The Division of Mission and Ministry offers regular opportunities for members of the university community to deepen their understanding of the university’s patron, by participating in guided Vincentian Heritage study tours to locations in Paris and throughout France associated with the life and works of St. Vincent de Paul. The Vincentian Heritage Tours (VHT) have long been a vital part of developing and deepening the DePaul community's understanding and engagement with its mission. Participants return with a renewed appreciation and passion for our collective Vincentian values and how they can connect with our daily professional lives and work.
Participation in the summer tours is open, on a competitive basis, to all faculty and staff who have demonstrated interest in the Vincentian heritage, mission and values of the university. The trip’s goal is to encourage the deepening of Vincentian leadership among faculty and staff members. Travel is not considered part of the employee’s vacation time. The trip is funded by a way split between the participant, the participant’s department, and the Division of Mission and Ministry.
About the Heritage Tour:
Selected participants will tour locations in Paris and throughout France associated with the life and works of St. Vincent de Paul and other key members of the Vincentian family. Before the trip, the group will participate in a series of meetings to build community and explore Vincentian history, spirituality and praxis to give them the necessary background to prepare for, and fully engage in the trip. The goals of the VHTs are to strengthen participants’ bond with DePaul’s Vincentian mission, develop their mission-leadership abilities, and deepen the spirit of community felt by faculty and staff at DePaul.
Note that as part of the program, group members are asked to share their experiences with the wider DePaul community and/or apply what they learned on the trip about Vincent de Paul upon their return to the daily life of the university. This post-trip sharing can take many forms, from intentionally applying Vincentian values to existing programs, writing or publishing an article about the experience, or finding new ways to integrate the mission into our community. These projects help sustain and widen the impact of the VHTs, broadening the distributed leadership of mission in our university. To help support these efforts, the VHT cohort will reunite within a month of its return to campus in order to discuss ideas for this project, and participants will be given time to prepare and present their work through the following spring quarter.
Financial Considerations
Participation in the summer tours is open, on a competitive basis, to all faculty and staff who have demonstrated interest in the Vincentian heritage, mission, and values of the university.
The cost of the program is split three ways:
- One third of the cost is paid by the participant (up to $1500)
- One third of the cost is paid by the participant's Department (up to $1500)
- One third of the cost is paid by the Division of Mission and Ministry
*Note: While multiple meals will be paid for during the VHT, participants will be expected to pay for some of their own meals as well as their own personal expenses during the trip. Further information about these expenses will be shared in the VHT brochure and at pre-trip meetings.
Application Sections:
The application has three major sections:
- Your personal profile (name, role, years of service, etc.)
- Acknowledgement that your manager is aware of and supports your participation in this professional development program, your time away from the office, and approves departmental funding.
- A short answer description of why you'd like to join the VHT, how you think the experience will impact your engagement with DePaul's mission, and any ideas regarding how you see yourself integrating/sharing what you have learned about the mission after your return.
2023 Faculty and Staff Vincentian Heritage Tour
The 2023 tour is currently scheduled to take place August 1-13, 2023. While these dates may change very slightly as we work out details, this is the scheduled time of the trip.
Please note that the application deadline for this trip is October 31, 2022. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us at
FASE@depaul.edu.
You can find the application form
here.
Information Sessions
We will be hosting Zoom information sessions on October 18 & October 21. To learn more and register, see the link below!