your parish priest or the St Vincent de Paul Society state administration office on 07 3010 1000.
Lord Jesus, call many generous souls to Your service in the St Vincent de Paul Society and transform them into ministers of Your Mercy, for only You, can do all things. Amen.
Brian Moore is the president of the Queensland St Vincent de Paul Society.
