Fr. Gregory Gay from a presentation at Niagara University. On the qualities that make an education "Vincentian".

1. Hard Work and Sheer Joy:
Toward a Vincentian
Campus Culture
G. Gregory Gay, C.M.
Superior General
Congregation of the Mission
Niagara University,
3 April 2014

2. About Us: Congregation of the Mission
• Over 3000 priests and
brothers
• from 55 provinces and
regions
• located in 85 countries
• on all continents,
except Antarctica

3. Antarctica?
New mission in
Tierra del Fuego,
South America

4. A Catholic, Vincentian education…
• Draws one out of the
secure setting of
classroom and campus
to enter the world of the
poor and the margins
• When doing this, one
may experience:
• Disorientation
• Confrontation
• Formation
• Transformation
Week of service in Philadelphia

5. Changed by my Niagara experience
• Here at Niagara, I
myself went through
the phases of
disorientation,
confrontation, and
formation...
• But it is the
transformative power
of the Vincentian
charism that has
stayed with me

6. What makes an education “Vincentian”?
• How is a Catholic and
Vincentian education
different from the
secular, altruistic
models?
• Start with the man for
whom it is named:
Saint Vincent de Paul

7. A man in search of an education
• St. Vincent sought an
education by
disguising it as a
vocation to the
priesthood
• Priesthood seemed to
offer both a better life
for himself, and a
stable income to assist
his parents

8. On the surface…
• Vincent was bright,
articulate, wrote well
• He had degrees from the
University of Toulouse and
the Sorbonne
• He was detail-oriented and
good with with finances
• He mingled with people of
influence
• He travelled all through
Europe
• He became chaplain to a
wealthy family in Paris,
and lived on their estate

9. But deep down…
• Something was
missing... Vincent felt
an inner emptiness, a
“hole in his soul.”
• His impressive
education, keen
intellect, comfortable
lifestyle, and the status
of “priest” were not
enough.

10. Changed by experiences with the poor
• How could Vincent
change the direction of
his life?
• Not by thinking or
reasoning, but by two
experiences with the
poor… two random
encounters that shook
Vincent to his core!

11. 1. A dying man wanted to go to Confession
• A dying man on the De
Gondi estate, where St.
Vincent worked, pleaded
for someone to hear his
confession
• “If not for Vincent‟s
pastoral care, I would
have died in mortal sin.”
• Vincent pitied the un-
churched man, and
suddenly realized that
there were tens of
thousands just like him

12. 2. A sick family needed food & medicine
• Fr. Vincent pleaded for
help for a family, from
the pulpit before Mass
• His parishioners would
bring food, but so much
at one time that it would
just spoil or be wasted
• He saw that efforts of
charity were not
sustainable unless they
were coordinated

13. God touched Vincent‟s heart to re-direct his
abilities to organize and motivate others.

14. Vincent‟s next steps
• To seek formation, both
human and divine
• To ally himself with a
renowned spiritual
director
• To seek out like-minded
people for support
• Most of all, he allowed
God to reawaken him,
finding Christ in
Scriptures, Eucharist, &
prayer

15. Niagara University is a manifestation
and continuation of the vision of
Saint Vincent de Paul.
“Education that makes a difference”
What is that difference?

16. Developing a “Vincentian campus culture”
Niagara’s History:
158 years with the
Vincentian priests and
brothers-- a seminary that
evolved into a university
• the sterling example of
laity faculty, staff, and
administration who lived
the Vincentian charism
and passed it on.
• the lives and
achievements of NU
alumni Bishop Stephen V. Ryan, C.M., provincial
superior of the American Vincentians,
second bishop of Buffalo

17. Developing a “Vincentian campus culture”
Niagara: Today
• Imbued with faith in God,
and a reverence for the
dignity of all persons
• provides opportunities to
serve the poor and
marginalized as Jesus did
• a community of scholars
seeking truth, committed to
excellence
• a welcoming, worshipping
community, whose
members act honestly and
with integrity

18. A lifelong impact
• Students come and go
every four years, but
Niagara‟s enduring
values are a way of life
• A Vincentian campus
culture makes it
possible to “be good,
do good, and be a
force for good” (Fr.
Thomas Judge, C.M.)

19. Common statement on Vincentian
sponsorship of Universities
Five major Vincentian
universities approved a
Sponsorship Statement:
“Vincentian sponsorship is
a rich concept referring to
the many ways that the
mutual relationship
between Vincentians and
their institutes of higher
education contribute to
building up of the
Kingdom of God.”

20. This is what St. Vincent believed, taught, and put
into practice: all our efforts must have their origin
and end in God, who guides and gives us strength.

21. Four key points in developing a Vincentian
campus culture
Vincentian colleges and
universities should
admit and promote the
development of the
poor.
Students should be
imbued with sensitivity
for the poor.

22. Four key points in developing a Vincentian
campus culture
2 They should be places
where Catholic moral,
intellectual, and social
traditions are taught in
their great richness to
the next generation,
seeking to nourish the
gift of faith.

23. Four key points in developing a Vincentian
campus culture
They should always
serve the poor by
providing access to
higher education for
poor and marginalized
students, and direct
the expertise of their
faculty and the energy
of their students to the
service of the poor.

24. Four key points in developing a Vincentian
campus culture
4
They should develop a
distinctive Vincentian
theology of service,
and include reflection
and dialogue on the
encounter with Christ
in the experience of
service

25. A need for access and witness
• Access to education is
the only hope to lift the
poor out of a destructive
and generational poverty
• Niagara took the lead in
providing scholarships,
grants and financial
assistance to give the
poor access to
education
• But we must do more

26. A need for access and witness
• Niagara University has
a great presence in
WNY / East Coast
• Vincentian witness of
students and faculty for
the poor has had a
profound, lasting impact
• We take time to reflect
on our experiences of
encountering Christ in
the poor
Highland Community Greenfields Project

27. The witness of Pope Francis
• Pope Francis has captivated many across the globe
with his warmth, simplicity, and advocacy for the poor
• In his homilies, the Holy Father coined a phrase: “the
globalization of indifference”

28. Transformed by service
• When one first enters into the
world of the poor:
disorientation, confrontation,
formation, and ultimately,
transformation
• This may seem unsettling or
even threatening
• But God‟s grace does
wonders, breaks down
barriers, helps us to affirm
our common humanity, and
put aside differences of race,
class, gender, and religion Thanksgiving meal for refugees
at Journey's End

29. St. Vincent de Paul developed a spirituality of service,
based on seeing Christ in the poor and the poor in
Christ. Despite his many activities, Vincent was first and
foremost a “mystic of charity.”

30. You and I may never reach the same level of achievement,
selfless service, or mysticism of Vincent. But we can try, can‟t
we? Niagara is where this wonderful „labor of love‟ can begin,
grow, and lead us more deeply into the beauty and mystery
of learning to serve the poor in Christ.