As the feast day of St. Vincent de Paul approaches, the Archdiocesan Council of New Orleans kicked off events with the annual Vincentian Family Mass and Service event, held on Sunday, September 15th:
Sr. Catherine Kelly, DC, our Council Spiritual Advisor shares a recap:
“We need a movement of people who know we need each other, who have a sense of responsibility to another and to the world.”
Pope Francis, Let Us Dream-2022
These words were alive and well as several members of the Vincentian Family and our Collaborators came together for an extraordinary Mass and Service Project on September 15, 2024.
Father Ed Murphy and the parishioners of St. Joseph Church on Tulane Avenue welcomed more that 200 people representing the Members of St. Joseph Parish, the Daughters of Charity, the Vincentian Priests, the Ladies of Charity, the Society of St. Vincent DePaul, the Vincentian Lay Missionaries of St. Joseph Parish along with the Ladies Sodality. We were joined by representatives of DePaul USA,
The Harry Thompson Center/Rebuild Center at St. Joseph Church, Ozanam Inn and Hotel Hope.
A wonderful entrance procession included a representative from each group who carried in a special candle with the organization’s name on it. All these were placed on a special altar that included a Statue of St. Vincent. What a joy it was to see the Church really filled with young and old alike. It was an even great joy to realize that more than half the congregation were members of the various Conferences of our Society as well as Society Leadership.
One of the highlights of the Commitment asked the Officers and Leaders or all the Organizations to rise and promise to “seek to build consensus, build harmony and respect among all its members, be faithful to their various roles, and help others to find the forgotten, the suffering or the deprived in the Love of Jesus”. The whole Commitment was reminiscent of committing to our baptismal vows we make each year at Easter time.
A significant part of this day of celebration was the focus on Service as the congregation donated a tremendous amount of household goods for the unhoused as the various collaborating agencies place them in their own homes and apartments. These items were brought back to the Central Office for sorting and boxing and then delivered to our collaborating organizations.
And what is a celebration without food. The Daughters of Charity underwrote the refreshments which were prepared and served by the members of the Vincentian Lay Missionaries. What a fun way to end a lovely expression of being in Communion with one another. Now we can’t wait into next year to celebrate again!
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