Vincentian values

The Long and Winding Road

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“Let us go in simplicity where merciful Providence leads us, content to see the stone on which we should step without wanting to discover all at once and completely the windings of the road.”

Frédéric Ozanam (Dirvin, Letters, p. 93)

Portrait de FrŽdŽric OZANAM, par L. Janmot, mars 1852

In a letter to a friend, Frédéric Ozanam, founder of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, identified within himself something that many of us also experience: we restlessly focus upon the future, only to miss out on the peace and purpose to be found in the present. For Ozanam, faith meant an embrace of the present moment and a willingness to be led by God one-step at a time even at the risk of not knowing where the journey will take you.

Are you willing to let go of certainty and take life one step at a time?  If you pause and reflect, what needs tending to in your life, both in and outside of DePaul, right now?

Inspired by the lives of Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac, and influenced by Rosalie Rendu, D.C., Frédéric Ozanam co-founded the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in 1833 to tend to the spiritual and material needs of the poor in Paris. Today, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul numbers nearly one million members worldwide.

Joseph I. Dirvin, C.M., trans and ed., Frédéric Ozanam: A Life in Letters (St. Louis: Society of St. Vincent de Paul, 1986).

Frédéric Ozanam: https://famvin.org/wiki/Fr%C3%A9d%C3%A9ric_Ozanam

Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA: https://www.svdpusa.org/

Rosalie Rendu: https://www.vinnies.org.au/page/About/History/Bl_Rosalie_Rendu/

The Soul of Good Leadership

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“When I said that you must be unwavering as to the end and gentle as to the means, I am describing to you the soul of good leadership.”  Vincent de Paul (CCD, 2:403)

Checklists, systems, and metrics can serve important purposes in ensuring the consistency and effectiveness of our performance. However, if we consider the “soul” of good leadership, we recognize that these things can only get us part of the way there. There is more to good or soul-full leadership than simply following a prescriptive recipe. The soul of good leadership includes an ability to intuitively discern the signs of the times, the flexibility to adapt to circumstances beyond our control, the courage to take risks while remaining committed to guiding principles, and the grace to relate to others as human beings in a way that exhibits compassion and concern. How do you engage with the “soul” of good leadership in your life’s work, and how do you help others to do the same?

Mission Monday: The Virtue of Simplicity

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“The heart must not think one thing while the mouth says another.”

Of all the virtues that are attributed to him, Saint Vincent valued simplicity above all else. He referred to it as “my gospel.” For Vincent, simplicity involved speaking the truth and aligning his words with his actions. What has helped you at DePaul to align the truth of your words with the truth of your actions? How can you continue to nurture this virtue of Vincentian simplicity?

 

 

Robert P. Maloney, C.M. The way of Vincent de Paul: five characteristic virtues, p.38

The Virtue of Humility

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Humility is in no way contrary to magnanimity (XI:273). St. Vincent de Paul Vincent de Paul was known for his emphasis on the importance of developing virtues, among them the virtue of humility. Therefore, Vincent was suspicious of our efforts that have “the most pomp, extent or renown,” for he believed that “good work, sooner or later speaks a much more favorable language than anything done for one’s own ostentation and show.”(11:311) In an era of self-promotion, how can Vincent’s emphasis on humility be instructive or offer an important counter-balance within our culture? What can you do this week to speak through your actions rather than your words?