April 15, 2025
On April 17, the Congregation of the Mission (the Vincentians) celebrates a new historical milestone: the commemoration of 400 years since its foundation. In the United States, the Vincentians are the founders and sponsors of St. John’s University, De Paul University, and Niagara University.
On this anniversary, various initiatives will occur in the countries where the Congregation is present. These celebrations will culminate in a Solemn Mass on May 1 in Paris, France. (The Mass will not take place on April 17 because it coincides with Holy Thursday.)
St. John’s will be represented at this historic occasion by
Very Rev. Stephen M. Grozio, C.M., Provincial Vice Chair of the Board, Provincial Superior, Eastern Province of the Congregation of the Mission;
Rev. Joseph G. Fitzgerald, C.M., Ph.D., S.T.D. ’01C, ’09G, Executive Secretary of the National Coordination of Indigenous Ministry, Eastern Province of the Congregation of the Mission; and
Rev. Marvin Navas, C.M. ’05C, Pastor, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Charlotte NC.
Rev. Aidan R. Rooney, C.M., M.Div., M.Th. ’78NDC, Executive Vice President for Mission, St. John’s University, stated:
In every age, the Congregation of the Mission has followed Christ by listening to three important voices: the voice of Jesus in the Gospels, the voice of Jesus in His Church, and the voice of Jesus on the lips of the impoverished. This next period of our history will be no different, and the Congregation will continue to follow Christ the Evangelizer of the Poor. Here, on campus, as the Congregation celebrates in Paris, this Vincentian University will undertake an ambitious capital campaign to ensure access to higher education, especially to those whose lives have been marked by economic deprivation.
With this new jubilee, the Congregation of the Mission reaffirms its charism and enters a period of preparation, ready to live continuously in prophetic, synodal, and missionary outreach.
About St. Vincent de Paul
St. Vincent de Paul was born in Pouy, France, on April 24, 1581, and ordained a priest on September 23, 1600. St. Vincent devoted himself entirely to alleviating the suffering of the poor.
For this cause, he created in 1617 the Confraternities of Charity, later known as the Ladies of Charity. In 1625, he founded the Congregation of the Mission, his community of priests and brothers. With Louise de Marillac, he cofounded the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul in 1633.
St. Vincent died in Paris on September 27, 1660, and was canonized in 1737. Pope Leo XIII declared him patron saint of all works of charity.
Being a force for good is what St. John’s founding and enduring Vincentian mission embodies. St. John’s students and alumni use their time and talents to make the world a better place. As a Catholic and Vincentian university, faith is an integral part of this effort. St. John’s encourages everyone to strengthen their faith, and value, respect, and support all religious traditions.
About the Congregation of the Mission
The Congregation of the Mission is a “society of apostolic life” dedicated to the evangelization of the poor and the formation of lay people, priests, and religious. Members are dedicated to serving the needy and living a spirituality based on humility, simplicity, and apostolic zeal. Its mission extends globally, reflecting a commitment to bring the Gospel to those most in need.
Present on five continents, the order is composed of priests and brothers, both of whom are consecrated to the evangelization of the poor by vows. Vincentian spirituality is based on five fundamental virtues that guide the life and work of the members of the Congregation of the Mission: humility, simplicity, meekness, mortification, and apostolic zeal.
The Congregation is comprised of 2,927 members: 28 bishops; 2,697 priests; 97 brothers; 66 deacons (including three permanent deacons); and 36 incorporated seminarians. Today, the Vincentian Family is a movement made up of more than 160 institutions and more than four million people. They follow Jesus Christ, serve the poor, and heed St. Vincent de Paul, St. Louise de Marillac, Blessed Frédéric Ozanam, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, and many other believers who, over the last four centuries, have enriched the Vincentian charism.
St. John’s and the global Vincentian Family aim to coordinate their efforts to collaborate for systemic change worldwide. To learn more about the Vincentian mission, visit the digital networks of FamVin.