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Seeds of the Mission: Sarah Cleveland Frost

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Finding A Sense of Purpose 

When Vincent entered the priesthood, he hoped to provide for his family and retire early. He was on track to follow this plan and at age 29 wrote a letter to his mother letting her know he would be back soon to take care of the family. Little did he know that he would completely reform the structure of charity and dedicate his life to those who were poor. Similarly, Louise did not plan to be a wife and a mother, nor to pave a new way for women by co-founding the Daughters of Charity. Rather, she hoped to become a Dominican sister but was rejected from the order when the superior general told her, “God has other plans for you.” 

As Vincentians, we know that our willingness to learn and remain open to growth allows us to become our fullest, most authentic selves. We believe that our paths in life are not static, but rather driven by a sense of purpose. DePaul’s commitment to workplace learning stems from the Vincentian value that employees are more than a job description; they are people who bring their full humanity into work each day. This intention and care of the whole person is deeply rooted in our Catholic, Vincentian tradition. Students, faculty and staff at DePaul are continually invited to reflect on finding a sense of purpose and discovering how to share their gifts to respond to the ever-changing needs.  

By offering professional development opportunities, management training, and employee support, Workplace Learning and Performance helps each employee at DePaul find what motivates and energizes their work at the university. When staff and faculty develop their skills, they offer the best possible education to students. When students are encouraged to explore their purpose throughout their time at DePaul, they enter the working world equipped to make positive change.  

For resources to foster more intentional purpose exploration and vocational discernment among students, staff and faculty at DePaul check out the Explore Your Purpose initiative on DePaul’s Teaching Commons.  

This Great Universe

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“God also works incessantly from outside himself in the creation and preservation of this great universe, in the movements of the heavens, in the influences of the stars, in the productions of land and sea, in the nature of the atmosphere, in the regulation of the seasons, and in all that beautiful order we observe in nature, which would be destroyed and return to nothingness if God was not constantly guiding it.”  Vincent de Paul (CCD 9: 384).  Love of Work, 28 November, 1649.

Recently, several DePaul colleagues have shared with me about the joy they feel when they are in the natural world. A sense of awe, a feeling of pleasure, a wave of gratitude that may be found “in that beautiful order we observe in nature,” as Vincent de Paul once wrote. Although his defining years were spent within cosmopolitan Paris, Vincent was forever shaped by his childhood in the bucolic countryside of Gascony.   He learned early the handiwork of God that is evident in creation.  Hundreds of years later, in our own urban setting of Chicago, we know to take a stroll around the block or a turn in a park or just to look above the buildings towards the sky can bring a quiet moment’s peace and perhaps even surprise us with something unexpected and beautiful.

Today, in the midst of a global pandemic, spending time outside, in reflection, may not only be helpful for our physical health, it may also provide respite and a new perspective for our spirits.  A reminder that while we are only a small part of a larger whole, we are not alone.  In these late days of summer, as we prepare for the beginning of a most anticipated, and uncertain, school year, it seems an even greater imperative for us to experience the balm of creation. Not only for the benefit it promises to the body and to the soul, but also for the possibility of glimpsing the hand of God at work in our midst.

Where are places in nature you can go to and feel inspired or at peace? How can you enjoy these days of the summer season in ways that you know will bring you joy?    

We know not everyone has reasonable access to the natural world or a healthy environment. How might you be able to contribute to the beauty and sustainability of the earth for all its inhabitants? 

Reflection by:  Tom Judge, Chaplain, Mission and Ministry

About Saint Vincent de Paul and DePaul University’s Vincentian, Catholic, and Urban Identity

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In this original unpublished essay by Fr. Edward R. Udovic, C.M., we hear a bit of history of the Vincentian Community’s involvement in higher education in the United States.  There is also a reflection on Vincent de Paul and his character as values-based, honoring diversity, willing to take risks, innovative, pragmatic, and intimately involved with the people in his urban community of Paris, especially the poor.  Vincent and his followers were committed to serving the needs of their poor.  They were interested in making a difference in people’s lives.

In the context of today’s world, the efforts of DePaul University’s faculty and staff are aimed at providing an education to its traditional students from marginalized communities to help in supporting a change in the well-being of those generations to come.  Serving the multi-cultural, religiously diverse student, staff, faculty, and alumni community the University continues to foster social engagement within the urban community of Chicago and, through its alumni, the communities of the world.  From “Little college under the ‘L'” to the largest Catholic University in the country, DePaul University continues its history of values-driven service, innovative programming, pragmatic activity deeply connected to the world.