Tilburg, 25 January 2018 – On Thursday, January 25th, a special relic of St. Vincent de Paul was blessed and inaugurated in the chapel of the Generalate of the Brothers CMM. This installation was combined with a Eucharist and a special prayer service. Father Frank Lemmens led the celebration.
The relic
In 2017, at the celebration of 400 Years Vincentian Charisma in Rome, Superior General Lawrence Obiko CMM received this first degree relic of Saint Vincent de Paul from the Superior General of the Vincentians, Father Tomaž Mavrič CM.
Patron Saint
Vincent de Paul is, together with Mary, patron saint of the Brothers CMM. The founder of the Congregation Joannes Zwijsen had an eye for the poor and ignorant, and gave his brothers and sisters Vincent de Paul as an example. The relic that is now to be found in the CMM Generalate is symbolic of the concrete and contemporary presence of Saint Vincent de Paul worldwide.
Vincent de Paul
Vincent de Paul had been employed by the rich family De Gondi since 1613 as a tutor for their children and as chaplain of the Gondi estates. In 1617 he received an urgent message: a dying peasant wanted to see Vincent. The man had an honourable reputation, but buried in his mind were burdens he had never revealed. Vincent had the feeling that in a final moment of grace he had pulled a soul out of the devil’s clutches, and the poor farmer felt the same.
25 January 1617
Vincent realized the importance of confession for the poor. So on 25 January 1617, the feast of Paul’s conversion, he held a mission sermon in Folleville. The subject of that sermon was the general confession. Vincent spoke in simple but inspiring words. He had seen the deep spiritual need of the poor rural population and their lack of even basic preparation for the sacraments. Vincent de Paul had discovered what God expected of him. Although his decision to become a priest first came out of the desire to secure his own social position, he now began to see what it was all about. He decided to dedicate the rest of his days to the service to the poor.