Building the Vincentian Community

"The more you give to our Lord, the more blessings you will receive. His yoke is sweet to him who embraces it willingly." -St. Vincent de Paul


I was blessed with the opportunity to be a part of a Vincentian Founders Festival on Thursday in Los Angeles.  The idea behind the day was simple: two different elementary schools, run by the Daughters of Charity, joined together for fellowship and to do service together. 


It was an incredible experience to be a "fly on the wall." As with all Vincentian endeavors, these schools minister to the poor and marginalized. You wouldn't have known it on Thursday though - with the children in each grade level wearing matching T-shirt colors, you couldn't even tell the two schools apart - and with the excitement the children had for their service projects, you could see they did not consider themselves to be "the poor."


As I wandered into the 4th grade classroom, I saw busy children in matching green T-shirts, taking turns between eagerly decorating lunch bags or making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Their task was to make sack lunches to be given to the homeless, and they took special care to decorate everything with crosses and symbols of love. Busy about their work, they scarcely noticed me. Visiting the 1st grade classroom was a little different - bubbling over with excitement in their dark red T-shirts, they were practicing their new writing skills on cards for kids in the local children's hospital. Each table I stopped at couldn't wait to show me the words they had carefully written, the pictures they had painstakingly drawn. 


But service projects aside, Thursday was also about building community; not just any community, but Vincentian community. The day was started by cheering and singing about St. Louise de Marillac and St. Vincent de Paul, and we celebrated Mass together in St. Vincent's church. These children are taught every day by loving and committed teachers and staff, who remind them that they must always take care of those who are less fortunate. An entire generation of young Vincentians - who made new friends, shared lunch tables, and cheerfully served others. 


This is such a powerful embodiment of what the Vincentian Lay Missionaries (and indeed, the entire Vincentian Family) are all about. We seek to not just serve the poor, but to enliven the young adults who participate in the program, and to teach them how to be Vincentian. These Vincentian schools exist to serve the children and their families, providing quality education for those who can't afford it. This Founders Day was not just about serving the children, though - it was about teaching the children to serve others. About growing the Vincentian family, sharing the message of St. Vincent de Paul with anyone who will take it to heart. There is no distinction between rich and poor - all that remain are children of God.