January 25th, marks the anniversary of the Foundation of the Congregation of the Mission by St. Vincent de Paul. Please pray for the new vocations to priesthood and for the growth of this religious Vincentian community.
The Congregation of the Mission celebrates January 25th 1617 as its “Foundation Day” but in reality the Congregation was not legally set up until 8 year laters on April 17, 1625. To celebrate the anniversary of the founding of the Congregation of the Mission VinFormation has posted a SlideShare presentation.
The history of the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentian Fathers) begins on January 25, 1617.
Vincent de Paul (1581) was ordained on September 23, 1600, at the age of nineteen or twenty. In 1612, he was named pastor of Saint-Medard in Clichy, a poor rural parish just northwest of Paris. As pastor, he experienced the priesthood in a way unknown to him to that point, and told the bishop he was happier than the bishop himself, and even the pope.
However, in less than a year, Cardinal Bérulle recalled him to Paris to become chaplain to the Gondi family and tutor to their children. In January of 1617, Vincent was on the Gondi estates in Picardy, and heard the confession of a dying man, who told Madame de Gondi that he would have been damned without Vincent’s ministry. She urged Vincent to preach a sermon on general confessions. He did it on January 25, 1617. His sermon produced such a response that other priests were called to help hear all the confessions. Continue reading Congregation of the Mission Founding Day
