DePaul’s Vincentian Legacy: Beyond the Tangible
DePaul University, named after St. Vincent de Paul carries on the mission of Vincent from over 400 years ago. Vincent de Paul was the founder of the Congregation of the Mission and dedicated his life to serving the poor and most marginalized in society. He did this through forging meaningful connections with the poorest of the poor and the richest of the rich all the same, he worked with his team (shout out to the incredible St. Louise de Marillac) in order to not only ensure the needs of the poor were met, but that there were systems in creation that will better the lives of future generations. And while the work that Vincent did in 1600s France may not seem like it has much of an impact on DePaul University in 2019 Chicago, but it truly does.
You may have heard the phrase “The Name Above the Door” or maybe you have even seen the video. Perhaps you have grown tired of hearing the coveted Vincentian question, “What Must Be Done”? But these are attempts to provide the knowledge for the DePaul community to begin to understand the larger legacy that they are a part of.
DePaul’s campus as a public space breathes the Vincentian mission. Students, faculty and staff alike are bound to set foot in our John T. Richardson Library. But did you know that that name above the door is Vincentian? John T. Richardson is a Vincentian priest who served as the president of the University from 1981–1993. The DePaul University that you likely know and experience is largely in part to his accomplishments (acquiring what is now the DePaul Center, the Merle Reskin Theatre, breaking ground on the library). Fr. Richardson spent 64 years at DePaul and just this past summer relocated to a retirement home in Missouri. I had the pleasure of sharing a meal with him and the passion he had for the student body was palpable. He wanted nothing more than to hear about my experiences as a student and genuinely cared about how I was doing. That Vincentian personalism is something that I am reminded of every time I see his name as I embark on my latest draft in the library. This physical space is the embodiment of core elements that Vincent lived out: the importance of an education and community. So even if students do not realize that their many hours spent in JTR are living out the Vincentian legacy, they still are.
If you exit JTR on the west side, towards the quad, you are likely to encounter a statue of a woman and a young child. This woman is none other than Vincent de Paul’s right-hand partner: Louise de Marillac. Louise was the co-foundress of the Daughters of Charity alongside Vincent and this order was the first non-cloistered order of nuns EVER. She saw the immense value of going out and serving the poor and she made it happen. She was a woman of tenacity and has overcome tremendous hardships in her life. This statue of Louise may not get much attention and students might only know it as the statue in front of a book drop location, but this statue creates a memorial to her. Louise was a highly educated city girl; a mother; a wife; and a widow — not at all your typical nun. And her life and legacy are there to show us that not all paths are linear and not everything will go according to plan, but you will end up where you are supposed to. So even if most students don’t know who the statue is, each time they so much as glance at it, they are a part of this Vincentian legacy.
If you exit JTR through the middle doors on the south side, towards the Schmitt Academic Center, you will enter what is known as St. Vincent’s Circle. Here you will find a statue of St. Vincent de Paul and two students. Both students are modern-day students, speaking to the everlasting legacy and wisdom Vincent has, and each student was very deliberately depicted by the sculptor. The two students are a woman and a person of color, and these choices were made to showcase the Vincentian’s Catholic roots of being “in respect of the whole” or “universal” to all and Vincent’s passion for serving those on the margins. Almost every first-year student who attends orientation will hear this story about the statue and it likely goes in one ear and right out the next, but this statue will continuously provide students with a physical reminder of the bigger story they are a part of. So even if most students gather here to catch up with a friend, or read a book on a sunny day, they are living out the Vincentian legacy.
Each member of the DePaul community is playing their own unique part in this greater Vincentian legacy even if they don’t have those exact words to describe it. Whether it is the physical Vincentian reminders throughout campus — JTR or statues of Vinny and Louise or Fr. Egan or the mural on McCabe — or the service they partake in; or the skills they acquire to change the world around them; or the passion they have for meaningful conversations; the Vincentian mission has a way of seeping into the DePaul experience regardless of if it is seen or recognized or honored by the individual. The university’s public spaces, installations, ambiance, and core values create spaces to continue to live out the legacy of our Vincentian family members.
The DePaul community is a community of budding Vincentians who have a responsibility to uphold this legacy.
