August 7, 2025
Thank you for opening Vincentian Voices today. This is the newsletter of the Vincentians of the Eastern Province. From the reception of seminarians, to a Today Show appearance, to our prolific Vincentian contributors, this past week has been a powerful reminder of how faith, service, and community continue to thrive in every aspect of our mission. Let’s dive in.
A
message
from
Father
Steve
Grozio,
CM
Dear friends,
On Wednesday, July 30, 2025, five seminarians arrived at DeAndreis House to begin a three-day retreat in preparation for their reception into our Internal Seminary. Three of them, Carlos Baten, Saul Bonifacio, and Oscar Sontay are from the Eastern Province. The other two are from Europe. Tomas Felix is a seminarian for the Province of Portugal, and Benjamin Sivec for the Province of Slovenia.
On Saturday, all the confreres and most of the seminarians from our formation houses in the United States, as well as a confrere from Emmitsburg, and many from Germantown, came for the celebration. The Eucharist was celebrated in the Community Chapel of St. Vincent’s Seminary. I was the principal celebrant of the Mass, and Fr. Michael Nguyen, CM, and Fr. Pedro Guimarães, CM, the Visitor of the Province of Portugal, were the principal concelebrants. Fr. Nguyen was the homilist and did a great job of outlining the goals and the program of our Internal Seminary. A ceremony followed to mark the reception of the candidates, after which we prayed the General Intercessions in English, Spanish, Slovenian, and Portuguese.
After Mass, most of the guests walked to the dining room for a delicious luncheon. Later that afternoon, Fr. Pedro and I were invited to DeAndreis House. The seminarians are already blending in well together, and their spirit is great. Fr. Pedro and I came away confident that they will have a good year.
Please continue to pray for all our seminarians in formation, and for Deacon Paul Pham, CM, who will be ordained to the priesthood on Tuesday, August 20, in Vietnam. It is hoped that Paul will be able to obtain a visa and return to minister in our province.
View a video of the celebration:
See pictures of this joyous occasion:
Niagara University to honor the Vincentian community
In recognition of the 400th Anniversary of the Congregation of the Mission, Niagara University will present the Ozanam Medal [given to those who exemplify the mission and charity of St. Vincent de Paul] to the Province at the University’s President’s Dinner on Wednesday, November 5, 2025. All are invited to attend, especially those who studied at Niagara.
A post of the Nuntia Express
[The Nuntia provides updates on Vincentians from around the globe.]
Click here to read a recent post from the Nuntia Express, which has an article about St. Justin de Jacobis.
May God bless you in the week ahead, and may Our Lady wrap you in her love and grace, drawing you closer to her Son.
Yours in St. Vincent,
Fr. Steve Grozio, CM
Provincial, Congregation of the Mission, Eastern Province
From our Vincentian universities
Support the work of the Vincentians!
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Your gift will support the Central Association of the Miraculous Medal and the great work of the Vincentian priests, brothers, and seminarians who serve across the eastern United States and Panama. Your support ensures the Vincentians continue their mission to help those in most need.
Thank you for your time and consideration. We are extremely grateful for your support.
Vinsights
Vincentian Insights from the Province
Fr. John Freund, CM
“Many have said that the present role of the laity in our church is the most enduring gift of Vatican II. As this lay association of women, and other lay movements (like the Society of St. Vincent de Paul) in succeeding centuries, spread to virtually every country in the world, their members continued to be defined with negatives even to the present day: ‘not vowed, non-ordained.'”
Fr. Pat Griffin, CM
“I do not mean to seem playful with this central Gospel story of Jesus. I just think that when we allow ourselves to reflect on it from different perspectives, we can find more food for thought. We might see more deeply the way in which the two great commandments of the context enter the interpretation of the parable. We could bring other questions to this story. They can broaden its lessons.”
Trivia time!
1. The company seeking to sell its Panama Canal ports at Balboa and Cristobal is based in which country?
2. Which railroad company does Union Pacific want to buy in order to create the United States’ first transcontinental railroad business?
3. Where was St. Justin de Jacobis born?
last week’s results
1. The company seeking to sell its Panama Canal ports at Balboa and Cristobal is based in which country?
11 guesses
9 correct answers
2. Which railroad company does Union Pacific want to buy in order to create the United States’ first transcontinental railroad business?
5 guesses
2 correct answers
3. Where was St. Justin de Jacobis born?
10 guesses
1 correct answer
Prayer requests
Please pray for the repose of the souls of:
All the Vincentian Priests and Brothers who have gone before us
Please remember in your prayers:
Our sick brothers and priests
Our confreres in St. Catherine’s Infirmary
All those affected by war
All those affected by natural disasters
All victims of violence and their families
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