By Mary Stadnyk | Associate Editor
The bicentennial observed Sept. 24 in Philadelphia’s Miraculous Medal Shrine was an occasion for Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., and all in attendance to commemorate a significant occasion in the history of the Vincentian community – the 200 year mark since the first Vincentian priests and brothers arrived on American shores to begin their ministry of service among the poor.
“It was a great, historic moment and a great new chapter in the steadily unfolding story of the life of our community,” said Bishop O’Connell, principal celebrant of a Mass in the shrine located in the Germantown section of the city.
Joining Bishop O’Connell at the altar was Bishop Emeritus Alfonso Cabezas Aristizabal, C.M., of Villavicencio, Colombia, who was principal concelebrant, and scores of Vincentian priests, including two with connections to the Diocese of Trenton – Vincentian Father Martin McGeough, coordinator of Jail and Prison Ministry, and Vincentian Father Michael M. Nguyen, a Tribunal judge.
In his homily, Bishop O’Connell recounted the journey of the 13 Vincentian priests and brothers who set sail from Italy and arrived in Baltimore “to walk with the poor, bringing the charism of St. Vincent de Paul to our shores.
“For many people, 13 is an unlucky number,” Bishop O’Connell quipped. But for the Congregation of the Mission, the formal title for the Vincentians, the number 13 “represents a great moment in our history.
“Here we are, two centuries later, gathered around the table in Germantown, our Eastern Province’s home, to celebrate the 13 confreres and all our brother Vincentians who followed in their footsteps.”
Bishop O’Connell reflected on the community’s founder, St. Vincent de Paul, and the mission he established for his followers – “to preach the Gospel to the poor.”
“When sending forth his missionaries, St. Vincent de Paul said, ‘our vocation is to go, not just to one parish, not just to one diocese, but all over the world and to set people’s hearts on fire, to do what the Son of God did,” said Bishop O’Connell.
Though the band of first Vincentians who served in America was small in number, Bishop O’Connell praised their fidelity and perseverance saying they, “set America ‘on fire’ with Christ’s love. The flame is still burning – burning for the poor, those in formation for priestly ministry; those in countless churches longing to hear God’s Word; burning in their confessionals, for those aching for God’s mercy; burning for those in schools and universities seeking knowledge and wisdom; burning in hospitals and prisons; burning for and with the Daughters of Charity and the wider Vincentian family; burning at home and in mission lands; burning for justice and peace, inclusion and wholeness in Christ’s love,” said Bishop O’Connell.
The Sept. 24 celebration provided opportunities for those in attendance to prayerfully reflect on the journey and vision of their Vincentian forebears from 200 years ago.
Sitting with members of her religious community who hailed from Maryland, Delaware, New York and Pennsylvania, Daughter of Charity Sister Joanne Dress, diocesan executive director of Catholic Social Services, focused on the “beautiful and joyful” Mass and how Bishop O’Connell encouraged the Vincentians to live the mission of St. Vincent de Paul “fully and to do more, to love more, to serve more and to preach the Word more.”
“It was an effective and stirring call meant to inspire and remind all of us present of the charism of St. Vincent that we share and to renew our commitment to be and to do more as we follow in the steps of St. Vincent de Paul and those first 13 men,” Sister Joanne said.
Father Nguyen, a Vietnam native who has been ordained a priest since 1995, has had varied experiences including spending 17 years serving in a Vincentian staffed parish, pursuing canon law studies and now working in the Diocesan Tribunal. He appreciates the missionary spirit of St. Vincent de Paul.
“Vincent sent the 13 men to missionaries in the United States, and I came to the United States from Vietnam and became a missionary priest,” said Father Nguyen, adding that it is his desire “to be faithful to Vincent” and “continue Vincent’s legacy.”
The 200th anniversary gave Father McGeough pause to “look back and thank God for what has happened in the Vincentian history and the people who made it happen.”
After thinking back to when he first met Vincentian priests as a young man in his home parish in New York and how he admired the community’s charism and commitment, Father McGeough said he’s heartened to know that he continues to follow in St. Vincent’s footsteps especially now in his prison ministry work.
“Vincent brought the Gospel to the inmates and that’s what I try to do today.”