Dear Faculty, Staff, and Students,
In a world marked by uncertainty and challenge, St. Vincent de Paul Heritage Week offers us a moment to gather in hope — to remember St. Vincent’s conviction that love and community can transform even the most difficult times.
This week, our DePaul University community joins the global Vincentian Family and Catholic Church in celebrating the annual feast day of St. Vincent de Paul, which falls each year on Sept. 27. Our tradition is to offer a
weeklong series of events and activities, inviting all to connect with the Vincentian story and to remember the legacy that we seek to extend through our life, study, and work as a Catholic and Vincentian university. We included a list of events below with a link to more details and registration information.
As we reflect on St. Vincent’s life, we are reminded that a mission-centered approach requires both discernment and courage. Every choice we make — how we teach, learn, serve, and engage with our community — becomes an opportunity to enact the values of service, dignity, and personalism. St. Vincent’s commitment to practical solutions grounded in care challenges us to act deliberately, considering the real needs of those around us, while envisioning a more just and compassionate world.
St. Vincent was a pragmatic visionary. He confronted the turbulence of 17th-century France with both courage and creativity, always asking the question: What must be done? His answer was not found in abstract ideals but in communities of care, innovation, and solidarity. In the same way, our own times invite us to see the challenges before us clearly, yet to respond with imagination, hope, and collective action.
As we engage more deeply this week with the spirit of our heritage and seek to extend the impact of our Catholic, Vincentian mission, we invite you to spend a reflective moment to consider this familiar image of Vincent gathered around a table with a diverse group of people.
What does it mean to gather with others around the Vincentian table so that all can thrive?
The metaphor of the Vincentian table challenges us to model a different way of being together; one that resists division and isolation and instead embodies radical hospitality, shared responsibility, and love that is, in Vincent’s own words, “inventive to infinity.” At the Vincentian table…
...all are welcome and included.
…we affirm the dignity of all.
...we are hospitable and open to a genuine encounter with others.
...there is always room for one more, especially the one who has been excluded, marginalized, or forgotten.
...we are bridgebuilders who seek shared solutions to challenging realities through caring relationships, listening deeply, and engaging in constructive dialogue.
...we believe as Vincent did that “love is inventive to infinity.”
St. Vincent taught us that true transformation is never achieved alone. It emerges from relationships, dialogue, and shared responsibility. At DePaul, our ability to foster thriving communities depends on our willingness to listen, collaborate across differences, and embrace the gifts each person brings. When we act with this mindset, the Vincentian mission becomes a living commitment that shapes our daily work and inspires care for one another.
Join us this week and throughout the year as we turn these values into daily practice within our DePaul community. In doing so, we honor St. Vincent through our actions, sustaining community, expanding opportunity, and working for the common good.
Sincerely,
Robert L. Manuel
President
Mark Laboe
Interim Vice President, Mission and Ministry
St. Vincent de Paul Heritage Week 2025
More details and registration information are available here.
Mass to Honor St. Vincent de Paul in Lincoln Park & Refreshments
Tuesday, Sept. 23 | Lincoln Park Campus
Mass | 12 p.m. | St. Louise de Marillac Chapel
Refreshments | 12:45 p.m. | CCM (Student Center Suite 104)
Loop Mini Vinny Fest
Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2 - 4 p.m. | Loop DePaul Center Concourse
Mass to Honor St. Vincent de Paul in the Loop
Wednesday, Sept. 24, 12 p.m. | Miraculous Medal Chapel
First floor of the Lewis Center
St. Vincent de Paul Heritage Week Luncheon
Thursday, Sept. 25, 12 - 1:30 p.m. | Loop DePaul Center Room 8005
Faculty and Staff only
St. Vincent de Paul Prayer Breakfast
Friday, Sept. 26, 8:45 - 10 a.m. | Student Center 120 A & B
Vinny Fest
Friday, Sept. 26, 2 – 4 p.m. | Lincoln Park Quad & St. Vincent’s Circle