Dear Faculty and Staff,
Today, we celebrate the Feast Day of our patron and namesake, St. Vincent de Paul. We hope you have been able to join some of this year’s
Heritage Week events, and we are very grateful to the Division of Mission and Ministry for hosting these special gatherings for our faculty, staff, and students.
Every year, Heritage Week provides our community with an opportunity to pause and reflect on the lasting impact of St. Vincent, an individual whose legacy is rooted in the power of community and collective action.
St. Vincent was a visionary who understood the value of relationships. He created opportunities to bring people from all walks of life and sectors of society to the table. Central to his genius, St. Vincent recognized that the mission he sought to achieve would only be possible by engaging a community of people, gathered together for a common mission. In essence, St. Vincent was a bridge builder.
In an
article published in the Vincentian Heritage Journal, Sr. Margaret John Kelly, D.C. describes St. Vincent as the creative reconciler. She writes: “Vincent de Paul changed history because he was a creative reconciler. Thus, we remember Vincent because he took the varied, at times conflicting and competing, interests of the seventeenth century and with inventiveness initiated activities which not only addressed the problems of his day, but have also influenced the course of history throughout the intervening years.”
At DePaul, we continue to embody this spirit of engagement, understanding, and action. From academic programming to transformational research to service work, our community thrives when we come together, bringing our unique perspectives to the table and joining together in shared action for the common good.
This year, as we reflect on St. Vincent’s extraordinary ability to unite people around a common cause, we are especially proud to highlight the work our community is doing to engage in meaningful dialogue and understanding.
This fall quarter, DePaul is one of 30 national sites to participate in two Amplifying Student Voices events. A national convening, DePaul student leaders are engaging in facilitated dialogue on belonging, diversity, and equity in higher education.
Last week, 70 faculty and staff participated in the
first event hosted by the Dialogue Collaborative to explore how to approach dialogue in classrooms, departments, and at campus events. The collaborative will build our institutional capacity for dialogue by connecting people doing this work and providing support for programs and initiatives that foster bridgebuilding across difference.
In addition to this first event, the College of Communication launched a certification program for fulltime faculty and staff, called Dialogue in Action. Applications are now being accepted for the winter and spring cohorts, and we encourage you to apply. More information can be found on the
Dialogue Collaborative website.
In a time when polarization and division can dominate public discourse, these programs remind us of the importance of intentional conversation and empathy. They inspire us to create a culture of dialogue at DePaul—one that seeks to understand, not just to be understood. In this way, we continue the mission of St. Vincent—building bridges, not walls; fostering mutual belonging, not separation.
As we commemorate
St. Vincent’s Feast Day, let us reflect on his example and renew our commitment to gathering people at the table—including asking ourselves who is missing at our table? Let us renew our commitment to ensuring every voice is valued and heard as we seek to find shared commitments that can move us toward collective action.
Thank you for all that you do to carry forward the Vincentian mission in your work and your lives. Together, we are building something truly special.
Sincerely,
Robert L. Manuel
President
Salma Ghanem
Provost
Sherri Sidler
Executive Vice President and CFO
Mark Laboe
Interim Vice President, Mission and Ministry