st vincent de paul catholic church

In one word - Christ

Reason tells us that we ought to love our neighbours, since they are children of God; since they are our brothers, members of the same human family; and since they have the same nature, dignity, destiny, and needs as ourselves. This love, or charity, should be both internal and external. The former wishes the neighbour well, and rejoices in his good fortune; the latter comprises all those actions by which any of the needs are supplied.

As a virtue, charity is that habit or power which disposes us to love God above all creatures for Himself, and to love ourselves and our neighbours for the sake of God.

The obligation to perform acts of charity is taught both by revelation and by reason - Words of Christ: "thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself".

The society's establishment was due partly to the desire of the founders to furnish a practical refutation of the reproaches directed against Christianity by the followers of Saint-Simon, Fourier, and other popular teachers of the day. "Show us your works!" taunted the St. Simonians. "We admit the past grandeur of Christianity, but the tree is now dead and bears no fruit." To this taunt Ozanam and his companions retorted by forming themselves into a Conference of Charity, later adopting the name of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

In organizing the Society, Antoine-Frédéric Ozanam, following the inspiration of its chosen patron St. Vincent de Paul, modelled the rule upon the same principles that were in vogue in the seventeenth century. The rules adopted were very simple; it was forbidden to discuss politics or personal concerns at the meetings, and it was settled that the work should be the service of God in the persons of the poor, whom the members were to visit at their own dwellings and assist by every means in their power. The service of the members was to embrace, without distinction of creed or race, the poor, the sick, the infirm, and the unemployed.

Saint Vincent de Paul (1581-1660), French priest, founder of the Congregation of the Mission, called the Vincentians or the Order of the Lazarists.

With the support of the family whom he served as chaplain, Vincent founded the Congregation of the Mission to preach to the peasants on the family's estates. A community of the congregation was formally established at the College des Bons-Enfants in Paris in 1626, where Vincent served as principal. The alternate name Lazarist Fathers was given to the group when it established headquarters at the former priory of Saint Lazare, in Paris, in 1632. Vincent not only headed the order but also founded with others several charitable organizations, notably the Daughters of Charity, formed under his direction in 1633. The foundling hospital of Paris owes its origin to this group. The Congregation of the Mission organized several seminaries for the training of priests as a result of work done by Vincent de Paul with young men about to be ordained. He was also concerned with relief work during the religious wars in France. His opposition to Jansenism is believed to have been responsible for its suppression. He died in Paris on September 27, 1660. He was canonized in 1737 and was named patron of works of charity in 1855. Vincent's feast day is September 27.

2009-09-09 05:20:29 by turq

I do anenormous amount of video work shooting and editing. One of the best parts of shooting weddings, besides being a part of one of the most ...

I am catholic and I'm 14. We have always gone to the same church all of my life, until just recently. I never liked church because it was boring. We never had good priests and the music wasn't that good. Well, about 3 years ago, we got this new priest, who is Indian. Ever since he got here, things have really been going down hill at our church. My parents used to be really involved, but now their not anymore. We only go to our church every other weekend now during the school year because we have life teen and my parents and me and my brother are involved with that, but I have a feeling in the nest couple of years we won't have it anymore. Every other Sunday during the school and in the summer, we have been going to this big church (just to let you know how much bigger it is our weekly collection is 4,000 dollars and thiers is 50,000 dollars). They have 3 priests. they have one whoes 70 who is a really great priest and is my favorite, they have one who just got ordained and he is young and really good and they have this Indian guy and we don't go to his masses much. They also have 6 masses on the weekend and we only have 3 sometimes 4. Also, their music is AMAZING. It sounds like professional singers. We love it there. Well, anyways what I am trying to say is when we go to our church, I'm like, aww, We have to go to church, but with the big church I'm like yes we get to go to church. I just love it there. My dad is sending a letter to the bishop about how downhill our church has been going. It is amazing how much I like going to church now that we don't go to our home church now. I think in the future, we are probably going to become members of the big church. i love going to church when we go there, but I hate going to our home church. What are your thoughts on this? Have you ever had this kind of experience? Also, going to the big church, makes me feel really good, and it is brought me a lot closer to Christ. I feel welcome at the big church, wheras i don't and ours.

P.S. I don't want to say where I live, but I guess I can tell you the names of the churches. The one we have always gone to and don't like is called Immaculate Conception Catholic Church and the big one that we love is called St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church.
My family does not have anything against Indians. It is just that the priest at the church we are members at does not have any business skills and doesn't know how to run the church. He just isn't a very good priest. He is a nice man though. Also, there is a little bit of a langauge barrier. Also, the Indian priest at the big church is a good priest. It's just the language barrier. We like to be able to understand what the priest is saying.

You've seen the difference between and "alive" and a "dead" church. Churches should be full of people who genuinely care about each other, that have good teaching that draws you closer to God. Don't feel guilty about liking the bigger church. If you only liked it because it had a nicer building, better snacks during youth group, etc. then you're priorities would be out of whack but everything you listed is a legitimate reason to like going to church.

God bless!

2008-08-18 13:28:02 by Ali

Price: $24.95

what is the australian catholic story or what is the story of the catholic church? i have to find pictures on what ways st vincent de paul society has contributed to the australian catholic story. help please!

The story of the Catholic Church? You have got to be kidding me.

Do yourself a favor and google "St Vincent de Paul Society Australia". Then click on "images". Have fun.

2010-02-17 21:59:45 by i know who i am

Price: $32.00

Immigrants fighting hard to stay in U.S
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31511349/ns/ us_news-the_elkhart_project/
By Helen A.S. Popkin and Tim Vandenackmsnbc.com / The Elkhart Truth
updated 9:35 a.m. MT, Mon., June. 29, 2009
Elkhart County, Ind.—

Angel Rodriguez stood on the front lawn, cradling his infant son, surrounded by porcelain figures, a playpen, a couch, shoes — the familiar ephemera accumulated in better times.

Losing his job with a supplier in the boat manufacturing industry forced Rodriguez and his family to trade their trailer in Milford, Ind., for a single bedroom in the one-bathroom, one-story dwelling they share with eight others some 20 miles north, in Elkhart. It also meant shedding belongings to compensate for the lost space, as well as lost income. So Rodriguez was having a yard sale.

"When I lived in Milford, I lived alone with my kids. I didn’t need anybody’s help," said the husband and father of two. "Now I have to sell my things."

A dozen people living in a single house is not ideal, but it's the price Rodriguez must pay to stay in the United States. Like other Mexican immigrants hit by the recession, it gives his family a way of dealing with the loss of income without having to return to his native country.

"Us illegals, we don’t have unemployment," said Rodriguez, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico City. "If I had unemployment, I wouldn’t have had to give up the trailer."

Hispanic immigrants, chiefly those here illegally, are particularly vulnerable as the recession lingers. Without proper documentation, those out of work can’t access unemployment and other government benefits, increasing the pressure to pull up stakes and look for opportunity elsewhere. Still, many who came to the United States looking to improve their life — make money, open up opportunities for their children, help support family still in Mexico — are hardly eager to return.

Mexico "is a Third World country," said Rodriguez, who knows several who have already gone back. It’s a last resort he’s not willing to consider.

"How’s that going to be? It’s going to be worse."

Thus, Rodriguez and his family make do, exchanging privacy for a shared home and a cheaper lifestyle.

Many immigrants, like Rodriguez, are fighting hard to stay. Some, however, have already trickled back. Whether to stay or leave seems to be a question on everybody's mind.

"Many people are making these decisions," said Ignacio Chagoya, who works with the needy, including some immigrants, at Elkhart's St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church. "Do I go to another state? Do I go to Mexico?"

Still, the pressure is strong.

Chagoya, a legal U.S. resident originally from Mexico, lost his factory job here last December and is considering a move to find work, notwithstanding the 23 years he has lived in Elkhart. It's tough, especially since he'd leave behind his two daughters, who live here with their mother, his ex-wife.

At least he has his U.S. residency card, and, thus, a better shot at securing work, precluding a forced or premature return to Mexico. Some he knows who have gone back to Mexico — almost exclusively undocumented immigrants — have done so because they have no other option, their resources whittled to zero.

"The idea was to return with assets," said Chagoya, alluding to the dream some immigrants harbor of making it big here and returning to Mexico with a pocketful of money. "But they're leaving defeated, sad."

To stay or go
At WKAM, the phone calls are frequent: those on the other end will ask about job leads, fret about the economy and sound off about the notion of moving back to Mexico.
"The No. 1 worry is unemployment," said Nacho Zepeda, general manager and disc jockey at the Spanish-language AM radio station, better known as La Mejor.

Image: Nacho Zepeda
Jennifer Shephard/Elkhart Truth
Nacho Zepeda, general manager at WKAM, talks to listeners during a call-in segment of his morning show.

Spanish-language radio serves as a cultural lifeline in many Hispanic immigrant communities. Such stations are virtual town squares for the immigrant community, and it’s no different at La Mejor.

Recently, in response to Zepeda’s query to listeners about how they’re weathering the tough times, the calls to the Elkhart County station, based in Goshen, started coming in.

One man, an out-of-work caller originally from Mexico, expressed skepticism about the American Dream — the idea that you can come to the United States, get a job and live happily ever after. Still, he and his wife are hanging on, helped by his brother. No way are they going to leave Elkhart County and return to Mexico.

"What am I going to do in Mexico?" he wondered, repeating a common refrain. "It’s worse."

Hope for a better life brought many from Mexico to the United States. When the Mexican immigration boom began in the 1970s, many settled in border towns in places like California and Texas. But in the early 1990s, ample

They should just become legal citizens like every other immigrant in the past. Why should they get special treatment?

2009-06-30 13:01:22 by new name

If anyone knows of any examples of organisations or businesses directly linked to or supported by the Catholic Church, that would be really helpful.
For example, St Vincent De Paul i think is a Catholic organisation.

Among Saint Vincent DePaul, the Legion of Mary, the Knights of Columbus, the Holy Name Society, Daughters of St. Paul(this is a convent and also a media organization that is big in books and videos) and EWTN (TV networkand other media) Lurgori Press, Tan Books, Ignatius Press there are many others but these are what comes to mind right now. God Bless you.

2008-08-09 22:57:35 by Leanne H