The Vincentian Roots of Friendship

Updates, resources, and events highlighting the integration of DePaul’s Vincentian mission into the daily life and work of the university community.

 

MISSION MONDAY

The Vincentian Roots of Friendship

With Valentine’s Day approaching, how can our Vincentian heritage lead to more fulfilling friendships?

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UPCOMING EVENTS

Supporting Community

Please join us for Service Day with Vincent on February 14th. All DePaul faculty and staff are warmly encouraged to participate!

Please RSVP HERE to let us know you will be attending.

 

Please Join…

With the intent of nurturing our DePaul Catholic community spiritually (mass), and corporally (lunch and good community after!) we would love to have faculty and staff join us at this Catholic faculty and staff mass. 

Please RSVP HERE to let us know you will be attending. 

On the third Wednesday of each month, rotating between both campuses, DMM will now host a mass/lunch, especially for faculty and staff. 

 

Lenten Groups

This Lent, the Division of Mission and Ministry will again facilitate remote weekly faith-sharing groups for faculty and staff. We invite you to join us alongside your peers as we seek spiritual renewal during the Lenten season.

MONDAYS MARCH 10 – APRIL 14 NOON – 1PM: RSVP HERE

THURSDAYS MARCH 6 – APRIL 10 NOON – 1PM: RSVP HERE

Zoom links will be provided upon registration. We look forward to welcoming you!

 

The Vincentian Roots of Friendship

Written By: Miranda Lukatch, Editor, Vincentian Studies Institute

What do Vincent de Paul, Louise de Marillac, Elizabeth Seton, and Frédéric Ozanam have in common? Some answers are obvious: they loved God deeply, they shared a mission, and they accomplished enormous good for the poor. But they shared commonalities not only in what they did but how they did it. All these dynamic Vincentian figures relied on the power of friendship. This could take a practical form, such as networking to found and support their organizations. But they also relied on it to fulfill personal needs—to mature their outlooks and nurture the incredible amount of spirit it took to accomplish their goals. Much of what we know about these figures comes from the letters they wrote, and, especially in Elizabeth’s and Frédéric’s cases, many of these were to their friends. [1] Therefore, it seems fitting that before Valentine’s Day, which many countries now celebrate as a friendship day, we consider the role of friendship in our Vincentian heritage, our DePaul community, and in our own daily lives.

Let’s put the importance of friendship within our own cultural context—both in broader American culture and in the culture that exists at DePaul. Back in 2023, the US surgeon general made headlines when he declared loneliness a public health epidemic. In early 2024, a poll from the American Psychiatric Association found that “30% of adults [said] they have experienced feelings of loneliness at least once a week over the past year, while 10% [said] they are lonely every day. Younger people were more likely to experience these feelings, with 30% of Americans aged 18–34 saying they were lonely every day or several times a week.” [2] Considering the student population DePaul serves, these are essential statistics. A significant benefit of being a college graduate is an increased likelihood of having more friends, which provides cascading advantages over a lifetime. [3] This is a benefit we hope our students will derive from their time in our community. But forming and maintaining friendships in adulthood is so difficult that a specific branch of therapy, friendship therapy, has recently been created to address this need. Whole books are being written on how to make friendships work, and the New York Times even has a “friendship correspondent.” (That’s Anna Goldfarb, who has written an excellent book called Modern Friendship.)

Given the importance and difficulty of cultivating friendships, what can we learn from the Vincentian figures who excelled at this? They teach us that we should accept difficulty; just because their friendships were powerful doesn’t mean that they were easy to develop or maintain. When Louise first met Vincent, she felt accepting him as her spiritual director would be “repugnant.” Vincent did not want to be anyone’s director, and a curious two-year gap in an otherwise voluminous correspondence between them has led more than one scholar to believe there was a period of “coolness” in their relationship. [4] I highly recommend reading the published collections of the letters of the four Vincentian personages, which DePaul has made available online. [5] They show how affection within their relationships grew. There are two major threads running through all of them. First, these friendships were grounded not just in common interests but in a deep and common love (of God and of the poor) that was carried out in common enterprises. Second, the letters are supreme demonstrations of simplicity. Simplicity in the Vincentian sense usually means cultivating a deep sincerity, expressing a total alignment of our values, words, and behavior. But I think it could be extended to mean something else: profound openness about thoughts and feelings, in the sense of our internal states, in the sense of our affections, and in the sense of accepting the thoughts and feelings of others. Author and scholar Brené Brown has observed that the word courage “originally meant ‘to speak one’s mind by telling all one’s heart.’” [6] This is what we see happening in the lives and letters of our Vincentian forebears. They had the courage to practice simplicity.

So, Vincentian wisdom shows us that the best friendships are based on shared values and what might be called applied simplicity. We at DePaul have a particularly promising chance to strengthen relationships with those around us based on this wisdom. We are a community “gathered together for the sake of a mission,” so we know it is likely that others here share at least some of our deepest values. And if we practice simplicity, if we have the courage to make first moves and to be (appropriately) persistent, if we are open about what is in our hearts, then in time we can build the same types of friendships that sustained our Vincentian exemplars.

Reflection Questions:

  1. Who are the people who seem the likeliest partners in friendships for you? Are these people you need to reach out to, or are they people you already know? Where are the existing opportunities to deepen these relationships, and what are some ways you can create more?
  2. How have your friendships with colleagues at DePaul inspired and nurtured you? Is there anything you would like to accomplish as a joint effort with your friends?

Reflection by: Miranda Lukatch, Editor, Vincentian Studies Institute

[1] Numerous articles have been written on the role of friendship in these Vincentians’ lives. In addition to those cited in other footnotes in this article, some of the best are Margaret J. Kelly, D.C., “The Relationship of Saint Vincent and Saint Louise from Her Perspective,” Vincentian Heritage 11:1 (1990): 77–114. Available at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/vhj/vol11/iss1/6; Wendy M. Wright, “Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton and the Art of Embodied Presence,” Vincentian Heritage 18:2 (1997): 249–60. Available at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/vhj/vol18/iss2/9; Judith Metz, S.C., “The Key Role of Friendship in the Life of Elizabeth Bayley Seton,” Vincentian Heritage 29:1 (2009): 8–23. Available at: https://‌‌via.library.depaul.edu/vhj/vol29/iss1/2; and Frederick J. Easterly, C.M., “Frédérick Ozanam, A Layman For Now,” Vincentian Heritage 4:2 (1983): 140–71. Available at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/vhj/vol4/iss2/4. If you visit Vincentian Heritage’s website at https://via.library.depaul.edu/vhj/, use “friend” as a search term to get results for many more.

[2] American Psychiatric Association, “New APA Poll: One in Three Americans Feels Lonely Every Week,” January 30, 2024, https://www.psychiatry.org/news-room/news-releases/new-apa-poll-one-in-three-americans-feels-lonely-e.

[3] Daniel A. Cox, “The College Connection: The Education Divide in American Social and Community Life,” Survey Center on American Life, December 13, 2021, https://‌www.americansurveycenter.org/research/the-college-connection-the-education-divide-in-american-social-and-community-life/.

[4] There’s some ambiguity about whether Louise mentions this repugnance specifically about Vincent as a person or just about changing directors in general. Louise de Marillac, document A.2, “Light,” n.d., Spiritual Writings, 1. Available online at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/ldm/; Hugh O’Donnell, C.M., “The Relationship of Saint Vincent and Saint Louise from His Perspective: A Personal and Theological Inquiry,” Vincentian Heritage 11:1 (1990): 62. Available at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/vhj/vol11/iss1/5; Loretto Gettemeir, D.C., “Louise: A Life in Her Own Words,” Vincentian Heritage 12:2 (1991): 111. Available at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/vhj/vol12/iss2/2/; see also O’Donnell, “Relationship of Saint Vincent and Saint Louise from His Perspective,” 69.

[5] For Vincent’s letters, see: https://via.library.depaul.edu/coste_en/. For Louise’s, see: https://via.library.depaul.edu/ldmlcd/. For Elizabeth’s, see: https://via.library.depaul.edu/seton_lcd/, and for Frédéric’s, see: https://via.library.depaul.edu/ozanam_law/.

[6] Brené Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are (Hazelden, 2010), 12.

How Do We Operationalize Dignity?

Updates, resources, and events highlighting the integration of DePaul’s Vincentian mission into the daily life and work of the university community.

 

MISSION MONDAY

How Do We Operationalize Dignity?

Why is personal connection necessary for our personal and communal flourishing?

READ MORE

 

 


UPCOMING EVENTS

Help Keep Someone Warm This Winter!

Join our warm winter wear donation drive to support those in need. We’re collecting new and gently used socks, hats, gloves, mittens, and scarves to provide comfort during the chilly season. Help spread the word!  Together, we can make this winter warmer for everyone.

 

Join Us for BPR 2025!

RSVP HERE

 

Service Day with Vincent

Please join us for Service Day with Vincent on February 14th. All DePaul faculty and staff are warmly encouraged to participate!

Please RSVP HERE to let us know you will be attending.

 

Please Join…

With the intent of nurturing our DePaul Catholic community spiritually (mass), and corporally (lunch and good community after!) we would love to have faculty and staff join us at this Catholic faculty and staff mass. 

Please RSVP HERE to let us know you will be attending. 

On the third Wednesday of each month, rotating between both campuses, DMM will now host a mass/lunch, especially for faculty and staff. Please review the newsletter for details.

How Do We Operationalize Dignity?

Written By: Siobhan O’Donoghue, PhD, Director of Faculty and Staff Engagement, Division of Mission and Ministry

Some of you reading this may be familiar with the Chicago street named Ozanam Avenue, but how many know who this street is named after? Frédéric Ozanam was a French Catholic literary scholar, lawyer, professor, social advocate, and lay Catholic leader. Of all the Vincentian Family members, Ozanam has always had a special place in my heart. For me, he models something essential about how we can make our Vincentian mission concrete through our actions.

I first learned of Ozanam when I was a teenager at school in the UK. Inspired by the idea of a faith that does justice and eager to engage in community service, I had joined a school-based conference of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. Ozanam, as I soon learned, was the principal founder of the original society. He had founded the organization with a group of friends in 1833 while a university student. They named it after St. Vincent de Paul because he was considered “a national hero of social service” and admired by many in France, even those who were anti-Church. [1] The members’ goal was to help those who were poor, while at the same time developing their own faith. Keen to learn more about him, I happened upon a biography about Ozanam called Apostle in a Top Hat. Today, I might be inclined to be more discerning when choosing a biography. But at that time, the idea of interrogating a text for its authenticity was beyond me. For me, Ozanam represented a social justice icon and a man who was set on fire by a quest for faith and justice. His journey spoke deeply to my idealistic self. I devoured the book and have never forgotten the cover: a Victorian gentleman tipping an impossibly large top hat!

As I think back, our school-based St. Vincent de Paul Society was a modest entity. A motley crew of awkward, if well-meaning teenagers who, while moderately concerned about the state of the world, were primarily driven by the idea of long summer afternoons of not having to be in class. Our mission was to visit people in their homes who were seeking some kind of support, listen to them, and try to alleviate some of their needs with our adolescent vigor, then report back to the group on their well-being. We would also pray for, and sometimes with, those we visited. Our group was supported by a school chaplain, who could provide a higher level of intervention, if it was warranted.

Often, such home visits meant simply sitting with people in the humblest of homes and, in a show of true British hospitality, sharing a cup of tea, biscuits, and a listening ear, while they recounted the trials and tribulations of their days. While hardly backbreaking work or enacting any admirable social change, it was a powerful act of recognizing the dignity of another, and a way of saying, “We see you and we care.” We were grateful for the experience. We even got to feel somewhat proud of our adolescent selves, out serving in the community, no matter our real motivation for such engagement. In his time, Ozanam came to believe that face-to-face contact with poor families provided him with invaluable experiential learning, which in turn caused him to profoundly reshape his perceptions. My own experience of being a member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society also challenged my preconceived (and sometimes ill-informed) notions of poverty and social deprivation and reinforced for me the essentiality of interpersonal connection.

Today, the St. Vincent de Paul Society continues to be active in 155 countries. It has 800,000 members across 48,000 conferences, along with 1.5 million volunteers and collaborators. They serve over 30 million people worldwide every day. Conferences are based in churches, schools, community centers, hospitals, etc. [2] Their mission continues to be to offer support to people in need, particularly those living in poverty. The home visit remains an integral part of the service they provide. In this way, their ministry harkens back to the time of Ozanam when members would take firewood, food, and money to the homes of those who were poor. Yet, even in the days of the original conferences, it was never about the firewood, or the provision of goods, or funds. Rather it was about the compassionate spirit with which the members approached the visits. While certainly home visits were never the most efficient way to deliver assistance, they served as an important way to honor the dignity of the other by providing a moment of true presence and care, in a world that was often too busy to take the time to invest in such relationality. It is the spirit of love, respect, justice, hope, and joy that still defines this work, through which the members strive to shape a more just and compassionate world.

Admittedly, making home visits can be personally inconvenient and can even feel a little awkward. However, this simple act of humanity can transform a transactional service delivery into a meaningful encounter of mutuality, thus inviting a bond of intimacy, which no technological operation could ever provide. As Ozanam recognized, personal visits were a point of mutual exchange where both the visitor and the visited were beneficiaries. [3] This model of the home visit further hearkens back to the legacy of Vincent de Paul and the familiar story of the white tablecloth, a metaphor that calls us to approach all we do with the utmost care for the dignity of others. [4]

So, what wisdom might the humble home visit offer to us at DePaul today? In addressing this, I find myself recalling a question that a faculty member once posed to me after she had read DePaul’s new mission statement: “Dignity is a great concept, but how do we operationalize it?” I believe that the wisdom of the home visit can help us address this complex question, since the same personalism lies at its very heart and is modeled at DePaul each and every day. For, while the provision of concrete resources to help address a need is essential, it is the gift of sincere listening and a compassionate heart that defines us and makes all the difference.

Essentially, it is the spirit of love, respect, care, and empathy, and the commitment to right relationship that must inform how we support our students—and each other—at DePaul. Personalism must never be overshadowed by a mentality of just getting the job done in the most efficient way possible if it crowds out the personhood of those standing in front of us. Indeed, personalism must continue to define any institution that calls itself Vincentian. While efficiency and effectiveness are certainly important, personalism must continue to shape who we are and inform who we are called to be, just as it did in the time of Ozanam, and certainly in the days of Vincent and Louise before him. We come from a rich tradition, and it is up to us to live out its rich legacy.

Reflection questions:

  1. When was the last time you encountered personalism at DePaul?
  2. What might it look like for efficiency and personalism to exist seamlessly at DePaul?

Reflection by: Siobhan O’Donoghue, PhD, Director of Faculty and Staff Engagement, Division of Mission and Ministry

[1] Thomas McKenna, C.M. “Frédéric Ozanam’s Tactical Wisdom for Today’s Consumer Society,” Vincentian Heritage 30:1 (2010): 11. Available at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/vhj/vol30/iss1/1.

[2] “Where Are We?” International Confederation of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, accessed January 29, 2025, https://www.ssvpglobal.org/where-we-are/.

[3] McKenna, “Frédéric Ozanam’s Tactical Wisdom,” 16.

[4] See “The Story of the White Tablecloth,” posted August 15, 2011 by Mission and Ministry DePaul University, YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CgJVAC7Na8.

Living Content Among Reasons of Discontent

Updates, resources, and events highlighting the integration of DePaul’s Vincentian mission into the daily life and work of the university community.

 

MISSION MONDAY

Photo by Aaron Burden.

Living Content Among Reasons of Discontent

Winter is also a season in the spiritual life.

READ MORE

 

 

 


UPCOMING EVENTS

Help Keep Someone Warm This Winter!

Join our warm winter wear donation drive to support those in need. We’re collecting new and gently used socks, hats, gloves, mittens, and scarves to provide comfort during the chilly season. Help spread the word!  Together, we can make this winter warmer for everyone.

 

Join Us for BPR 2025!

RSVP HERE

 

Please Join…

With the intent of nurturing our DePaul Catholic community spiritually (mass), and corporally (lunch and good community after!) we would love to have faculty and staff join us at this inaugural Catholic faculty and staff mass. 

Please RSVP HERE to let us know you will be attending. 

The DMM will host a similar mass and gathering rotating between the Loop and Lincoln Park on a bi-monthly basis, beginning in 2025. All faculty and staff are welcome!

Living Content Among Reasons of Discontent

Written By: Miranda Lukatch, Editor, Vincentian Studies Institute

Photo by Aaron Burden.

The winter quarter months of January, February, and March often seem interminable. Joyful holiday events are over, the optimism with which we’ve greeted the new year may be waning, and our ability to keep our New Year’s resolutions may lessen with every passing day. Spring break can seem far away as we stare down the maw of winter.

For me, the worst aspect of this season is feeling that my productivity is impaired while knowing that there’s so much yet to accomplish. The antidote is finding that I’m not alone and that even immensely dynamic people feel the same way. I’m accustomed to hearing stories about this from those around me—but it may surprise you, as it did me, to know that people from our Vincentian past knew this feeling well. In an 1835 letter, Frédéric Ozanam, the founder of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, wrote: “I feel inspiration withdrawing from me as it were in warning…. I cannot will, I cannot do, and I feel the weight of daily neglected responsibility gathering on my head.… I fell into a state of languor from which I cannot rouse myself. Study now fatigues me …. I can no longer write. Strength is not in me. I am blown about by every wind of my imagination.” [1] Reading these words, I think it’s no coincidence that this letter was dated in February!

How are we to cope with feelings like this? Do the founders of our Vincentian Family have any advice to offer?

Although he didn’t address the winter doldrums specifically, Vincent de Paul once offered Louise de Marillac wise counsel when she was experiencing profound restlessness. From the perspective of their shared faith, he encouraged her to bear ambiguity and dissatisfaction patiently with grace, saying, “Try to live content among your reasons for discontent and always honor the inactivity and unknown condition of the Son of God. That is your center and what He asks of you for the present and for the future, forever.” [2] Although these words were written about a particular situation (Louise was worrying over finding her vocation), they work for our scenario as well. In modern terms, we need to accept our feelings of negativity. Denying them only makes things worse; it makes us fight against ourselves. Realizing that these feelings have a purpose—even if we don’t currently understand it—is also helpful. Vincent was encouraging Louise to be at peace with dormancy, recognizing that it might be a part of the development of something. With that in mind, we can see the languor of winter as a necessary period of quiet preparation, anticipating the refreshed spirit and renewed activity of spring.

Reflection Questions:

If you’re experiencing seasonal discontent, can you identify any specific causes? Can these tell you anything about what might be developing within you? To put it another way, how might your winter be laying a positive foundation for your coming spring?

Reflection by: Miranda Lukatch, Editor, Vincentian Studies Institute

[1] Frederick J. Easterly, C.M., “Frédérick Ozanam, A Layman For Now,” Vincentian Heritage 4:2 (1983): 163. Available online at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/vhj/vol4/iss2/4/.

[2] Letter 29, “To Saint Louise,” [between 1626 and May 1629], CCD, 1:54. Available online at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/vincentian_ebooks/25/.

King, Vincent and the Courage to Persevere

Updates, resources, and events highlighting the integration of DePaul’s Vincentian mission into the daily life and work of the university community.

 

MISSION MONDAY

The MLK Living Memorial, dedicated in 2016 to mark the 50th Anniversary of King marching in Marquette Park. The effort to create it was led by the Inner-City Muslim Action Network, and DePaul University was one of the supporting sponsors. See https://bit.ly/40khz1Z

King, Vincent and the Courage to Persevere

Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy, alongside Saint Vincent de Paul’s, challenges us to confront injustice with courage and faith.

READ MORE

 

 

 


UPCOMING EVENTS

Faculty and Staff are Invited…

Join us for a conversation with Dr. Kelly Schmidt, a public historian from Washington University, as she shares her research on the history of the Catholic Church and enslaved people in the United States. Followed by lunch and thoughtful discussion. Don’t miss this meaningful event! RSVP HERE 

 

Celebrate Foundation Day

Join Mission & Ministry and OSI on Jan. 23 to celebrate the anniversary of the founding of the Congregation of the Mission. Stop by the Loop or LPC for a snack and activities to reflect on how you carry out the Vincentian legacy at DePaul. The new 2025 Shared Coin will be revealed at this event.

LPC Foundation Day DeHub link: https://cglink.me/2cC/r391659

Loop Foundation Day DeHub link: https://cglink.me/2cC/r391660

 

An Invitation to Foundation Day Mass

All faculty and staff are invited to join us at the Loop Campus for a special Foundation Day Mass. Celebrate with a lunch following the service as we reflect on our shared values and mission. RSVP HERE

 

Help Keep Someone Warm This Winter!

Join our warm winter wear donation drive to support those in need. We’re collecting new and gently used socks, hats, gloves, mittens, and scarves to provide comfort during the chilly season. Help spread the word!  Together, we can make this winter warmer for everyone.

 

Join Us for BPR 2025!

RSVP HERE

 

King, Vincent and the Courage to Persevere

Written By: Abdul-Malik Ryan, Assistant Director, Religious Diversity and Pastoral Care

The MLK Living Memorial, dedicated in 2016 to mark the 50th Anniversary of King marching in Marquette Park. The effort to create it was led by the Inner-City Muslim Action Network, and DePaul University was one of the supporting sponsors. See https://bit.ly/40khz1Z

Sometimes I wonder, as I know others have, what Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. would think about the fact that his birthday is celebrated as a national holiday. When King was living and working, the only individuals so honored were Jesus (peace be upon him) and George Washington. [1] King would likely be surprised that he would be so honored for many different reasons. He was widely unpopular among white Americans at the time of his death. King maintained a popularity with white Americans outside the South while he was focused on civil rights in the South, but became less popular when he turned his attention to discrimination in the North. In August 1966, when King was marching through Marquette Park on Chicago’s South Side to protest housing discrimination, 63 percent of Americans had an unfavorable view of King and only 12 percent reported a “highly favorable” view. [2] King’s increasing focus on speaking out against the Vietnam war and the planned Poor People’s Campaign turned even those who had been King’s allies, like President Lyndon Johnson, against him.

If King could imagine a turn of events that would lead to a national holiday in his honor, I am sure he would hope that it would indicate that many people had come to see that he was right in the causes for which he struggled. It can certainly be argued that is true in some ways. By 2011, almost no one (only one percent) reported a “highly unfavorable” view of King to Gallup. [3] If it isn’t the case that most Americans have adopted King’s pacifism, the majority have come to see the Vietnam War as having been a mistake. [4]  

However, King understood enough about politics and human nature to worry that his increasing popularity in the decades after his death may have come from a misunderstanding, or at the least, a selective understanding, of what he was all about. He might also think that naming a national holiday after someone who tried to be a prophetic voice for change can be something of a paradox. (Of course, Jesus preceded King in that paradox.)

What is the value of holidays anyway? Certainly, times for rest, reflection, and celebration are good. The King holiday on January 20th invites us to reflect on the questions around his legacy and inspires us to continue the good that he came to symbolize for many. On January 25th at DePaul University we also spend time reflecting on the legacy of Saint Vincent de Paul as we mark Foundation Day. Vincent attributed this date as the beginning of the mission with his sermon at Folleville. Today, when there is for many a general sense of anxiety about the state of the world and even the future of higher education, what can we take from reflecting on these men and more importantly the wider legacies of the movements they continue to inspire? 

I think in times of injustice, in times of violence, in times of poverty, in times of anxiety, in times of confusion, the first call of these legacies is the call to courage. Courage to face challenges rather than run from them. Courage to do what one believes is right rather than what is easy or popular. Like other prophetic figures, Martin Luther King and Saint Vincent envisioned a world different from the one they saw around them. They had the courage to articulate that vision and work to convince others.

Beyond that though, they each had the courage to have faith in divine providence and to trust even when times looked bleak. This is the courage I find most inspiring, the courage to keep going, the courage to refuse to become cynical. This is the courage to not just want change, but to work for it, and to be willing to come together with others to do so, even when it is difficult.

In a sermon King delivered months before he was murdered, he talked about the “if” faith and the “though” faith. King said the “if” faith says that I will be faithful to my mission as long as things are going well, as long as it is easy. The “though” faith on the other hand says, “Though things go wrong; though evil is temporarily triumphant; though sickness comes and the cross looms, neverthless I’m gonna believe anyway and I’m gonna have faith anyway; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof, the Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.” [5] Vincent (also known for his sermons) urged his colleagues to “always be very courageous” because otherwise “that cursed spirit of laziness gives up at the smallest contradiction: there’s not the slightest discomfort it doesn’t avoid, no responsibility it doesn’t fear, no satisfaction it doesn’t seek; this self-love ruins everything.” [6]

I am amazed by the courage of people. The courage of people who are responsible for others, who have many depending on them. Also, the courage of those from whom no one expects (or to whom no one gives) much. The courage of those who people expect to give up. I am amazed when these people get up each day, when they refuse to give up, when they face their fears and doubts and the accusations and misunderstandings of others. We ask for the courage of that “though” faith in what we know is right, in the good we can do, in the good DePaul can do.

For Reflection:

What speaks to you most powerfully about the legacy of King in these times for yourself and for DePaul as a community? Where do you find overlap in the legacies of King and Vincent?

Reflection by: Abdul-Malik Ryan, Assistant Director, Religious Diversity and Pastoral Care

[1] Jesus, in that Christmas was a national holiday. Columbus Day was made a federal holiday with legislation signed in 1968 after King’s assassination, to be observed starting in 1971.

[2] Jenn Hatfield, “How Public Attitudes Toward Martin Luther King Jr. Have Changed Since the 1960s,” Pew Research Center, August 10, 2023, https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/08/10/how-public-attitudes-toward-martin-luther-king-jr-have-changed-since-the-1960s/.

[3] Jeffrey M. Jones, “Americans Divided on Whether King’s Dream Has Been Realized,” Gallup, August 26, 2011, https://news.gallup.com/poll/149201/Americans-Divided-Whether-King-Dream-Realized.aspx.

[4] “CBS News Poll: U.S. Involvement in Vietnam,” CBS News, January 28, 2018, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cbs-news-poll-u-s-involvement-in-vietnam/.

[5] Martin Luther King Jr., “But If Not,” audio recording, Ebenezer Baptist Church, November 5, 1967, Atlanta, GA, Internet Archive, https://archive.org/details/MlkButIfNot.

[6] Conference 131, Repetition of Prayer, August 10, 1655, CCD, 11:216. Available online at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/vincentian_ebooks/37/.

2025 Foundation Day: The Shared Coin

Each year, in celebration of Foundation Day, a new edition of The Shared Coin is released.  This tradition is an invitation for all DePaul students, faculty and staff to celebrate individuals living DePaul’s Vincentian mission by sharing a coin with them. Along with the coin, givers are encouraged to personalize this experience by using the back of the card given out with each coin to write a message to the individual they are acknowledging.

This is a special way to tell someone else, “I see you! I see DePaul’s mission and the Vincentian spirit within you.  That light is radiating out to me. Thank you.  I think it is important that I acknowledge you.” It’s an opportunity for everyone in the community to pause, look around, and recognize the many gifts at DePaul.

The Shared Coin is modeled after Vincent de Paul’s metaphor of the scarred coin which represented the individuals he served, their inherent dignity, and the investment he made into honoring and uplifting that dignity.

The 2025 edition of the Shared Coin uplifts a quote by St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of her canonization as the first native-born saint of the United States. Elizabeth Ann Seton was a wife, mother, educator, and foundress of the Sisters of Charity. The Seton Shrine explains:

“We acknowledge that in many ways Elizabeth Ann Seton was one of us, experiencing the very human emotions of joy, pain, grief, empathy, compassion, and devotion throughout her life. She demonstrated the ability to organize, persevere, and overcome hardships while creating a community of religious women, who endure and still carry out her legacy of service to the poor.”

Mother Seton focused her energy on just causes and is the patron saint of Catholic schools, widows and seafarers. Her wisdom and witness are an invitation for all of us to ponder how we, too, can do “our part in present difficulties to ensure the Peace of the future.”

Everyone within the DePaul community is encouraged to integrate the Shared Coin tradition across campus whether through weekly meetings, gatherings or one-on-one settings. Recipients often feel grateful for the recognition of their good work and recognition of their commitment to DePaul’s mission.

Coin recipients may elect to keep it or may choose to pass it on when they see someone else living the mission in a meaningful way.  Any DePaul student, faculty or staff member can go to one of our distribution locations and pick up coins to share with a person or several people they witness living DePaul’s mission. Coins are available first come first served. They are available in limited quantities and once depleted will not be available until the following year.  You may pick up coins at the following locations:

Lincoln Park Location

Division of Mission and Ministry  

Student Center, Suite 311

10-4 PM, Monday through Friday

Loop Location

DePaul Center 125, Loop Life Office

10AM – 4PM Monday – Friday

Division of Mission and Ministry – by request

14 E. Jackson, Suite 800

For more information on this tradition visit go.depaul.edu/sharedcoin

For more information about St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and the 50th anniversary of sainthood visit:

https://setonshrine.org/fifty/

Practicing Persistence

Updates, resources, and events highlighting the integration of DePaul’s Vincentian mission into the daily life and work of the university community.

 

MISSION MONDAY

Practicing Persistence

Why are we surprised when we are presented with difficulties in meeting our goals?

READ MORE

 


UPCOMING EVENTS

Faculty and Staff are Invited…

Join us for a conversation with Dr. Kelly Schmidt, a public historian from Washington University, as she shares her research on the history of the Catholic Church and enslaved people in the United States. Followed by lunch and thoughtful discussion. Don’t miss this meaningful event! RSVP HERE 

 

An Invitation to Foundation Day Mass

All faculty and staff are invited to join us at the Loop Campus for a special Foundation Day Mass. Celebrate with a lunch following the service as we reflect on our shared values and mission. RSVP HERE

 

Help Keep Someone Warm This Winter!

Join our warm winter wear donation drive to support those in need. We’re collecting new and gently used socks, hats, gloves, mittens, and scarves to provide comfort during the chilly season. Help spread the word!  Together, we can make this winter warmer for everyone.

 

Join Us for BPR 2025!

RSVP HERE