The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-02-05
ST. VINCENT DE PAUL
SOCIETY.

valuable from the historic point
of view because it contains a de-
tailed account of the meeting held
in Washington last November for
the purpose of establishing a Sll-
perior Council Of the st. Vincent
de Paul Society for the United
States, as a Medium through
which the paroehial conference.
the Particular Council and the
Metropolitan Central Council will
thereafter be kept in touch with the
general headquarters in Paris. It
also gives statistics of the present
status of the Society in the United
States.
As an excellent resume Of the
object and spirit Of the St. Vim
cent de Paul Society we subjoin
the following paragraphs from
the editorial pages of the Quar-
terly:
1.-THE st. Vincent de Paul So
ciety is in an exact and literal
sense, one of the channels through
which the traditions of the In
carnation flow down the centuries.
The Society takes straight from
the lips of Christ, His enriching
message Of assurance and comfort
and carries it with meaning I'M
changed, with force nndiminished
and with sweetness undisturbed,
down to the loWly circles of the
poor to whom He addressed it.
Our single purpose is to under
stand that message, to shield it
against distortion, to give it rev.
erent hearing and swift obedience.
We aim in our own sphere to help
the poor to find peace, relief and
hope through Christ s blessed
words and to insure the varied
services for which their condition
calls. 1t is orr supreme hope that
no limitation in ourselves may dim
our understanding or chill our
zeal or make us unworthy Of the
mission. We aim to hold before
ourselves always, with an assur-
ance that requires and does not
harm humility, our call to serve
God through the poor. = ~ The
moment we forget that our So
ciety is an accepted channel
through which the tradition of the
Incarnation comes down from the
hills Of Judea to the dismal cellars
of the modern city, we shall lose
the first and chief source Of our
inspiration.
'sThe Society is an organic part
Of the Church. 1t is a volunteer
messenger Of God accepted and
commended by His representative
upon earth. It's spirit and it's
supreme law it takes from Christ.
It's policies, its obedience, the de-
tails Of it's administration are
adopted subject to the authorities
of the Church because it has its
place among the organized ac-
tivities approved by the Church
and engaged in its spiritual and
social ministrations.
"The Society gathers believing
men into the fellowship of serv-
ice. It stimulates the sympathies
from which plirest refinement is
derived. 1t echastens hearts and
makes easier the self-discipline
that is part of the Christian life.
By awakening social sympathy
and insisting upon. the claims of
the weak, it counterbaIances the
vehemence Of temporal ambitions
and wealth-seeking and intro
duces that marvellous spiritual
balance which is the finest fruit of
1.-THE presence Of Christ in the
heart. 1t keeps alive in its mem-
bers the love which prefers not to
analyze and the zeal which does
not trim. For those who are not
members Of the Society, it is both
opportunity and Indictment. It
presents itself as an opportunity
because it sets forth specific duty
of the Christian life and it points
out the way to do it. They who
resist the knowledge which it of
fers and the impulse that il
aWakens, and neglect their duty
toward the poor, are indicted by
the very existence of the Society
They shut their eyes against its
inspiration. 1t is one channel of
the tradition of the Incarnation
from contact with which, they
shut themselves out.
In a certain sense, the Society
offers a most satisfying test of the
spirit of our faith. Tt requires lis
to give ourselves to the poor, to
disappear in the giving, and the
service called for is humble, com
monplace and uninviting. The
Society is one Of those many or
gans of Christian force and feel
ing whose purpose it is to dis
cipline strength, to chasten out
Of it all of its selfishness and con.
secrate it to the spirit Of service. =
WHERE LAYMEN RULE.
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