Message from Deacon Robert Hermes
Spiritual Director, Society of St. Vincent de Paul
The Spirit of God dwells in each of us. The Spirit of God in me connects with the Spirit of God in you in such a way that we literally become the hands and feet of Jesus, alive and active in the world – the Body of Christ. Our individual relationships with God, coupled with our relationships with each other, feeds us as spiritual beings. The spiritual work we do at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul goes far beyond simply handing out food and clothing to the people who need those things. At SVdP we strive to recognize the Spirit of God in everyone we work with and everyone we serve.
One of my favorite authors, Sister Barbara Reid, describes this attitude as the Divine Dance of Love. Sister encourages us to think of God as an energetic, rhythmic dance where each person is whirling and twirling in such a manner that individual members are blurred and virtually indistinguishable as we dance the Divine Dance of Love. We beckon others to join the dance, slowing the tempo and the pace so even those who are most clumsy can enter the Dance of Love.
So, our spiritual work is guided by the Corporal works of mercy. We feed the hungry, clothe the naked and comfort the poor and sorrowing in a spirit of love because we are all brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ, dancing the Divine Dance of Love together.
Our Founders
St. Vincent de Paul (1581-1660) was known during his lifetime as a man of deep faith, keen intellect, and enormous creativity who worked tirelessly to advance charitable works on behalf of the poor. He believed that God was leading him, guiding him, re-directing him, and moving him to action, and that his day to day work was part of God’s mission on earth.
St. Louise de Marillac (1591-1660), a contemporary of St. Vincent de Paul, co-founded with St. Vincent de Paul the Daughters of Charity. The Daughters of Charity organized hospitals for the sick poor, homes for orphaned children, workshops for the unemployed, and literacy and practical skills education for young women. Together, they established standards for charities throughout France, and the world.
Blessed Frédéric Ozanam (1813-1853) founded the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Paris in 1833 with six college friends. He was 20 years old. Ozanam, too, was blessed with multiple gifts, including his gift for friendship. For Ozanam, friendship was “a communion of spirits, a meeting of minds.” The Bishop of Versailles fondly recalled Ozanam years after his death at age 40: “I have experienced courtesy from many. But with him it was pure Christian charity. I was quite unknown to him, I would not see him again, yet he treated me as a friend and a brother.”
Blessed Rosalie Rendú (1786-1856), a contemporary of Blessed Frédéric Ozanam, was a Daughter of Charity who modeled the spiritual vision and unwavering commitment to the poor shared by St. Vincent de Paul, and St. Louise de Marillac. By 1833, she had opened free medical clinics, pharmacies, schools, orphanages, a childcare center, a home for the elderly, and a youth club in Paris’ poorest district. According to her cousin, Eugene Rendú: “Sister Rosalie’s principal character trait was her common sense, pushed to the point of genius.” She was Ozanam’s wise mentor who helped him build the foundation for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.