The Society of St. Vincent De Paul : an outline


THE SOCIETY OF

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL

President Metropolitan Central Council
of Chicago

Chairman of the Superior Council's Committee
on Literature and Forms

Presented September, 1922, at the

Annual Meeting of the Superior Council
of the United States

held at the Catholic University of America
Washington, D. C,

Metropolitan Central Council
of Chicago

126 N. Desplaines Street

CHICAGO

An Outline
by

JAMES F. KENNEDY

Printed for Distribution by



INDEX
Page

Origin 1

The Society’s Spread in France and Abroad.. 3

Organization and General Administration
of the Society 3

Subordinate Administration 4

Superior Councils 4

Central Councils 5

Particular Councils 5

The Conference 6

Conference Meetings 7

General Meetings 8

Retreats 10

Duties of Active Members 11

Aspirant Members 12

Honorary Members 12

Benefactors, Benefactresses and Subscribers..l3

Special Works of the Society ..13

Source of Revenues of the Society 16

Thoughts to be Remembered 16

The Society’s Adaptation to New Conditions..l7

The Society in the United States. 19

The Society’s Publications 21

Facts to be Remembered 22

The Members Follow Counsel of Ecclesi-
astical Superiors 23

The Sovereign Pontiffs and the Society of

St. Vincent de Paul 25

o^addM



THE SOCIETY OF
ST. VINCENT DE PAUL

An Outline
by

JAMES F. KENNEDY
President Metropolitan Central Council

of Chicago

Chairman of the Superior Council’s Committee
on Literature and Forms

Presented September, 1922, at the
Annual Meeting of the Superior Council

of the United States
held at the Catholic University of America

Washington, D. C.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul

Its Origin

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul had its

origin when the first Conference was formed at

Paris in the year 1833 by eight young men — not
the least remarkable or zealous of whom was
Frederic Ozanam — attending the School of Law
of the University of Paris. In a debating Society,

composed of students, were many atheists, who

were bitter and aggressive in their attacks on the

[ 1 ]



Church. They were answered with ability and

eloquence by a few practical Catholics among the

students. The strength displayed in defense of

their faith rapidly developed intimate and friend-

ly relations among these youths, who had not.
previously known one another.

After one of these debates, Frederic Ozanam,

generally accepted as the founder of the Society,

said to his companions: “How sad it is to see
Catholics, to see our Holy Mother, the Church,

thus attacked, ridiculed, and calumniated
;
let us,

of course, remain in the breach and face the

attacks, but, do you not feel, like me, a desire of

the necessity for having outside this combative

Conference, another meeting consisting exclu-

sively of Christian friends and wholly devoted to

chai’ity? Does it not seem to be time to join

actions to words and to affirm by works the

vitality of our faith?”

Thus animated, they met together and formed

the first Conference, choosing St. Vincent de Paul

for their model and patron, and took upon them-

selves the visiting and assisting of the poor in

their homes, that great work which has become

so essentially characteristic of the Society, and

by which its members are brought within the

reach of priceless lessons of Christian resignation

and practical piety. This was the seed from

which sprang the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

[ 2 ]



It was organized by young men and for young

men. Ozanam was just twenty, the oldest of his

companions was under forty, and the ages of the

other five from nineteen to twenty-three. After

a short time, when their numbers had increased

to about one hundred, these members of the first

Conference, divided and formed a second Con-

ference, and eventually a Society was constituted

with a rule and purpose.

The Society’s Spread in France and Abroad

Gradually, the Society spread over France, and,

in 1836, three years afterwards, it passed the con-

fines of that country and a Conference was es-

tablished in Rome. Early in 1844, it found its

way to England and Ireland. And, in 1845, the
first Conference was founded in the United States

of America.

Organization and General Administration

of the Society

The Council General, located at Paris, France,

maintains general jurisdiction over the Society

throughout the world. This Council is a self-

- perpetuating body. Councils and Conferences in

all parts of the world report to the Council Gen-

eral, which issues an annual summary of such
reports. Once a year the President General pre-
sents to the Sovereign Pontiff a report of the

Society’s work. Conferences and Councils or-

[ 3 ]



ganized in any country as branches of the Society
depend for letters of aggregation or affiliation
with the Society at large upon the approval of
the Council General. Before such application may
be made by a Conference a probation period of
one year is required, and that the application
show evidence that the Society’s Rule lias been
observed and that a reasonable amount of chari-
table work has been done during the probationary
period.

As one of the objects of the Society is to main-
tain its members by mutual example and advice
in the practice of a Christian life, and as the Holy

See has awarded the members the privilege of
sharing in the many indulgences for faithfully
observing its Rule, and as these spiritual favors

are limited to the members of Conferences form-

ally aggregated by the Council General, the nec-

essity of every newly organized Conference pre-

paring itself for such aggregation is obvious.

Subordinate Administration

The subordinate administration of the Society

is divided as follows: Superior Councils, Central

Councils, Particular Councils and Conferences.

Superior Councils

The Society in the several national divisions is

administered under the supervision and direction

of a Superior Council. In some countries, how-



ever, owing to local conditions, more than one

such Superior Council exists. The Superior

Councils act as Intermediaries between the various

divisions of the Society and the Council General.

The Superior Council of the United States has

general supervision of the Society in this country.

Central Councils

Of Central Councils there are two classes: Met-

ropolitan Central Councils, having supervisory

jurisdiction of the Society in the territory of the

Ecclesiastical Provinces, in which they have been

founded; Diocesan Central Councils have super-

vision of the Society in their dioceses and are

subordinate to the respective Metropolitan Cen-

tral Councils of the Ecclesiastical Provinces in

which they are located, if such Metropolitan Cen-

tral Councils exist; or in the event that such

Councils are lacking, then to the Superior Council.

The functions of the Superior Council and the

Central Councils are solely administrative and

supervisory in character. They do not engage in,

or conduct, works of charity, leaving those activi-

ties entirely to the Conferences and the Particular

Councils.

Particular Councils

Particular Councils are organized in cities,

towns, or localities where three or more confer-

ences exist, to unite them in one general organi-

zation for the supervision of the Conferences and

[ 5 ]



for the effective administration of the affairs and

work of general character, attention to which

might suffer through lack of funds, or personal

service, if dependent upon the means and efforts

of individual conferences.

Membership of Particular Councils is made up
of the Presidents and Vice-Presidents of Confer-
ences represented, the Chairman and Vice-Chair-
man of Special Works and such additional persons
as the Rule may provide for the membership of
the Council. Many Particular Councils include in
their membership the Secretaries of Conferences.

Particular Councils are subordinate to Diocesan

Central Councils, if there be such, if not, to the

Metropolitan Central Councils, or in the absence

of both, then to the Superior Council.

The Conference

The Conference is the unit of organization of

the Society. It is based on parish lines. It

usually assumes the parish name for its title and

limits its activity to the bounds of the parish in

which it is established. It has a board of officers

consisting of President, Vice-President, Treasurer,

Secretary, Librarian, keeper of clothes room and

the Pastor, or one of his assistants, delegated by

him, serves as Spiritual Director. The Conference

is under the jurisdiction of the Particular Council,

or in the absence of such Council, to the next

higher Council in the order hereinabove named.



Conference Meetings

The members of the Conference meet once a

week throughout the year. The President opens

the meeting with the prescribed prayers. Some

one of the members give a short spiritual reading

from the Society’s Manual. Then follows the

secretary’s minutes, the treasurer’s report, the

calling of the relief roll, the reports of the groups

of visiting committees concerning the condition

of the poor families they assisted during the pre-

ceding week, as well as the reports on the differ-

ent features of charitable works that have been

given attention to. An interchange of views and
opinions are expressed among the members on

pending matters of interest to the Society and

the well-being of the families on the roll. They

pass upon the committees’ reports on new appli-
cants for relief, giving special attention to the

different types of families applying for help.

In this phase of its work the Vincentians keep

in mind the thought that they owe a duty,

not only to the Conference, to its benefactors,

but also to the applicants for aid, to fully acquaint

themselves with the needs and circumstances of

the persons asking for assistance. The benefac-

tors contribute their funds because they have

faith in the diligence of the members in applying

their gifts to the deserving. The families asking

for aid are entitled to receive a fair hearing of

their requests, which, if they be in need means

[ 7 ]



so much for their material and moral well-being.
Relief is allocated to the Visitors for the poor

families that have been adopted by the Conference

and is taken to their homes during the ensuing

week. All the Visiting Committees are composed

of at least two members. The Treasurer takes
up a collection, to which every member con-
tributes an offering proportionate to his means.

This collection is made in such a way that the
amount given by the member is absolutely secret.
No member ever knows what any one of his
brother members contributes.

These weekly meetings may vary in length,
according to the number of members in the Con-

ference and the extent of its work. The meetings

are characterized by few of the formalities that

are found in ordinary beneficial societies or other

organizations, being more of the nature of social

or friendly round table gatherings, where brother-

ly love reigns supreme and everyone is ready to

sacrifice his opinion, his time and his comfort

for the good of all.

General Meetings

Besides the weekly meetings of the Conferences,

all the members of all the Conferences of the

City and its environs, assemble four times a year

in what are commonly known as General Meetings.
These meetings are held under the auspices of the

Metropolitan Central Council, or the Diocesan

[ 8 ]



Central Council, where one exists, otherwise under

the Particular Council. Previously to these Gen-

eral Meetings, the Conferences have made returns

of their quarterly reports and at the close of the

fiscal year their Annual Keports to the Particular

Council. These reports are tabulated and a sum-

mary of the receipts, expenditures, works and

membership is prepared and read to the members

at the General Meetings. A like summary for
the same periods is read showing the activities of

the Special Work Committees. In places where
the number of the Conferences are few the indi-

vidual reports of each Conference is read, as well

as the summary of all. The General Meetings

are looked forward to with keen interest by the

Conference members in that they afford them op-

portunity to join in the religious exercises of the

meetings held on feast days, and are at the same

time occasions for the reunion of the Conference

members.

Instead of holding the General Meetings in one

stationary place, it is customary in many locali-
ties, where conditions are suitable, for some one

of the Conferences of the City to invite the Parti-

cular Council to convene the General Meeting in

its parish hall. In such instances the pastor of

the Church where the hall is situated is the Presi-

dent of honor of this General Meeting. From
time to time these meetings are honored by the



presence of some invited speaker. Not infre-

quently, the bishop or archbishop of the Diocese

is present and addresses the members.

Although at the General Meetings the reports

presented cover the four quarters of the calendar

year, the meetings themselves are not fixed with

a view of any equal division of time but are held

on the four feast days of the Society as follows

:

the first Sunday of Lent
;
the Sunday of the Good

Shepherd, (the anniversary of the translation of

the relics of St. Vincent de Paul) the second

Sunday after Easter
;
the Feast of St. Vincent de

Paul, July 19th, or the Sunday immediately fol-
lowing

;
the Feast of the Immaculate Conception,

December 8th, or the Sunday within its octave.

On these feast days all active and honorary
members are expected to receive Holy Communion,

to attend the General Meeting and join in the

opening and closing prayers.

Retreats

A retreat or tridium for the members of the
Conferences and the Councils occurs once a year.

On these occasions the clergyman in charge of the
retreat recalls to the minds of the members their

duties and obligations, not only as Christians, but

to the Society, its poor and the charity work it

conducts. These annual retreat or tridium exer-

cises have been conducted almost from the begin-



ning of the Society. All members who possibly

can do so are expected to join in these annual

exercises.

Duties of Active Members

Active membership is limited to practical Cath-

olic men above eighteen years of age, who are

desirous of securing their sanctification by assist-

ing in the relief of the poor or in other good

works adopted by the Society. In a general way,

it may be said that a member fulfills his duties as

such by; first, attending at least three of the

weekly meetings of his Conference every month;

second, visiting once a week the poor family or

families assigned to him, or the prison, almshouse,

hospital or other institution he has engaged to

visit, or in performing such other work as he has

assumed, in accordance with the Eule of the

Society; third, attending each year the General

Communions and meetings of all the members of

the Society in the town in which he resides, on

the four Feast Days of the Society; fourth, con-

tributing such amount as he can afford to the

secret collection which is taken up at the weekly

Conference meetings as also at the General Meet-

ings; fifth, attendance at the General Meetings;

sixth, attendance at the exercises of the annual

retreats. *



Aspirant Members

Aspirant members are chosen from among
youths under eighteen years of age. They attend

all meetings and take part in the works of the

Conference under the direction of the older mem-
bers. Sometimes, when sufficiently numerous,
they are organized into Conferences, and adopt
special works, as, for instance, securing the regu-

lar attendance of children at Sunday School and

teaching Catechism.

By the Papal Brief of January 10, 1845,
Aspirant Members participate in all the indul-

gences accorded Active Members.

The hope of the Society in the future lies

principally in the training of the youth of today.

Active Members of the Society can do much by
making known to their sons, younger brothers,

relatives and friends the purpose of the Society,

its works and the personal service of the members.

They soon awaken in the minds of these youths

an interest that will steadily grow into a love

for works of charity, a love for one another, a

love of God’s poor and a love to become Aspirant

Members.

Honorary Members

Honorary Members are practical Catholic men.

who do not join actively in the works of the
Society and are not expected to attend the Week-

[ 12 ]



1y Meetings of the Conference, but who make an

annual offering of a fixed sum of money for the

support of the work. They are expected to re-

ceive Holy Communion and attend the general

meetings on the Society’s Feast Days, and to

assist at the annual Retreats and other pious

ceremonies.

Honorary Members are entitled to the same

Indulgences as Active Members upon the usual

conditions stated in the list of Indulgences for

Active Members insofar as they can be applied

to Honorary Members.

Benefactors, Benefactresses and Subscribers

These are not members of the Society. They
are charitable persons, men and women, of any
creed, who, by their contributions, make the
Society the almoner of their alms. Many Con-
ferences are greatly assisted by the zeal of bene-

factresses who act as collectors, secure employ-
ment for needy women, or do works in which the
Conference members cannot engage in a direct
manner.

Special Works of the Society

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul had origi-

nally for its special and almost exclusive object

the visiting of the poor at their own homes, and
it was through this that it trained its members

in the practice of charity. No deed was better

[ 13 ]



calculated to excite zeal, none to be more fruitful.

As the poor were visited, their great wants were

revealed; one good work, at first isolated, brought

on another
;
a seed thrown at random raised new

ones
;
from the garret, the cellar or other humble

dwelling places of the poor, the Vincentian went

to the school, the workshop, the prison, the hospi-

tal, and in fact, everywhere that want, misery and

misfortune found an abiding place, or where

material or spiritual good could be done. The

Special Works thus undertaken embrace nearly
all the miseries of human life, and there exists
between them a harmony which none could forsee

and which, therefore, can be ascribed to God alone.

Many of the splendid charity institutions adminis-
tering to needs of neglected children and the

friendless aged owe their beginning to the efforts

of humble members of the Society, who, because

of their knowledge of conditions, urged that the

problems be cared for.

While the visiting of the poor in their homes

is the great work of the Society, it is not always

possible to provide all of the members with the

opportunity to make family visits. In some

localities the poor are not numerous; some Con-

ferences have not sufficient funds, and again,

some excellent Vincentians feel called to other

works for which they are specially adapted.

tUl



Among some of the outstanding Special Works arc

:

Visiting persons confined in prisons,

almshouses, hospitals, sanatoriums,

and other institutions.

Finding homes for poor children.

Spiritual training for boys and young men.

Christian burial for the poor.

Circulating good literature.

Summer outing for poor mothers
and their children.

Secretariats for the poor.

Securing employment for men and boys.

These and other works engage the attention of

the members, for it is an axiom that “no work of
charity is foreign to the Society. ” It must not

be concluded, however, that the Society in every

city or town is bound to adopt all, or even the
greater part of the designated special works. In

some countries, conditions are not favorable for

the doing of some of these, while in other coun-

tries, many of them reach a high state of develop-
ment and efficiency. Sometimes the social condi-

tions of a country, at others the limited resources

of the Society, or peculiar circumstances sur-

rounding it and, often the interference or pro-

hibition of the civil authorities render impossible

the establishing or carrying on of certain types

of charitable works. It, therefore, becomes the du-

ty of the Vincentians to venture upon no Special
Work without mature consideration and the
special sanction of the ecclesiastical authorities.

[ 15 ]



Source of Revenues of the Society

The revenues of the Society are derived from
the following sources:

1. The secret collection at the weekly Con-
ference meetings, the Monthly Council and

General Meetings.

2. The annual contributions of Honorary

Members.

3. Gifts from benefactors and benefactresses.

4. Moneys contributed in poor boxes in the

churches. Moneys contributed in boxes of

St. Anthony’s Shrine.

5. Annual charity collections.

6. Lectures — Entertainments.
7. Legacies.

Thoughts to be Remembered

The real object of the Society is the welfare of

the soul of the individual member. Visiting and

assisting the poor and the unfortunate are the

means to this end, but not the end itself.

Xo dues, fines or penalties for neglect of duty
are imposed on members; nor are the obligations

of personal service assumed obligations of con-

science, that is, they do not bind under pain of sin.

The Society trusts entirely to the zeal and loyalty

of its members, to their love of God and of their
neighbor, for a strict compliance with its Rule.

[ 16 ]



The Society does not assume the public duty

of aiding all the poor of a parish or town. It

does what it can, with the means at its disposal,

to help the poor in soul and body. It follows the

advice of Tobias: “If you have much, give abun-

dantly, if you have little, take care even to bestow

willingly a little.”

The Society’s Adaptation to New Conditions

From the days of Frederic Ozanam the Presi-
dents of the Council General, the Society’s spokes-

men, have pointed out, from time to time, that

its members develop and sustain its works with
efficiency, not only in respect to its spiritual as-

pect and the personal service given by the mem-
bers to the families aided, but also that the needs

of the poor be suitably cared for. Consequently,

the Society has the power to adapt itself to the
changing economic conditions of our civilization.

This power of adaptation is aptly outlined in the
following excerpts from the address of the Presi-

dent General to the members of the Paris Con-
ferences at the General Meeting, December 14,

1919, published in the Society’s Bulletin of

March, 1920:

“In order to develop normally and to live a

useful and efficacious existence, every association

must continually adapt itself to its environment

always in conformity with the principles upon

which it was founded. It is thus acted upon by
two forces, tradition and evolution, which, though

[ 17 ]



apparently mutually exclusive, often have bear-

ing upon each other. - - No more need be said
to convince you that our Society should evolve,
that is adapt itself to changing external condi-

tions, that it may the better carry out its missions,
provided always that its traditions are preserved

inviolable. The traditions of the Society, which
should be the fountain of our inspiration, must be
respected. Immobility, however, means death;
activity is a sign of life and progress. It is not

enough to say: ‘We are doing what Ozanam did.’
On the contrary, very often, we are not doing even
that. Ozanam did not feel that he had discharged
all his obligations to his fellowmen when he had
made a few visits to the poor. In addition, he
comforted the imprisoned, looking after appren-

tices, taught soldiers. We must ask ourselves the
question : ‘ If Ozanam were alive now, what would
he do ? ’ Ozanam 's mind was broad, deep, enthusi-
astic and reflective. He lived in God and his in-
timacy engendered in him a remarkable clearness

of vision. He saw into the heart of things when
he wrote, that what divided men was not so much
the question of political forms as the social prob-

lem. ‘We must precipitate ourselves,’ he said,
‘between these two hostile forces, the one ani-

mated by the power of gold, the other by the

power of despair, if we wish to prevent a conflict,

or at least to mitigate its consequences.’ . . .

According as the activity of our Society develop-

ed, its character became truly social, so that it has

been described as the most social of all works.”

[IS]



The Society in the United States

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is the oldest

lay Society in our country. The first Conference

was founded in St. Louis Cathedral Parish,

St. Louis, Missouri. November 20, 1845, by the

Very Ambrose J. Heim, Vicar General, an Alsatian

by birth. Soon afterwards the Society spread

rapidly to other dioceses. From the beginning it
secured warmest approval from members of the

hierarchy. Among its earliest sponsors were the
Most Reverend Peter Richard Kenrick, St. Louis,

in 1845, the Most Reverend John Hughes, New
York, 1846, and the Right Reverend John Timon,

Bishop of Buffalo, New York, in 1848.

In their pastoral letters of the Second and Third
Plenary Councils of Baltimore issued in 1866 and
1884 respectively, the Archbishops and the Bishops
of the United States warmly approved the Society
of St. Vincent de Paul and strongly urged its ex-
tension to all the dioceses and parishes of the
country. The Cardinals Gibbons, McCloskey and
Farley, Archbishops Spalding of Baltimore,

Kenrick, Purcell, Corrigan, Ireland, Feehan,Ryan,

Kean, Williams, Quigley, Elder, Blenke and

Riordan, the great churchmen of their times, were

staunch friends and propagators of the Society.

During its long career of usefulness it has merited

the approval of the Ordinaries of all the dioceses

where it has carried on its work. The establish-

ment of the Superior Council of the United States

[ 10 ]



of America was cordially recommended by the

Archbishops in their Annual Meeting in 1911.

At the time of this Council’s institution in 1915,

His Eminence, James Cardinal Gibbons, became

its first Spiritual Director, and his successor as

Archbishop of Baltimore, the Most Reverend

Michael J. Curley, D. D., has followed him as its

spiritual guide.

Conformably to the plan adopted at the institu-

tion of the Superior Council of the United States

in 1915, every one of the fourteen then existing

ecclesiastical provinces, when satisfactorily organ-

ized, shall be presided over by a Metropolitan

Central Council.

At the present time Metropolitan Central

Councils have been instituted in : Baltimore, Bos-

ton, Chicago, Cincinnati, New Oleans, New York,
Philadelphia, St. Louis and St. Paul. Though as

yet lacking such Councils the Society is organized

and carrying on its work in the provinces of

Dubuque, Milwaukee, Oregon, Santa Fe and

San Francisco.

The Superior Council of the United States has

jurisdiction over the entire Society in this country

and is the sole medium of communication and

relations for all its subordinate divisions with

the Council General.

[ 20 ]



The Metropolitan (Provincial) Central Councils

are limited in their jurisdiction to the supervision

of the Society in their respective provinces, and

are under the jurisdiction of the Superior Council.

The Diocesan Central Councils are limited in

their jurisdiction to their dioceses. They are

under the jurisdiction of their respective Metro-

politan Central Councils, or, in the absence of

such Councils, of the Superior Council of the

United States.

The Eule with regard to organization, object,

membership, jurisdiction, administration, etc., ap-

ply without exception in the United States as they

do for the numerous divisions of the Society

throughout the world.

The Society’s Publications

The Bulletin of the Superior Council of Ireland,
in which is published the English translation of
the French Bulletin, is intended for the use of
the Society in English speaking countries. Be-

sides, there are also national publications. At
present in the United States, The Catholic Chari-
ties Eeview, succeeding The St. Vincent de Paul
Quarterly maintains a section devoted to the

Society under the direction of the Superior

Council, and it is recognized as the official publi-

cation of the Society in the United States. Be-

[ 21 ]



sides some of the Central or Metropolitan Central

Councils publish Bulletins for the members of

their provinces.

Facts to be Remembered

The Society is a Catholic organization of lay-

men as distinguished from an organization of
Catholic laymen. The meetings are opened and

closed with prayer and followed with spiritual

reading.

Membership in the Society is limited to men.

A similar organization, The Ladies of Charity,
founded by St. Vincent de Paul, meets the desire

for organization by women.

Unless the parish Conference has been aggre-

gated by the Council General its members do not

share in the spiritual rewards provided by the

Sovereign Pontiffs. Though Conferences are ag-

gregated the spiritual rewards are limited to

those members complying with the required con-
ditions, one of which is to attend at least three

of the weekly meetings every month.

In order to function properly, a Conference

meets weekly throughout the year, there being

no vacation periods. Its relief to the assisted

families is to be personally brought to them in

their homes weekly by the members of the Con-

ference; visits to families are to be made by
Committees of two members;— when reporting
im



visits count only the times the families have been

visited by the committee from the Conference,

not the number of members engaged in making

the visits; no matter how many members call

when a visit is made, it counts but one visit.

The Members Follow Counsel of

Ecclesiastical Superiors

That the members will always remember that

they are only laymen without any mission to

teach others. For this, and every other reason,

they will pay the utmost deference to the counsels

which may be given to them by the Society, or
its heads

;
they will, above all, follow with respect

the course which the ecclesiastical superiors think

proper to point out to them. St. Vincent de Paul

wished that his disciples should not undertake

any good work without having first secured the

assent and received the benediction of the local

Pastors. Neither will the St. Vincent de Paul men
ever undertake any new and important work
within an ecclesiastical jurisdiction, without con-

sulting him who is the head of it. They will do
nothing in opposition to spiritual authority, con-

sidering as an evil the good which they would

attempt contrary to its opinion.

They will extend to a certain degree, this de-

ference to the Sisters of religious orders, or even

to laymen who may have offices of charity to

[ 23 ]



perform toward those whom they may also desire
to help, esteeming it an honor to he considered

the least among their brethren, and to be no
more than servants and instruments of others in.

ministering to the poor. Lastly among themselves
the younger will defer to the elder, and the newly

admitted members to those of long standing.

This society of charity endeavors to attain and

practice every virtue; there are some virtues

which are more essentially necessary to the mem-
bers for the due discharge of the charitable duties

to which they devote themselves, and among these

are: self-denial, Christian prudence, humility, the

active love of their neighbour, zeal for the salva-

tion of souls, meekness in heart and word, and

above all, the spirit of brotherly love.

[ 24 ]



THE SOVEREIGN PONTIFFS AND THE
SOCIETY OF ST. VINCENT DE PAUL

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, almost

from its beginning, has been deeply indebted to

the Sovereign Pontiffs for their approval of its

object and Rule, and for their kindness of heart

in placing the Society under the constant care

of a Cardinal Protector, who represents its in-
terests before the Sacred Congregation. The fol-

lowing excerpts indicate the esteem in which the

different Popes have held the Society since its

organization

:

Pope Gregory XVI

Twelve years after the inception of the Society,

His Holiness conferred various Indulgences upon
the Benefactors of the Society by a Brief, dated
the 12th of August, 1845, which opens as follows

:

“Whereas, We have learned that the Society
established under the auspices and name of
St. Vincent de Paul, and devoted to the exercise
of works of Christian charity, is, in an eminent

degree, advancing the good of religion and the
welfare of the faithful

;
and in order that the said

Society may daily make new progress We have
determined to enrich with the Heavenly Treasures

of the Church all such as shall bestow their care
and wealth to the furtherance of the Society
aforesaid, to the end that by the spiritual advan-

[ 25 ]



tages held out to them their zeal may be more
and more enkindled.”

Pope Pius IX

On the fifth of January, 1855, Pope Pius IX
gave audience to 450 members of the Society,

whom he deigned to address, concluding with
these words:

“I bless you in the name of the Most Holy
Trinity, and may their benediction be with you
all the days of your lives. May it extend over
all those who co-operate in your charitable works,
whether in Rome or Italy, in Europe, or in the
whole world.”

Pope Leo XIII

In his Encyclical Letter, “Humanum genus,”
dated the twentieth of April, 1884, His Holiness

referred to the Society in the following terms

:

“We cannot pass in silence a Society that has
given so many admirable examples, and deserved
so well of the people. We refer to that which
has taken the name of its Father, St. Vincent
de Paul. The works achieved by the Society,

and the object which it has proposed to itself

are well known. The efforts of its members tend

simply, by a charitable initiative, to lead them

to the help of the poor and unfortunate; an end

attained with wonderful wisdom and a not less

admirable modesty. But the more this Society

[ 26 ]



conceals the good that it does, the better fitted

it is for the practice of Christian charity and the

relief of the miseries of men.”

On many subsequent occasions His Holiness

deigned to express his approbation of the Society,

and in a letter under his own hand, dated the

tenth of February, 1898, addressed to the Presi-

dent General (Paris) He thus referred to it:

“The Society of St. Vincent de Paul devotes

itself entirely, in spirit and by its rules, to relieve

the sufferings of the wretched
;

it strives with its

Avhole zeal, with its whole care, to imitate and

reproduce the boundless charity of Christ; and,

consequently, it has always been, and it is, the

object of Our most affectionate interest.”

Pope Pius X

On the eleventh of May, 1904, His Holiness,

Pope Pius X, deigned to receive the President

General and a deputation from the Council Gen-

eral (Paris) and to address them in the following

gracious terms:

“Beloved Sons: I wish to thank you for all

the good you are doing. Yes, assuredly, I know

your Society. I saw it at work in Mantua and

in Venice, where it was rendering invaluable

[ 27 ]



services to the poor by distributing alms but still

more so by bringing them spiritual aid. How

many families have been saved by its interven-

tion? But, above all, how many young men have

been led back to the right path by it ? The Society

of St. Vincent de Paul is a work of apostleship

for good, while there are others which are at the

present day, works of apostleship for evil. Con-

tinue, therefore, to exercise charity in the way

you are doing
;
you will find in it peace for your

soul, and when one has done some good in the

day he rests more peacefully at night. Your

Society is the work needed for the present time.

I will encourage it and bless it.”

Pope Benedict XV

Our Holy Father, in a letter to the President

General in October, 1914, wrote

:

“We have never ceased to take the most lively
interest in this Association, eminently Catholic

and Social, and it is with profound satisfaction

that We have followed, and still follow, the de-
velopment of this wide-spreading tree, which has

extended its branches and borne its precious fruits

of supernatural charity into all parts of the world.

1 28 ]



“When at Bologna, We had the opportunity of
seeing more closely the countless benefits of the

Apostleship of this Society, so penetrated with

the spirit of Jesus Christ, and the good work of
its Conferences, which We have endeavored to
further as far as We are able.

‘
‘ This is to tell you, dear son, of the love, which

following the examples of Our predecessors of

holy memory, We bear in Our heart for the
Society of St. Vincent de Paul and for all its

members, who not long since renewed their zeal

and the ardor of their devotion, on the occasion

of the never-to-be-forgotten centenary celebration

of the birth of him who was the principal founder

and the most illustrious Apostle of the Society.”

Pope Pius XI

Replying to the joint address of the President

and the Council General presented to Pope Pius

XI shortly after His elevation to the Papal See,
His Holiness graciously wrote as follows:

“Dear Son:

Health and Apostolic Benediction.

It was with keen pleasure that We read the
joint address which the worthy President and

the Council General of the Society of St. Vincent

de Paul so kindly sent Us on the occasion of

Our elevation to the Chair of St. Peter.

120 ]



We have for a long time closely followed the
activities of the Conferences of St. Vincent de

Paul and have appreciated their zeal and devotion
to the Holy See, the supernatural spirit which
animated their works, and the resulting abundant
fruits of their apostolate. We have also many
times had the opportunity of manifesting Our
paternal interest towards your Conferences. Nor
could We receive otherwise than with a very
special benevolence the homage of the sentiments
of filial piety which you have so heartily offered

Us, with the assurances of your profound attach-

ment to the Holy See.

Your letter clearly places before Us, as in a

picture, the present condition of your works. If

your Conferences themselves were obliged to

suffer a terrible blow because of the great cata-

clysm which has overthrown Europe, We know
how devotedly you have undertaken to upbuild

your impoverished work and to restore them to

their former strength and prosperity. Our heart

was consoled on learning that with God’s help

this work of restoration is nearing completion,

and that by the charity of your confreres through-

out the world you have been permitted to extend

great help to the countries which suffered most

from the war. The 230 new Conferences, of

which your worthy Society has witnessed the

aggregation, give testimony of its prolific vitality.

I 30 ]



In giving thanks to God for the results accom-
plished, We are happy to extend to you, Dear Son,
and to your co-workers, Our earnest congratu-
lations for the zeal you display in so widely
extending this greatly needed work and in dis-
seminating its salutary influence. We beseech
our Divine Saviour to continue to pour out abun-

dantly of His graces upon this Institution, which
draws from the depth of His Heart the secret of

its generous devotion, and to continue His bless-

ings on your apostolate of charity, in the immense

needs of the present times.

We grant with all Our heart, to you, Dear Son,
to the members of the Council General, and to
all the members of the Society of St. Vincent

de Paul, to your benefactors and to your works,

the Apostolic benediction.

Rome, The Vatican, April 5, 1922, the first year

of Our Pontificate.”

PIUS PP. XI.

[31 ]