St. Vincent Pallotti & His Dialogue with the Signs of the Time

(Article by Bro. Jeevan Liston D’Souza SAC)

Introduction

“Remember that Christian Life is one of action and not speech and daydreams. Let there be more action and few words and may it all be done well.”-St. Vincent Pallotti

Everybody might be acquainted with the life, phenomena, miracles, and sanctified life of St. Vincent Pallotti. He lived a remarkable life. Being a noteworthy person, he worked for the people according to signs of the time. He had spent momentous time understanding the Church that the Church was nothing but people of God much before the Vatican Council II. Those were the times, when the status quo of Rome tossed away the laity, wrecked, fragmented, and traumatized the life of the Church. It was at this time that Pallotti used all his understanding according to the signs of the time in his apostolate. Today his life is captivating to read the signs of the time. Why is it so?

A Glimpse of the Historical Background

Pallotti, the Roman priest, could have perhaps spoken about the clerical position, dogmatic statements, heresies, jobs, etc. But he scarcely spoke about Pope, clerical position, and religious matters. Instead, he spoke about the involvement of the laity in the Church and their position. Doesn't that sound eccentric to us? It was indeed outlandish at that time. (1)

Dialogue and Challenges of the Time

Why was it strange and challenging? It was because of the ‘French Revolution’. This revolution initially began as a revolt against the state and slowly crept into the Church. Their watchword was equity, liberty, and fraternity. People were exhausted with the administration of the Church and desired to get rid of it. They went away from the Church and began to work for the anti-clericalism movement. This was the situation and the dialogue with the signs of the time demanded the involvement of the laity, clergy, and religious working together for the growth of the Church.

How can this be possible? Pallotti, the man of vision converted this situation into something prolific on January 9, 1835, when he founded UAC. This was indeed the works of charity. Yes, today we trace back to the dialogue with the signs of time in Pallotti's period and we can see four works of charity promoted by him and they were: Epiphany octave - 1835, UAC - 1835, Pia Casa di Carita - 1838, the mission in London - 1843. Besides this, according to the signs of the time, he brought about night schools for poor tradesmen, a retreat for the poor youth, care for prisoners, tutor at Sapienza University, revitalization of guilds, spiritual director to many Roman seminaries, etc. (2)

Modern Relevance of the Vision and Dialogue

Today, if we look at the vision of St. Vincent Pallotti and apply it to our dialogue with the signs of the time we can see many people, in so many of the existential peripheries of our time, are tired and exhausted, and await the Church? They await us! Our love, care, and help. How can we reach them, especially during the time of a pandemic? 

As Pope Francis says, “It is not the task of the Pope to offer a detailed and complete analysis of contemporary reality but to invite all the Church to grasp the signs of the times that the Lord continually offers us. These signs must be reread in the light of the Gospel; this is the moment of growth of God’s Kingdom." (3)

Due to the covid-19 pandemic, how much poverty and solitude do we see in today’s world? It’s unfortunate! How many people live in circumstances of inordinate suffering and ask the Church to be a sign of the Lord’s goodness, solidarity, and mercy? This is a task, for all of us in particular, for those who have the responsibility of pastoral ministry. They are required to recognize and construe these signs of the times to offer an astute and generous response.

How is Pallotti’s Dialogue with the Signs of Time Applicable Today?

Today, Pallotti is best remembered for the universal apostolate. Unlike other saints, he did not reserve just for one particular ministry alone. Pallotti's assessment is embraced in every possible department of the activities of the Church as the need arises. It could be spiritual, pastoral, educational, social, cultural, humanitarian, and economic as per the needs of the Church. These ministries are bunched with the theme ‘apostolic’ as Pallotti always says, “Can you pray for the salvation of men? Then pray. Can you give a good example? Then do so. Can you exhort your neighbor to do good? Then exhort. Can you speak up for the benefit of others? Then do so. You are an apostle." (4)

 

Conclusion 

From the above-apportioned illustrations of the life of Pallotti, it is clear that he was tested by faith in his own time. Thus, he went on to say, “I should like to be food and drink, clothing and temporal goods for the poor and needy, that I might be able to remedy their misery at all times." (5) The thought-provoking fact in the memorandum about this great saint is about his significant contributions to the mission and vision of the Church as a response to the need of the time. Today, to edge in this scheme of thinking, it depends upon us to respond to the call according to time, especially during this time of the pandemic. Time makes a person. There is a lot to be done in missions, education ministry, youth ministry, small Christian communities, pastoral ministry, family apostolate, etc. To deal with these challenges one can look at St Vincent Pallotti. He is indeed a saint of the past to influence the modern generation living in a new epoch. Today, his life and apostolate are the vibrant model for us to dialogue with the signs of the time. 

1. Cf. Ludwig Munz, Our Apostolate Today, (Rome: Society Of The Catholic Apostolate, 1979), 10-11.
2. Cf. John Winson, Apostle in Action: St Vincent Pallotti, (Melbourne: Spectrum Publications, 1994), 14- 17.
3. Cf. Paul Thelakat, Pope Francis Challenge: Listening to the Cry of the Marginalized, In Pope Francis, His Impact and Relevance for The Church and Society, Edited By Kuruvilla Pandikattu, (Pune: Jnana Deepa Vidyapeeth and New Delhi: Christian World Imprints, 2018), 192.
4. Cf. Derry Murphy, ‘Realization of Charism - A Historical Perspective And Our Challenges Today, In Theological Foundation And Pastoral Implications Of Pallottine Charism, An International Symposium 24-28 June 2011, (Prabodhana: Pallottine Center For Theological And Religious Formation, Mysore), 27.
5. Flavian Bonifazi, Soul of a saint, (Baltimore: Alba house, 1962), 123.