The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1877-07-15

was the epried- woman who mad CHOSEN VINO
better part" the homeless orphan was the iost
child of an imperial mansion, the mind berer
of reason was jewel waiting to be set within
o monarch's crown, the sick and sorrowing
were tho chosen spouses Of q loving Bnde
groom, the aged and ipfirm were conrtiers upon
the threshold of eternity, and the poor and
destitute were the precious legacy left by
plying Christ to the souls who loved Him.
Thus it was Faith that moved bis Charity I;
and these two virtues, united with the eternal
Hope that made time for him seem but one
| Working day, produced that marvel Of the
seventeenth century and that glory OF ell CEN
turtles, which we recognize ne the life and
character of St. Vincent de Paul.
Our readers no doubt know that st. Vincents
foresight aud inspired zeal, while ministering
to the wants of his own times, provided also
for the re auirements of suffering humanity in
| all times to come. His daughters, known AZ
Sisters of Charity, and whom the French In
stinct calls Files de Diea, are the dispensers OF
human help to every species of in6rmity or
misfortune. Their white bonnets are symbols
of peace to restless world, heraids Of mercy
to suffering humanity, banners of JOY to all
who have tasted the chalice of sfl iction.
The priests of the mission-Laz arsts-are
his jealous sons, spending themselves in the
service OF Others, rans0m's .oe captive, liber
atipg the slave, preaching in foreign lands,
building u p missions of grace in infdel places,
ed ucating priests for their holy calling, and
winning souls to God by one unchaRgng pur-
pose and one unchauging course.
And to these two orders of religious life
the priest in the glory of the altar and the
ssterhood beneath it's protecting shadow
must be edded the Vncentian Conferences,
| which, spread over the Christian world, do
| more good than the world can ever know, for
| the simple reason that the world is never in
| formed By them of what shey do. They are
the outpouIipg of st. VIncenps universal
| charity, the eurplus beams, as it were, OF his
allpervadipg zsal.
We might compare the Priests of the Mis-
sion and the Sisters of Charity to two mex
haustible vases, in which the precious Equic
of divine and human love stands always full
and clear; but the stream that feeds these re
servoirs overdows into the Vipcentian Confer
ences, and the members of this ADMIRABLY
organization carry the revivifying waters int
every howell and haunt of misery throughou
the land.
They visit the sick, comfort the sorrowing
relieve the poor, instruct the ignorant ant
exhort the sinner. They are the right han
of the priesthood, the attendant Of the Sister
of Charity, in q word, they are part of til
world which 10 I" not of the world "a legac
of st. Vincent whose value can only be know
upon the great accounting day. 1t is said tbs
seven hundred Calvinists returned to the fait
q in France, converted by the sight of the VOL
. DEL fol works of charity effected by st. Vncer
. and his followers.
= Here in orr midst, we have examples of tt
same heroic charity, so besutiful and so nj
selfish, that heretics of all denomination
!. might also profit by them, If they would bt
" acknowledge that the secret of all such vi
tues, the inspiration of all such sacrifces, q
a incentive to all such noble deeds, is found NOT
:. % il was in the days Of st. Vincent, only
!. the teachings and practices of the Holy Cat
- Ollie Church.
>. st. Vincent died in 1850, at the age of eight
- Ave, worn out by ago and work but the ID
&. sons he iuculcated never grow old, and t
8 charity he bequeathed 60 posterity never grol
,,a weary.
NJ II al the admirers of this illustrious Sal
: would but initiate his zeal and follow In
= footsteps, how soon an unhelieving wo
5. would become wholly and irrevocably Chi
en- tiani