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The Holy Jubilee of 2025, proclaimed by Pope Francis, together with the 400th anniversary of the foundation of the Congregation of the Mission (C.M.), announced by the Superior General, Very Rev. P. Tomaž Mavrič, C.M., represents for us Vincentian Missionaries a privileged opportunity for renewal in the spirit of Jesus Christ. Celebrating 400 years (1625–2025) since the foundation of the Congregation means reflecting on the charism and the legacy of St. Vincent de Paul and of the Vincentian Family in the world.
Founded in 1625 in Paris by St. Vincent de Paul (1581–1660) with the support of Madame de Gondi (Françoise Marguerite de Silly, 1580–1625) and her husband, Philippe Emmanuel de Gondi, the Congregation aimed to evangelize the rural poor and respond to the needs of the most destitute. Indeed, the charism of the C.M. is encapsulated in: “Evangelizare Pauperibus Misit Me – The Spirit of the Lord is upon me to bring good news to the poor” (Lk 4:18). The first mission was sent to Madagascar, where the missionaries faced extremely challenging environmental conditions.
The first motherhouse was Bons-Enfants (1625–1632), followed by Saint Lazare (1632–1792), and finally the house at 95 Rue de Sèvres, where the relics of St. Vincent de Paul are preserved today. The Congregation received papal approval from Pope Urban VIII in 1633. In the same year, St. Vincent, together with St. Louise de Marillac (1591–1660), founded the Daughters of Charity, a pontifical institute dedicated to serving the poor and the sick. The institute’s statutes were approved in 1668 by Cardinal Louis de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme.
In 1885, Pope Leo XIII declared St. Vincent de Paul the patron of all works of charity. Today, the General Curia of the Congregation operates in Via dei Capasso 30 in Rome, while its missionaries continue to reach the poor in the outskirts and the most remote corners of the world. According to 2021 reports, we are 3,100 members, including 26 bishops, two cardinals, one patriarch, and 11,740 Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. Besides our Vincentian Family, there are more than four million members across over 160 countries, with more than 200 branches in five continents.
This celebration of 400 years is a milestone in our journey of faith and service, following Christ the evangelizer in the model of St. Vincent de Paul. The apostolate of the saint was to evangelize the poor, to restore dignity to the oppressed by being with them and serving them, saying: “The poor are our masters.” It also includes the popular mission, retreats for ordinands, the mission of preaching to the people, especially during the Lenten season, the formation of clergy, the ministry of education, social work, and the care of the people by becoming one among the poor.
Though there was European Missionaries’ presence in Goa Seminary for around ten years, in 1919, during the papacy of Benedict XV, the Holy See, through the Propaganda Fide, entrusted the Congregation of the Mission with the pastoral care of southern Odisha. Recognizing the area’s pastoral needs, the Superior General, Very Rev. Fr. Francoise Verdier, C.M., instructed the Madrid Province of the Congregation to send missionaries to the Cuttack Mission. On January 10, 1922, the first group of four Vincentian missionaries from Spain – Frs. Jose Maria Fernandez, Ramon Ferrer, Valerian Guemes, and Manuel Coello Rey – arrived in Berhampur, southern Odisha, to take charge of the mission. As missionary numbers grew and activities expanded, the Cuttack Mission was elevated to a region in 1925, a Vice-Province in 1938, and a Province in 1970. In 1997, it was divided into the Northern and Southern Indian Provinces. Over time, these provinces have expanded their reach, providing pastoral services worldwide wherever the Congregation’s assistance is needed. Celebrating the fourth centenary of the foundation of the Congregation invites us to renew our fervent commitment to the service of the poor. This jubilee is an opportunity to reflect on the Vincentian charism and to respond to the needs of the poor.