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This Pallottine spirit began with one person, remarkably ahead of his
time, whose enthusiasm for serving others and for the Church knew no
bounds. Fr. Vincent Pallotti (1795-1850) built bridges not only between
God and humanity, but between the haves and have-nots of his day. A
confidant to Popes Gregory XVI and Pius IX, Father Vincent was also well
known and loved by the street people of Rome to whom he ministered.
As a seminary professor and spiritual director, Fr. Vincent trained
seminarians and missionary priests who in turn spread Christ’s gospel
throughout the world. Although committed to this global vision, he was
never happier than when serving as a priest in the parish church’s
confessional, bringing sinners the message of God’s forgiveness and
infinite mercy. As a leader of youths and as a parish priest, he also
found time to give retreats both for the well-off and disadvantaged, to
provide adult education for the working poor and to minister to the
French soldiers who occupied Rome. He endorsed the leadership of the
women who administered his house of charity for the orphaned girls of
Rome and those generous women were the beginning of the Pallottine
Sisters.
Vincent hungered for a vital Church which would welcome diverse cultures
and ethnic backgrounds. His dream was partially fulfilled a century
later when the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) opened the Church’s
doors and windows to let in fresh air and to unleash a second Pentecost
for the Church in the modern world. Pope John XXIII, who convened the
Council, proclaimed Vincent a saint and a special patron of Vatican II.
Perhaps Saint Vincent’s crowning achievement was the establishment of
the Pallottine family, called the Union of Catholic Apostolate (UAC), in
which laity, clergy and religious worked side by side to meet the people’s
needs at home and overseas. From this family came the Pallottine
Fathers, Brothers and Sisters. Today, the Pallottine Sisters provide
ministry through hospitals, schools and retreat centers. The Fathers and
Brothers minister through parishes, schools and hospital chaplaincy
work.
Twenty years ago, the Pallottine Fathers and Brothers of the Immaculate
Conception Province, remembering St. Vincent’s special vision of the
Church, created the Pallotti Centers to extend St. Vincent’s teamwork
of laity working with clergy and religious. The staff and board members
of each of the five Pallotti Centers are dedicated to assisting laity,
clergy and religious who want to make a difference by serving either
overseas or in the home missions through the Church-based volunteer and
missionary programs listed in the Connections
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St. Vincent Pallotti
1795-1850
The Pallottine Fathers and Brothers serve in parishes
hospitals and schools such as here at Bishop Eustace Prep in Pennsauken,
NJ where Brother James Beamesderfer congratulates a senior on one of her
many accomplishments.
This life-size Christmas nativity scene appears each
year in St. Peter's square in Rome. Originally this creche, a symbol of
God's intense love for humanity, was a personal gift to Fr. Vincent
Pallotti. The Pallottines, in turn, presented it to Pope John Paul II
who each Christmas has placed it on display for the entire world to
enjoy and to be inspired to offer a prayer of thanksgiving for the gift
of
Christ's birth.
For more information on the Pallottines,
see www.sacapostles.org,
www.pallotti.org or
call:
1-800-APOSTLE.
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