Vincentian Studies

Sister Betty Ann McNeil discusses the motto and seal of the Company of the Daughters of Charity from their inception in seventeenth-century France to its current usage. Saint Louise de Marillac transformed her devotion to Jesus crucified into a spirituality of service, as her chosen seal and motto signify. For the animating principle of her personal life and charitable service, the foundress, inspired by the apostle Paul, chose “The Charity of Jesus Crucified Urges Us” (Cf. 2 Corinthians 5:14). The motto and seal, transmitted to generations of Daughters of Charity since 1633, appear in modern documents of The Company as a link to their founding charism and impetus for mission in the contemporary world.

Members of the Vincentian family see the presence of Christ in our brothers and sisters who experience poverty. The encyclical Laudato Si’ by Pope Francis (2015) reveals ways that the poverty of earth and the poverty of people are interconnected. He invites all to adapt an integral ecology to respond to the cries of our earth and the cries of the poor. This article presents a concise overview of Vincentian history through the lens of our founders’ connections to the natural world in their timeframe to demonstrate that integral ecology is a Vincentian value. It invites readers to consider how to respond to the signs of the times, such as our current climate crisis, through a change of heart and lifestyle to embrace integral ecology.

This article takes a fresh look at the revitalization of Paris by King Louis XIV (1638–1715) following his victory in the civil war known as the Fronde by focusing on the Porte Saint-Denis. This was the triumphal arch built in 1672 by François Blondel, the founding Director of the Royal Academy of Architecture (Académie royale d’architecture). Blondel’s monument has long been considered the gold standard of French Baroque Classicism; however, the critical studies of architectural historians have stopped at the foot of rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis. By contrast, Zurawski scrutinizes the site. Consisting of this ancient thoroughfare to the royal abbey of Saint-Denis and its location in the far northwest quadrant, the present-day tenth Arrondissement, its dominant property was the first Vincentian motherhouse of Saint-Lazare. In sum, her analysis introduces, then interlocks, the dramatic stories that led to the raising of Porte Saint-Denis in large measure as a tribute to Vincent de Paul’s heroic support of the boy king, notably in the perilous Prise de Saint-Denis (of 1652). These revelations include Vincent’s direct role in negotiating the peaceful ending of the Fronde on behalf of Louis XIV. And despite the subsequent redevelopments of the quartier through the ages, one may still imagine Saint-Lazare coming into view in the near distance through the aperture of Porte Saint-Denis.

This study presents and translates the text of an anonymous Jansenist pamphlet of 1739 which narrates a series of violent events that took place during a mission that French Vincentians preached in the parish of Le Plessis-Rozainvilliers. The pastor and the Vincentian mission team both fueled the outbreak of violence. The incidents described offer harrowing insight into attitudes and strongly held beliefs of the era. The context for this was the period of great conflict within France spurred by the bull of Clement XI, Unigenitus [Dei filius], issued on 8 September 1713 to condemn a Jansenist theologian. Rybolt provides an opening analysis and contextualization of the document, its history, and its content. This is followed by an illustrated and annotated English language translation of the pamphlet in which the layout, formatting, and style maintain that of the original text. The original French pamphlet text closes the article.

As Catholic and Vincentian institutions navigate increasing religious pluralism, declining numbers of vowed religious, and changing expectations about leadership, new models of mission leadership are needed. This article proposes distributed leadership for mission as a framework for sustaining Catholic and Vincentian identity in higher education. Drawing from the history of Vincent de Paul, Louise de Marillac, and the Vincentian Family, as well as contemporary scholarship on leadership and organizational effectiveness, it argues that mission is best carried forward through intentional networks of leaders who share responsibility for cultivating institutional culture and advancing a common purpose. The article explores the theoretical foundations of distributed leadership, highlights the importance of relationships, community, compassion, and ongoing formation, and identifies practices that foster mission integration across an institution of Catholic higher education. It concludes that distributed leadership reflects contemporary organizational realities, the emerging character and needs of the Catholic Church, and the deepest traditions of the Vincentian charism, offering a sustainable path for mission effectiveness in the twenty-first century.