Vincentian Family

The Congregation of the Mission is officially known as Congregatio Missionis (CM). They are also called “Lazarists” as they originated at the Priory of Saint Lazare in Paris. They are also recognised as “Vincentians” in English-speaking countries, as “Paules” in Spain and as “vicentinos” in Latin America. The Congregation’s motto is “Evangelizare pauperibus misit me”, “I have been sent to bring good news to the poor”.

Vincent de Paul worked as chaplain and tutor to the Gondi family. They appointed him parish priest of Châtillon-les-Dombes. At the beginning of January 1617, they asked Vincent to hear the confession of a dying man who was considered holy; Vincent perceived he was no saint, but yet had not dared to receive the sacrament through shame. It was then he discovered how the country people lived without pastoral care, and in spiritual ignorance.

On 25 January 1617, feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul and a key date for the foundation of the Congregation, he gave the “first sermon of the mission” in Folleville. The sermon would be just the beginning, for a few years later, on 17 April 1625, the Congregation was founded, as Vincent de Paul signed an agreement with the lords of Gondi to preach the mission in their lands.

Today, it has 3100 members in 86 countries.

The Company of Daughters of Charity is a society of apostolic life founded in Paris in 1633 by Saint Vincent de Paul and Saint Louise de Marillac.

The Daughters of Charity differed from other religious Congregations of the time because they went out to meet the poor. They had to be ready and available for this, and live among the people they served. Their vows express their devotion to God: service to the poor, chastity, poverty and obedience. They take their vows annually, not for life, a feature which is maintained today. “The love of Christ crucified compels us” (2 Cor., 5:14).

Today, the Company of the Daughters of Charity has 14,100 sisters in 94 countries.

One Sunday in August 1617, during Mass, Saint Vincent de Paul appealed to his parishioners to help a sick and very needy family. Several women responded that same afternoon, visiting and bringing help to the family.  Vincent de Paul thought: “Could I try to bring these good people together, and encourage them to promise God to serve the poor and the sick?” With this thought, he promoted the creation of an association of women, to help those most in need. On 8 December 1617, this first group, the Confraternity of Charity, was officially recognised, giving the women a clearly-defined mission in the Church.

Today, they are known as AIC - International Association of Charities - and form an international network, working on 4 continents, with the motto, “act together against poverty”.

It was the first foundation of the Vincentian Family, and presently has over 100,000 volunteers in 53 countries around the world.

The Association of the Miraculous Medal was founded in 1909 to spread Marian devotion and to do works of charity.

It is a reminder of the appearances of the Immaculate Virgin Mary to Saint Catherine Labouré, when Our Lady gave her a medal, which was reproduced and spread rapidly in many countries. The people who adopted it called it “miraculous”, because of the countless favours God granted through it. “Fashion a medal like this, and those who wear it round their neck will receive abundant graces; graces will be poured out on those who wear it with confidence”. And Mary also gave Catherine and the Church this invocation: “Oh Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you”.

It is a public association of the faithful, to which lay people, clergy, members of institutes of the consecrated life and societies of apostolic life belong, wearing the miraculous medal and honouring it, each according to their own vocation. It is important to note that the Association has three distinctive characteristics: it is ecclesial, Marian and Vincentian by nature.

Presently there are 6,000,000 members around the world.

Misevi is a non-governmental organisation of missionaries, who work to promote human and spiritual values, who fight poverty and make an active commitment in the context of social exclusion, based on a dynamic of systemic change. Misevi gives all lay Vincentians the opportunity to live their charism in mission.

Its story began in 1984, when some young people sent from VMY (Vincentian Marian Youth) left Spain to go to Honduras. In 1992, some of them considered the missionary vocation as a lifetime option.

The Constituent Assembly of Misevi Spain was held in 2001, and it established a Coordination Team to provide human, moral, spiritual, formative and financial support to its own missions, or to those linked to other branches of the Vincentian Family.

Misevi is established in Italy, Colombia, Mexico and Spain, and carries out missionary work in Honduras, Bolivia and Mozambique.

Its story is linked to the expansion of the Company of Daughters of Charity and the Congregation of the Mission. It was founded in 1847, and its origin goes back to the appearances of Our Lady to Catherine Labouré.

This historical event in 1830 was the beginning of a Marian Association, and as Sr Catherine Labouré said to her confessor, Fr Aladel: “The most holy Virgin has a mission for you: she wants you to begin an Order, of which you will be the founder and director. This is a confraternity of Children of Mary”. The other message of the Virgin was to have miraculous medals made, as the insignia of the Association.

Today, the institution has been divided into groups for early childhood, pre-
adolescents, adolescents, adults and Vincentian Marian Families. There are different levels of training, requirements and commitment for each group, in accordance with their growth in faith.

Each VMY member sees in Mary a copy of Christ, on which to focus and imitate in virtue, “To Jesus through Mary”.

It is present in 66 countries today, with 100,300 active members.