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CHARTRES CATHEDRAL - A place St. Vincent visited often as he began his ministry and the founding of his first group, the Ladies of Charity 

Click Here for 90-second video

REFLECTION
- Ladies of Charity - Eileen

MUSIC
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NOTES
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PRAYER OF LETTING GO
To You do I belong, O God,
into Your hands I surrender my life.
Pour out Your Spirit upon me
that I may love You perfectly,
and serve You faithfully
until my soul rests in You.

Transcript

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SPEAKER_02 0:06

Their God is ever fall brought here together by Christ love. I love our weavers law.

SPEAKER_01 0:23

Good morning and welcome to Vincentian Spirit Week, highlighting some of the special Vincentian groups inspired by Saint Vincent de Paul, whose feast day of course is this coming Sunday. It's interesting. The first group of charity that Saint Vincent de Paul founded as pastor of a church in 1617, it wasn't a group of priests or brothers or nuns, but rather lay women, housewives, mothers, daughters, nobility of the parish who had the time and the resources to do some good for others. Vincent brought them together and then organized what he called the Confraternity of Charity, eventually known as the Ladies of Charity. Today they number over two hundred thousand across fifty-four countries, and one of them is with us today to share her experience as we kick off Vincentian Spirit Week. Friends, welcome to prayer, and thank you for being with us. Let us pray. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. O Lord, open our lips. And my mouth shall declare your praise.

SPEAKER_02 2:12

Let us recall that in our names dwells God's begotten song. No race, no freedom, no. Whose father is God said.

SPEAKER_00 3:24

Our goal is not to simply donate money or things, but our time. We want to, as a group, interact so they know any unfortunate circumstance they are currently experiencing does not minimize their importance in the world. Speaking with them, hearing their stories, letting them know they are worthy of dignity, and that their circumstances do not define them. I first joined Lady of Charities when I was working full-time in a high-pressure job. I saw the invitation to join in our church bulletin and knew this would be what I was looking for. I didn't want to just work a job. I wanted to do something that I hoped would make a difference in the world. Once I retired, I became more active in Ladies of Charity, and I'm currently the president of this chapter. There are many worthy charities, but I feel especially drawn to helping the poor. No one should go hungry or be homeless when there are so many who have so much. As Christians, we have an obligation to open our eyes and hearts to help those in need. St. Vincent de Paul founded us for this very reason. We cannot simply keep our heads in the sand and pretend we don't know of a need. Ladies of Charity is an important part of my life to help me do just that. We have meetings and discuss opportunities to help others. Most of our work is local and I participate in many of these activities. But there are many in our chapter of Ladies of Charity who go above and beyond to help those not just in this community or this country, but around the world. I am grateful to play even a small part in helping them help others. And I am grateful that I have been provided an opportunity to become closer to Christ. Because as St. Vincent often said, when we make the time to help others, God makes the time to help us.

SPEAKER_01 6:15

And with confidence we pray. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen. Let us pray. Loving God, you taught Saint Vincent to recognize your face in the poor, the forgotten, and those most in need. Give us that same vision. Open our eyes to those who need our compassion, our hands to those who need our help, and our hearts to those who simply need to know they are loved. Like Saint Vincent, teach us to love you not only in prayer, but in the people you place before us each day. We ask through Christ our Lord. To you do I belong, O God. Into your hands I surrender my life. Pour out your spirit upon me, that I may love you perfectly and serve you faithfully until my soul rests in you. Most groups founded by Saint Vincent de Paul originate from France, especially Paris, where Saint Vincent lived and did most of his work. Well, today, France still hosts churches and chapels from his era that he frequently visited when he was alive, and that held significance in his own spiritual journey. Well, friends, this week, each day, we're going to feature a 90-second video showcasing one of the sacred sites, churches, particularly those connected to the Vincentian groups we're highlighting each day. So today's focus with the ladies of charity. The video is one of the most magnificent of all sacred places, Chartre Cathedral, in France, a place where Saint Vincent often traveled to pray and likely found a great deal of inspiration. So the link to the short video will be in the show notes each day, and also the Discover tab on the app. Thank you for being with us today in prayer, and to you especially, Eileen, thank you for sharing on the Ladies of Charity. And friends, real quick, a shout out to our very own Jeff De Bold here on our team, who celebrates a birthday today. Happy birthday, Jeff. God's blessing upon you and upon all of us as we now go forth in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Peace be with you, brothers and sisters. Go forth in love, and hopefully, we'll see you right back here tomorrow.