For Student Leaders

“In the footsteps of Saint Vincent de Paul, Saint Louise de Marillac and the Vincentian family.”

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, St. Louise de Marillac and other Vincentian family figures.

Student Leadership tours take place regularly during Spring Break. Because of the limited time frame the tour is limited to Vincentian sites in Paris and its surroundings. Participation in the tours is open, on a competitive basis, to all students who have participated in the Meet Me at the Mission: Vincentian Heritage Initiative and have a demonstrated interest in the Vincentian heritage, mission, and values of the university and have a record of Vincentian service.

Applicants must have earned at least 3 pillars of the Meet Me at the Mission initiative either through workshops in their leadership trainings or by coming to Meet Me at the Mission quarterly events. Applicants must provide a personal statement as to how they envision this trip forming their personal leadership and service ethics in the Vincentian tradition. They also must provide a letter of recommendation from a DePaul faculty/and or staff member.

Students chosen to participate in this opportunity are required to register in Winter Quarter 2023 for PAX 250: Transformative Models of Vincentian Leadership. This 2-credit class will include synchronous and asynchronous learning to prepare for the VHT experience.

Students will delve into our rich Vincentian tradition by learning about a key group of founding Vincentian family members: Vincent de Paul, Louise de Marillac, Frederic Ozanam, and Rosalie Rendu. Students will connect the wisdom from these Vincentian leaders to their reading of the current signs of the times and their own Vincentian leadership experiences at DePaul. A scholarship is given to cover the cost of the course.

The Division of Mission and Ministry subsidizes most of the costs of the trip. Each student participant pays $800.00. No student is turned away because of inability to pay.

Students who participate in the VHT complete the Global Experience requirement of the Global Fluency Certificate. For more information about the GFC program go here.

Demonstrate Impact & Mission Integration

Vincentian Heritage Tour student leader participants become a part of the Vinny Squad – the Meet Me at the Mission: Vincentian Heritage Initiative leadership team. Upon return, each trip participant will be required to demonstrate the impact the trip has had on their leadership journey as a member of DePaul’s Vincentian Community. This can take various forms which will be discussed at the information sessions and during the pre-trip meetings once accepted into the program.

After the Vincentian Heritage Experience students are required to register for PAX 250: Living the Vincentian Legacy of Social Change 2-credit class Spring 2023. This class will focus on integrating what was learned from the on the ground VHT experience into your leadership. It will include creating a project/event that will be shared with the broader DePaul community along with writing your own Vincentian leadership narrative.  VHT student leaders also become a part of the Vinny Squad to assist with facilitating Meet Me at the Mission workshops.

Note: This program is subject to change due to COVID-19. The safety and well-being of our students is of utmost concern, and we are monitoring the pandemic carefully. If the program is cancelled prior to departure, students will receive a full refund of their program fee. In alignment with DePaul's on-campus vaccine requirement, Witte Travel's guidelines, and community partner needs, VHT students must be fully vaccinated and boosted to participate in the program.

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