St. Vincent Pallotti, An Inspiration and Model For Everyone

St.
Vincent Pallotti
An Inspiration and Model
For Everyone
Union of the Catholic Apostolate

INDIA - 2010
Nihil Obstat:
Rev. Fr. Augustine Varickakal SAC
President,
Conference of the Major Superiors of the Pallottines in India
January 6, 2010
©UAC-NCCI
2010
Published by:
Pallottine Animation Centre
Pallotti Nagar
Nagpur - 440 013
M.S., INDIA
Printed at:
Yuva Deepthi Press
Monvila, Kulathoor P.O.
Thiruvananthapuram
Kerala, India
Ph : 0471-2598073
For Private Circulation only

Dedicated to all those who are
committed to the vision and
mission of St. Vincent Pallotti
“The will of God is your sanctification.
God does not expect you to attain holiness by solitude
and rigour of a hermit. He wills that you sanctify
yourself in the world, in everyday life and even on
vacation or while travelling. Holiness consists in the
fulfilment of the will of God.”
St. Vincent Pallotti
Profile of St. Vincent Pallotti

Born April 21, 1795, Rome
Ordained May 16, 1818 for the Diocese of Rome
Founded UAC April 4, 1835
Approved July 11, 1835 by Pope Gregory XVI
Died January 22, 1850
Beatification January 22, 1950 by Pope Pius XII
Canonization January 20, 1963 by Pope John XXIII
Motto in life “Love of Christ urges us on... ”
Context of Life Rome - reeling under the aftermath of
“French Revolution”, Catholics
disinterested in expressing their faith in
God or in acts of love towards others.
Source of strength Long hours of prayer & contemplation,
profound repentance and voluntary
penance.
Introduction:
Introducing a Saint
Chapter One:
A Short Biography o f Pallotti
Chapter Two:
Apostolic Works o f Pallotti
Chapter Three:
Miraculous Works o f Pallotti
Chapter Four:
Various Foundations o f Pallotti
Conclusion:
The Popes Acknowledge the Inspiration
o f Pallotti
Sources and Acknowledgments

Appendix I
Letter o f St. Vincent Pallotti to His Spiritual
Children
Appendix II
Union o f the Catholic Apostolate in India
Introduction
INTRODUCING A SAINT
St. Vincent Pallotti was a Roman diocesan priest. His

contemporaries called him the Apostle of Rome. According
to Pope John XXIII, he was “A tireless apostle, director of
souls, inspirer of holy enthusiasm and magnificent in his
many undertakings.” The same Pope, on the day of Pallotti’s
canonization, on 20thof January 1963, declared: “St. Vincent
Pallotti is one of the main eminent figures of apostolic action
of the 19th century... He was an innovator of new ways
whereby people could come to know and love God.”
The life and work of St. Vincent Pallotti offer to all
an invitation, to know God and to respond in a mission of
love. Everyone who comes to know this saint can learn
something from him. The theologian will learn how to make
good use of his doctrine; the confessor how to exercise his
office to the true profit of souls; the preacher how to announce
efficaciously the divine Word; the director of seminaries how
to lead souls to perfection; a spiritual director of souls how
to devise means to keep them away from sins; the rich and
well to do how to spend a portion of his wealth in assisting
the truly poor, and in aiding charitable works; the politician,
the man in power, the man of business and influence, how
he can advance the interests of religion and the good of souls
7
without endangering his worldly pursuits; and everyone will

learn how to practise both the theological and moral virtues,
as well as to exercise the apostolate committed by God. The
life of St. Vincent Pallotti can be summed up in three words:
SAINT, APOSTLE AND FOUNDER.
As a SAINT he lived a life of intense intimate union
with God and reached the highest degree of holiness inviting
everyone to live a life of holiness.
As an APOSTLE he was deeply involved in the
salvation of souls so much so that he intended to work for
the good of the Church and the human race, “as if eternal
and universal Priesthood given by the heavenly Father to
our Lord Jesus Christ was entrusted to him”.
As a FOUNDER of the ‘Union of the Catholic
Apostolate’ for all people of good will; ‘Society of the
Catholic Apostolate’ for Priests and Brothers; and ‘Sisters
of the Catholic Apostolate’ for Sisters, he brought into the
mainstream of the Church the idea that unity, coordination
and participation of all, especially the laity, are essential
elements for the universal and effective apostolic work in
the Church.
Chapter One
A SHORT BIOGRAPHY OF PALLOTTI
St. Vincent Pallotti lived in an age of revolutions as

well as an age of religious revivals. Historians call this period
“the Age of Democratic Revolution” because of the desire
of the people to free themselves from the absolute powers
of some of the states. The revolutionary movements
originated during the French revolution of 1789 and caused
the Roman revolts and the revolutions of 1816, 1817 and
1820. The Proclamation of the Roman republic in 1849
aimed at the unification of Italy was a sign that the people
wanted independence. This independence was not only
freedom from the authority of the Pope-King but also
independence from the Pope, as head of the Catholic Church.
Therefore the activities of the revolution at times became an
excuse for anticlericalism. He was often targeted by the
revolutionaries because of his belief and fidelity to the
Church. The dynamic personality of Pallotti made him
generous and persistent in his resolutions, stubborn in his
pursuit of holiness and very ambitious in his apostolic
endeavours. “Vincent was of a very small stature and a little
stooped, of lively manners but without haste. Each of his
gestures seemed to say that he found life extremely short
and he did not desire to lose even an instant.” This was how
9
Paul de Gesslin a companion of Vincent summed up the

person of the saint.
His Family
Vincent was bom on April 21, 1795. He was the son
of Peter Paul Pallotti and Maria Magdalena de Rossi. His
father was a grocer businessman, and he rose to a middle
class status in the city of Rome. He was also a member of
several pious associations. Every morning Vincent’s father
participated in the Holy Mass and in the evening spent time
in silent adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. People
often saw him reciting the rosary while he was in his shop.
Peter Paul Pallotti was pious, charitable and kind, and was
an inspiration and a model for his children to follow a life
of holiness. Peter Paul Pallotti died at the age of eighty two,
on 15th September 1837. During the course of his life he
was privileged to be ministered by his priest son. Peter Paul
was convinced of the sanctity of his son and often would
exclaim “How could I be found deserving of having so
saintly a son?” Vincent too admired his parents. At the grave
of his father Vincent acknowledged that God gave him pious
parents. Remembering his father fondly Vincent wrote “In
my father, God has given me a marvellous example of all
the virtues”. Vincent was the third of ten children; he loved
his brothers and sisters, unfortunately six of them died as
youngsters only three brothers lived to an adult age, but they
remained unmarried. Of his three sisters, one died at the age
of two, the other two shortly after birth. Vincent spent all his
life in Rome, Italy.
10
Vincent’s mother was a sensitive woman endowed

with genuine piety and rich spiritual gifts, with which she
nurtured her family. She had a benign influence on her
husband and children. Never did the poor or needy knock at
her door without receiving assistance. She often visited the
sick accompanied by her children. Sacred Scripture was
her favourite reading because she knew it would increase
her love for her Divine Saviour who was a constant source
of encouragement and consolation to her. She considered it
a privilege to educate her children and when advised to accept
the services of a maid to help her in the task of bringing up
her children, she declined the offer saying “How can I? Are
they not my sons?”
Pictures and statues of the saviour and of the Virgin
Mother adorned the walls of the rooms and halls of the house.
It is said of Vincent that when he was three years old he
exclaimed before a picture of blessed virgin, “O my mother,
make me a good boy!” That became part of his morning
prayer for the rest of his life.
Vincent Pallotti had a tender love and affection for
his mother. It was his mother who imparted to him the quality
of soul which would eventually grow into an ever deepening
union with God together with a constant, self-effacing
surrender to the welfare of his neighbour. About his mother
he wrote that she prayed even before the birth of her children
that they might see the light of the world only for the glory
and praise of God. She took great care to see that her children
followed the teachings of Jesus Christ and lead a blameless
11
life. These were Vincent’s first years of schooling in the

practice of Christian virtues. Vincent Pallotti wrote about
his parents, “The Lord had given me holy parents. What
account can I render to God if I did not benefit from their
holy instructions?”
His Education
Vincent attended a nearby school because it was
convenient for his mother to reach him there. He received
his formal education, however, in the public school run by
the Piarist Fathers. They cultivated in him a warm loving
heart for Mary, the Mother of God, a love that had already
taken root under his mother’s care. She once told young
Vincent, “Ask her to stay with you always, Vincent. Then
someday when I am no more with you, you will have a
mother who will take care of you.”
At first Vincent experienced difficulties in study. His
teacher Fr. Ferri once said with regret: “Vincent is a little
saint. It is a pity, however, that he is slow in his studies.” His
mother was distressed by these difficulties, so she urged
Vincent to make a novena to the Holy Spirit. He made this
novena with great favour and confidence, and his prayers
were heard. Study was no longer a problem for him. He was
soon numbered among the best of the pupils and even won
first prizes. He sold some of the prizes and distributed the
money to the poor. The teachers praised Vincent’s constant
attentiveness in the classroom and his unw avering
application to his studies. As time went on Vincent’s home
12
became a gathering place for his classmates. He became their

teacher and helped them in their difficulties. On such
occasions he would use his influence over them to emphasize
religious matters. And he always had some measure of
success in putting those ideas across.
His Use of Time
Vincent as a boy valued time as a precious gift from
God to be used only with the greatest care. The saying, “time
is the price of eternity,” was dear to him. He applied the
standard of eternity to his life that seemed to him to be but -
a day. He would remind himself, “Vincent, sanctify yourself,
for tomorrow you will die.” Idleness, the enemy to progress
in knowledge and holiness, as well as a source of vice, was
detested by Vincent. No one ever saw him wasting his time;
he was never heard of talking carelessly, but diligently
employed even the smallest portion of his time in praying
or reading the New Testament which he always had with
him.
His Sacramental Life
Vincent received the Sacrament of Confirmation at
the age of six on 10th July 1801. At the age of ten he got
ready for the reception of the First Holy Communion. His
devotion to the Blessed Sacrament was so extraordinary that
he was given permission to receive Holy Communion
everyday. Recalling the unforgettable day of his first Holy
Communion, Pallotti wrote, “The first Holy Communion
was a great feast for my soul. It filled me with peace, joy
13
and consolation. Whenever I receive this heavenly Manna,

I will awaken in my heart the hidden joy emanating from
the Lord indwelling in me.” He never missed the catechism
classes held for the children. He always respected and obeyed
his instructors. He followed their teaching and example very
carefully. His only concern was to remain spotless and holy
before God. His parents were very pleased with him, and
with pride and satisfaction his father would say, “He has
never caused me any distress.” When he was twelve years
old, he was put under the spiritual direction of Fr. Bemadino
Fazzini, the parish priest. For 30 long years, until death Fr.
Fazzini was Vincent’s confessor. As an enlightened confessor
Fr. Fazzini had a decisive influence upon Vincent and his
future undertakings as the founder of a new organization.
His Prayer Life
It was Pallotti’s practice even as a student to visit his
Eucharistic Lord and, his “more than most beloved Mother
Mary” on his way to and from school. During those visits,
he would pray for the students at all universities, colleges,
and schools all over the world, that they might give infinitely
infinite honour to God. Prayer was his very life-breath from
his earliest days. He was reminded of the words of Holy
men of prayer like St. Philip Neri, who would say, “A
Christian without prayer is a man without reason” and St.
Vincent de Paul “A missionary without prayer is like a soldier
without a sword.”
14
His Love of the Poor

Vincent was very sympathetic to the poor and the
needy. One day he was sent to his aunt, Candida Fiorani at
Frascati, a town about a half a day’s walk from Rome. To
her surprise her nephew arrived without his shoes and
stockings. He had given them away to someone in need,
hoping that his aunt would replace them. On several
occasions he had even given away his own bed. His father,
who rejoiced in his son’s charity, had to buy a new bed each
time because he would not permit the boy to sleep on the
stone floor, though that would not have been new to Vincent.
His family knew his longing for penance and mortification.
Pallotti, a Young man
As a young man Vincent grew more and more
conscious of the infinite goodness of God and his own utter
littleness and unworthiness. From his writings we see that
Vincent knew and desired nothing except God alone. He
separated himself from everything created and surrendered
him self to God. His prayer was, “My God! Not my
understanding, but God; not my will, but God; not my body,
but God; not my taste and speech, but God; not my breath,
but God; not my feelings, but God; not the air, but God; not
food and drink, but God; not clothing, but God; not repose,
but God; not earthly things, but God; not riches, but God;
not honours, but God; not distinctions, but God; not
decorations, but God; not promotions, but God; God in all
things and forever.”
15
Young Vincent had but one goal in life: his childhood

dream of ascending the altar as a priest. When he told his
parents of his desire to become a priest they rejoiced
exceedingly at his choice. For sometime he deliberated
whether he should become a secular priest or join a religious
order. Finally his advisors convinced him that he would serve
God best as a diocesan priest.
Pallotti, a Priest
From the beginning of his studies to priesthood
Vincent proposed for himself as a rule of life what St. Paul
prescribed to Timothy, “take care of yourself and attend to
your teaching.” (1 Tim 4:16). In accordance with this advice
he gave greatest importance to the two most important
dimensions of priestly life: holiness and knowledge. At the
end of the regular course of studies Vincent was ordained
priest for the Diocese of Rome on May 16, 1818 at St. John
Lateran Basilica and celebrated his first Mass on the
following day in the Jesuit Church at Frascati.
Vincent obtained a doctorate in Philosophy and
Theology on July 15, 1818. For ten years, he was a full time
tutor of Theology at the University of Sapienza. Meanwhile
he also commenced his apostolic work especially among
young people. Because of the ever-increasing demands on
him by his apostolic undertakings, he relinquished his
academic career without any regrets.
For Pallotti, priestly life was a full-time task and a
humble service. He worked without pause and in particular
16
exercised his ministry in the confessional and in preaching.

During parish missions he touched many who had minimal
contact with the Church. Many who listened to him began
to live a more coherent Christian life, and it was not long
before that he came to be known as the “Apostle of Rome.”
Pallotti’s ceaseless priestly labours for souls and his
practical compassion for the poor, the unfortunate and the
oppressed won the admiration of many. “I would wish,” he
wrote, “to be food, drink, clothing and every earthly good
in order to assist them always. I would wish to be changed
into light for the blind, into speech for the dumb, into hearing
for the deaf and into health for the sick. When I think of the
dead or see them, I would wish to be life to permit them to
rise from the dead, so that they might be enabled to do all of
the good, which they really would perform if they were to
return to life.”
His Regard for Created Things
Vincent would never tolerate any kind of waste. Waste
of money, materials and time was indeed a horrible offence
for him. Paul De Geslin, one of his companions narrates an
interesting episode. Once, Paul received a letter from France.
He opened the letter, read it and was about to throw it into
the fire. Vincent stopped him abruptly and said: “Do not
throw it away.” Paul was surprised and he told him that it
was an unimportant letter. Vincent replied: “I know, but some
parts of that paper could still be used!” But Paul said, “Such
a small little piece has not much value.” Vincent pointed out
that one should not waste anything at all. He cautioned:
17
“Look how God behaves thriftily. Even a drop of water he

uses as a drink for a bird or to nourish a blade of grass. God
never permits any waste at all, although he is the richest of
all kings. Imitating our Heavenly father we must make use
of everything supplied to us by Him. Remember the word
of the Lord, ‘Gather up all the fragments lest they should be
wasted’.” Vincent asked Paul to leave the piece of paper in
the waste paper basket and to call the dealer who bought up
such things. Just then such a man came in and Vincent sold
him the waste paper for 10 cents. He then set out with Paul
to visit the sick at the hospital of Santo Spirito. On the way
to the hospital he brought a packet of biscuits with the money
he got from the sale of the paper. By that time rain had begun
to pour down and Paul in annoyance remarked, “What bad
weather!” Vincent gazed at him and asked: “What did you
say?” Paul repeated the sentence thinking that he spoke bad
Italian. Pallotti told him, “There is nothing wrong with the
Italian you spoke, but your thought is bad. Everything God
sends is good.” And Vincent began an exhortation on the
goodness of God. When they reached the hospital, an
attendant told Vincent that a patient was dying and that he
refused to receive the sacrament. He was blaspheming
continually. Vincent said: “Let us go first into the chapel
and pray.” After fervent prayers, they went to meet the
patient. The patient shouted with hatred at the priest. But
Vincent turned to him and began to talk with him. As the
sick person began to open his mouth to blaspheme again
Vincent put one of the biscuits into his mouth. The man
18
struggling to swallow it, kept silence and then Vincent gave

him instruction. As soon as he swallowed it Vincent put a
second one in the man’s mouth and knelt there and prayed
and asked him to think of his sins and repent. He blessed
him with his Madonna and pressed the crucifix to his lips.
Suddenly the patient became quite and tears rolled down
his cheek. The man made a good confession and died in
peace while Vincent was imparting to him the last blessing.
Vincent exclaimed with joy: “thus a soul is saved.” On the
way back he told Paul, “Do you see now, my friend, how
useful those bits of paper were?”
The generosity of this man of God was something

beyond description. All those in his company were at times
annoyed at the way he handled money and material things.
Vincent used to go out with money in his pocket, but when
he returned nothing remained. It went into the hands of those
in need. His confreres thanked God if he returned with his
overcoat on. Quite often he gave it away to some needy
person saying that the poor man was more in need of it than
he.
His Love for Priests
To Pallotti, every priest, even the unworthy one, was
God’s ambassador to mankind. Through their anointed hands
divine mysteries were dispensed, which were of tremendous
significance to heaven and earth. The great reverence with
which Pallotti treated all priests might have appeared very
exaggerated to some, but it was based upon solid reason,
19
and was the expression of his innermost conviction and

fundamental attitude.
Despite his astounding activity, he always maintained
a freshness and vigour in his pursuit of study, especially of
Holy Scripture, the Fathers of the Church, and the Councils.
He always insisted that it was necessary for priests to
constantly improve themselves by study. The exercise of
the sacred ministry placed him as a mediator between God
and human beings, for him, his was a ministry of the
Redeemer, and he felt a personal responsibility for every
soul with whom he had come in contact.
His Last Days
Pallotti felt thoroughly exhausted and worn out by
continuous work by the year 1850. January of that year was
exceptionally cold and the poor of the city had much to suffer.
Vincent tried everything he could to bring assistance to them.
One day when he was hearing confessions, he saw one of
the penitents shivering with cold because he had no overcoat.
After the confession Vincent approached the man and offered
him his own coat. Then he returned to the confessional which
was icy cold. Now Vincent himself began to shiver. The last
penitent saw Vincent’s condition and suggested that he
should go home immediately in order to get warm - saying
that he would return for confession some other day. But
Vincent refused saying, “tomorrow, there will not be time.”
20
The next morning Vincent had caught a very bad cold.

He never recovered from it. Yet he went to celebrate Mass
in the Mater Admirabilis chapel of the Trinita Dei Monti
Church at the top of the Spanish Steps. After the Holy Mass
Vincent told Mother Macrina in a low voice that she was
seeing him that day for the last time. He added, “My last
journey is near and nobody can obstruct my way.” According
to his custom he paid a visit to Sant’Agata and met the
children and the Sisters and blessed them. Then he called on
James Salvati, a Roman merchant and one of his close
collaborators, at his house. They urged him to dine with them
and Vincent agreed. The meal was served and Pallotti said
the grace. While eating Vincent grew suddenly pale. He tried
to rise from the chair but could not, “I think I have a fever,
the Lord does not want me to eat”, he said. All the members
of the family became anxious about his illness and Salvati
sent for a conveyance and took him to San Salvatore and
put him to bed at the priest’s residence. The doctor examined
him and said that he was suffering from pleurisy and that he
should stay in bed. While talking to his own priests he clearly
pointed out that he would leave the world very soon. But
concerning the Society of the Catholic Apostolate he added:
“This work is from God. My sins and my negligences have
been obstacles in its way, but after my departure it will
prosper.”
Elizabeth Sanna, a holy woman heard of the illness
of her confessor, Fr. Vincent and came hurriedly to San
Salvatore. At the gate Fr. Francesco Vaccari, the superior of
21
the house received her. He went up to Pallotti and spoke of

the grief of Elizabeth to him. Pallotti told Fr. Vaccari, “Tell
Elizabeth that I hope to leave the bed soon. She must submit
to the will of God. . The message was brought with great
joy thinking that Vincent would be cured without delay. But
Elizabeth was very sad to hear the news for she knew very
well the meaning of the message; which meant that Father
Vincent would leave the bed for burial.
Vincent Pallotti knew that his end was at hand. His
companions, the priests, the brothers and the laity who knew
him were anxious and prayed for him offering Holy Mass
for his recovery. Hundreds of poor people who received
help from Pallotti came to San Salvatore to be close to their
holy benefactor. Vincent seemed to improve but he knew
that his end was near. He received the Sacrament of the Sick.
When the prayers were over Vincent struggled to sit up. He
held a crucifix in his hand, and implored the blessing of
God on all. He then exhorted them to love one another and
to imitate Christ in humility, obedience and sacrifice. He
then kissed the crucifix murmuring: “Our Lord Jesus Christ
be praised,” and he fell back on the bed. From then on Pallotti
was very busy conversing with the Saviour on the cross and
with the Blessed Mother. At 8.45 p.m. of January 22, 1850
Vincent breathed his last quietly and peacefully while a priest
was bestowing on him the blessing at the moment of death.
22
Chapter Two
APOSTOLIC WORKS OF PALLOTTI
From the time of his ordination to priesthood Vincent

Pallotti started to work as a zealous priest. He became
spiritual director of many convents of Sisters, and confessor
of many seminaries, including the Roman Seminary and the
Propagation of Faith Seminary. He served as chaplain of the
biggest hospital of Rome namely, the Holy Spirit hospital.
He also served as chaplain to soldiers, retreat master for the
poor and rich, and finally Pastor of the Holy Spirit Church
on the Via Giulia.
His Work with Young People
Right from the first years of priesthood, he took
special care of the youth. Whenever Vincent went through
the city of Rome, his trained eyes saw appalling needs. In
the evenings, as he travelled to and fro in Rome on his
apostolic tasks, he met groups of young men and boys
coming from the factories and workshops. These young
people were lacking education because the school hours
coincided with the hours of work. His concern for them
resulted in the establishment of night schools. He founded
several night schools in Rome engaging teachers through
the Union of the Catholic Apostolate. No sooner were these
23
and other schools opened than the lecture halls were filled
with pupils. In 1842 the authorities took a lively interest in
his educational work and nominated him “extraordinary
promoter of the night schools”.
His Pastoral Involvements
During St. Vincent’s life time there were 54 parishes
in Rome. He was never directly involved in Parish pastoral
works. His activity, as Rector of the Church of Spirito Santo
dei Napoletani and, later at San Salvatore in Onda, included
the entire city. In the General Archives of the society are
found 32 letters of Roman parish priests appreciating and
approving the works of the Union of Catholic Apostolate.
He preached with great success, because his sermons
moved the hard-hearted to repentance. His preaching was
marked by familiarity with sacred Scripture, the Fathers of
the Church, and the force of his convictions. All who heard
him would feel that his words came from his soul and that
they were an intimate part of his personality. According to
witnesses who were present at his preaching, the word of
God as he preached was the very ‘bread’ of his own soul,
broken and offered to those who listened.
His Apostolate of Promoting Lay Involvement
Vincent Pallotti was convinced that the saving mission
of the Church belonged to all the faithful. So he worked for
the full emancipation of the laity. He knew that lay persons
had tasks, which could not be accomplished by priests and
the structured hierarchy. He was convinced that the
24
evangelisation of the world would succeed only when priests

and lay people worked together. Such thinking was
revolutionary and disturbed many. However, Pallotti’s dream
was ambitious. He wanted to bring the whole world to God
by inspiring all Christians to carry out their universal
apostolate. Vincent devised concrete strategies for helping
people to be more mission-conscious. He also dreamt that
people should group together to motivate and animate all
for the cause of Jesus Christ.
His Social Commitments
Pallotti was accessible at all the hours of day and
night. People felt confident to approach him as they would
to a tender and loving father. He spoke more by example
than by words, living in all its details what he wished to
teach others. He was courageous defying all dangers and
risking his very life to be at the service of his fellow human
beings.
One day, in a hotel near the church of St. Crisogono,
some of the soldiers of the garrison after drinking too much
had insulted some women. The hot-blooded Romans were
indignant towards these soldiers and they killed two of them
and the rest were humiliated. This news spread throughout
that locality resulting in a ruthless hunt for soldiers. The
soldiers stayed all night in their barracks, as it was almost
impossible for anyone to control the situation. The authorities
felt helpless and Vincent was entrusted with the task of
making peace. Accompanied by a high level bureaucrat
25
Vincent faced the violent mob. At first it seemed that the

people’s outrage would be mitigated, but some hot-headed
among them ran forward to confront the two peace makers
throwing rocks at them. Meanwhile someone recognized
Vincent and shouted, “It is Father Vincent! It is Father
Vincent!” and the mob became calm. Vincent was tired and
bent forward. He spoke to the crowd, clutching a crucifix in
his hand and it seemed as if it was he who was the sinner
begging pardon and weeping for what happened. Peace was
then restored, and the violent mob dispersed quietly.
His Involvement in the Education Apostolate
St. Vincent Pallotti realized the need to form children
and young people and was actively involved in their
education. He fought against the neglect of children and
opened homes for the unskilled and homeless children, to
help them socially and spiritually. Every person, young or
old, was important to him. He showed solidarity to everyone
he met. With happy people he shared in their joy; with the
grief-stricken he shared in their sadness.
The educational activities of St. Vincent Pallotti
flowed from the basic theological concept that man is created
in the “image and likeness of God.” Pallotti was highly
sensitive to what was happening in the society especially to
the young people of his time. He saw that this image of man
as created in the likeness of God was being destroyed by the
anti-social and anti-religious elements. Often the young were
victims of these forces.
26
To remedy this situation Pallotti got engaged in

various educational activities such as: night schools,
elementary schools, professional schools, agriculture
schools, art schools, industrial schools, etc. In this way he
tried to counteract the socio-religious forces that affected
the life of young people and thereby sought to restore in
them the “image and likeness of God.” The first house for
the night school was established in Borgo Sant 'Agata. The
next one was opened on 12 December 1839 on the hill of
Saint Onofrio. A third “Pia Casa” later was opened in
Velletri.
On his many journeys he also encountered the fringe

groups of the Society. He accepted all of them especially
the children who were in danger. St. Vincent established an
orphanage for children, something unheard off. He loved
the children and gave them hope some thing they never
received before. Thus, the love of Christ urged him to become
everything for everyone.
Apostolate to the Military

Vincent and his team took on the pastoral care of the
sick soldiers in the military hospital. He arranged prayer
programmes within the timetable of the hospital and retreats
were made compulsory for the soldiers in the barracks. Some
of them left the hospital renewed spiritually and physically.
Apostolate to the Prisoners
27
Vincent visited all four prisons in Rome along with

his lay companions. Together with them he worked with the
officials to grant remission of punishment to the prisoners.
He mediated with their families and also prayed with the
prisoners. He was especially skilful in ministering to
condemned men in their last moments with the intercessory
support of his collaborators. Dealing with prisoners in
collaboration with lay people was an art form peculiar to
Pallotti. He took care of the juvenile offenders for whom he
held regular courses of spiritual exercises, convinced that
this was the best means to re-habilitate them into the
community.
Apostolate of the Media
Vincent understood the power of the written word.
He arranged to have prayers printed on little leaflets and
brought out many devotional booklets in various languages.
He also encouraged the painting of holy pictures. In this
way he popularised the notion of the apostolate of the Press.
The publishing and printing activity had an important place
in the wide range of activities undertaken by Pallotti and his
collaborators.
Spiritual Direction
Pallotti was spiritual director of the Roman Seminary,
the Greek College, the Irish College, the English College
and the Propaganda Fide College, where future missionaries
were formed. Thus a good portion of the Roman clergy had
experienced the wisdom of his spiritual direction. Pallotti
28
was confessor and spiritual accompanier to many people of

different social prominence. Two popes, Gregory XVI and
Pius IX had their confessions heard by him. He was also
spiritual director to many cardinals, priests, seminarians and
laity. As part of the spiritual direction he used to write short
letters. One such letter contained these inspiring words:
“Search for God you will find him. Search for him in all
things and you will find Him in everything; search for Him
always and you will find him always.”
Work for the Missions
St. Vincent Pallotti never left Italian territory. This
did not prevent him from seeing the needs of the world and
of the whole church. In 1833, Vincent was made the deputy
director of the students of the Propaganda College, where
future missionaries and students from mission countries were
formed. Thus he had contact with many people from those
countries. St. Vincent Pallotti had great concern for the
proclamation of the gospel throughout the world and this
was an important driving force of the Union of the Catholic
Apostolate. His help for the missions was expressed in the
form of support for the construction of churches, sending
publications and liturgical items.
The Solemn Celebration of Epiphany
In the year 1836 Pallotti revived the solemn
celebration of the great Roman octave of the Epiphany of
our Lord. He employed a variety of rites and languages in
the liturgical celebrations and all ranks of hierarchy
29
participated in it. He invited even foreign preachers to the

celebration. It seemed as if Pentecost was renewed, for every
day a new tongue was heard proclaiming the word of God.
By his personal presence at the Octave in 1847 and 1848
Pope Pius IX acknowledged its great significance. The Pope
fondly told him, “I am happy Vincent, about such good that
you do for souls”. The Solemn celebration of the octave of
the Epiphany had a wide liturgical significance, which was
not generally understood at that time and so Vincent
persuaded Prince Allessandro Torlonia to construct life size
crib for the Epiphany Octave. Later these statues were
presented to the Holy Father by the Society. Every year they
appear in the majestic crib put up in the Square of St. Peter’s
during Christmas.
30
Chapter Three
MIRACULOUS WORKS OF PALLOTTI

Vincent received from God many gifts and charisms
such as miraculous powers, reading of souls, healing the
sick, converting hardened sinners, expelling devils, removing
temptations, restoring peace of mind and predicting future
events. He was above all a mystic endowed with many
supernatural experiences such as levitation, ecstasy, bi
location and other mystical phenomena.
Miracles
On February 16, 1839 at the asylum of Sant 'Agatha
there was no oil and there was no money to buy more. While
they were lamenting over their plight, the door opened and
Pallotti entered. The kitchen mistress greeted him bluntly
with a wailing exclamation, ‘We have no oil and no money. ’
He answered her with his usual expression of serenity, ‘have
confidence in God. ’ Then he blessed the oil vessel with the
sign of the cross and the kitchen mistress discovered that
now there was oil where formerly there was nothing. The
community numbering sixty was thus supplied for that day.
At another time the treasury was completely empty.
Pallotti advised the in-charge to look into the strongbox
again. It was only out of a desire to comply with the wish of
31
the man whom he revered that the in-charge obeyed. But

personally he was certain that the box would yield nothing.
To his astonishment, he found the desired sum.
Expelling Devils
Once a priest was exorcising a possessed woman. Just
at that moment Vincent entered the Church and knelt in
prayer behind a pillar. The demon began to roar and shout
violently and when asked the cause of his fury, he replied
through the lips of the woman. “I hate that man behind the
pillar; he is living the life of St. Francis of Assisi.” Vincent
came forward and commanded the devil to get out and it left
the woman.
Reading of Souls
One day while a group of boys were playing, Vincent
called one of them apart and asked him to pray. The child
obeyed and Vincent spoke to him so warmly about eternal
life that the young boy, instead of resuming the game, went
thoughtfully to his home. Later during the night the boy’s
relatives called on Vincent to say sudden sickness had come
upon the boy. Vincent heard his confession, administered
the Sacraments and stood by him, until he died in his arms.
Healing the Sick
One day Pallotti happened to visit the home of James
Salvati. At that time Salvati was out and his wife was glad
to know that the visitor was Vincent Pallotti about whom
she had heard so much. She asked him to visit her eldest
daughter who was seriously ill. Vincent without entering
32
her room said, “the girl will be soon alright,” and left the
house. To the surprise and joy of all, the girl recovered
immediately and the family doctor declared that it was a
miraculous cure. In gratitude the whole family remained loyal
friends and supporters of Pallotti and his society.
Predicting Future Events
In 1816 Count Mastai Ferretti asked Pius VII if he
could be admitted to the Nobles’ Guard. His request was
accepted, but young Mastai fell ill and could not be admitted.
Later he went to the Pope but the decision could not be
changed. On coming away from the audience he met Vincent
and told him of the bitterness of his disappointment. Vincent
listened to him and ended by saying, “don’t worry, you will
not be a guard, but you will be guarded by the guards
themselves.” Thirty years later on the 16thJune 1846, Count
Ferretti became Pope Pius IX and he remembered the words
of Fr. Vincent who became the adviser and confessor of that
Pope.
c
There was a man called Pio Bassi who was at the
point of death due to tuberculosis. He hated priests and
threatened to shoot anyone who dared to come to him. He
kept a pistol ready under the pillow. Pio’s pious parents were
sad at the pathetic condition of their son and begged Pallotti’s
help. But they warned him of the danger.
One evening Vincent, disguised as an old woman,
approached the patient as if to look after him at night in the
33
place of his tired mother. The sick man was irritated at the
presence of the ‘old woman’ and said, “I don’t need anyone
with me.” Vincent whispered to him that he would not disturb
him and instantly slipped the picture of the Mother of God
under his pillow. Vincent then began to send up to heaven
silent, ardent prayers for the conversion of the stubborn
sinner. In the middle of the night he went to the bed of the
sick man begging the help of Our Lady, took off his disguise
and stood gazing at the patient. The grace of God had touched
Pio’s soul and he was ready to hear Vincent’s words. Early
in the morning Pio’s parents saw the most consoling scene,
their son holding a crucifix and Vincent at his bed in his
priestly dress. The man received the sacraments with deep
repentance and died in the grace of God.
Discernment of Vocation
Vincent had the special gift of discerning the spirit of
young people and pronouncing the judgem ent about
vocation. Many young people came to consult him about
their call. Once a young man named Minelli came to seek
advice from Vincent regarding his proposed entry into a
particular religious Order Vincent told him straight that he
was not to join it as it was not suited for him. Minelli insisted
on joining it. Vincent told that he could try but he would not
stay on there. The young man joined the Order joyfully and
Vincent was apparently proved to be wrong. But after a few
months Minelli fell seriously ill and had to leave the place.
Sim ilarly another young man, despite receiving a
34
discouraging reply from Vincent, by his own choice entered

a monastery, but he fled from it during the night.
At times Vincent advised others to embrace the
religious life. If they did, they persevered. On one occasion
a man who had been leading a dissolute life got converted
and waited for direction from Vincent to lead a holier life.
Vincent, to the great surprise of the man, advised him to
join a severe monastic order. He expressed his diffidence
saying that he would not persevere in such a rigorous life.
But he entered the order and he found his greatest happiness
and contentment there.
Discerning of Spirits
A very strange thing was observed about Vincent by
his friends. Although he never gave up any chance of
assisting at the death beds, he seemed to disregard certain
urgent calls. Father Vaccari was once wonder struck when
he saw Vincent fully unconcerned when some messengers
came calling for him. Subsequently, he came to know that
such cases were fakes.
Once a messenger rushed in calling Vincent to assist
at the deathbed of an ailing man. But Vincent remained calm
at the urgent call. One of the brothers of the house felt curious
about it and went to verify the situation. When the brother
reached the upper room where the patient was supposed to
be lying three men armed with sticks fell upon him from the
comer thinking that it was Vincent. Then the brother realized
why Vincent was unmoved by such calls.
35
A similar thing happened at another time. There were

two young men who were upset and felt humiliated because
Vincent snatched away a girl from them for her own good.
And they decided to ridicule Vincent. One pretended to be
sick and the other with another companion rushed to Vincent
and said that he was urgently needed to help a dying man.
Vincent refused to go. When the youth insisted, he replied,
“your companion has no more need of me.” The two of them
went away discouraged and angry. When they arrived at the
door of the house where their friend was, they called out to
him that he could stop being sick because the priest was not
coming. Their comrade did not reply. They thought that he
wanted to continue the joke and rushed to his bed. To their
horror he was dead.
Manifestation of the Miraculous Faith
A miracle of a very different nature took place in Sant'
Agatha, the House of Charity. It was the beginning of 1848.
At that time the welfare Home of Sant 'Agatha was struck
with a strange epidemic. A kind of unusual influenza affected
the girls and many became bed-ridden, others were weakened
and exhausted. One day Vincent announced spiritual exercise
for all the inmates of the home. They were asked to be ready
on the following day. The Mother Superior, Benedetta, told
Vincent of the unfortunate situation in the house and
informed him that most of the girls were sick and that the
doctors regarded the case as serious. Vincent insisted that
the retreat would begin at the stipulated time and that the
Mother Superior should have faith. But one of the doctors
remarked that Vincent would be preaching to empty pews.
36
On the day of the retreat the Mother Superior found

that the condition of girls had not yet improved. But she
asked the sick girls to get up from their beds and go to the
chapel according to the instruction of Vincent. The moment
they got up all their sickness and their pains disappeared
and they were all restored to perfect health. This miraculous
event has been reported by the Mother Superior and Father
Melia was an eyewitness. The doctors who looked after the
sick girls were amazed at the event.
Bi-location
To help some souls, the Lord had given Vincent the
gift of bi-location, that is to say that he was seen at the same
time in two different places. A young man had gone to
Vincent to have his confession heard. Half way through the
confession he had the impression that the confessor was
absent altogether, as if he was in a deep sleep. Thus
interrupting he asked him if he was ill. After a brief spell,
Vincent replied, “No nothing, my son”. And the confession
resumed from the point of interruption. When he had gone
back home the young man learned that while he was at
confession, one of the persons living in the same building
had died and Vincent had been with him to assist at his last
moments.
Levitation
One morning in February 1843 Vincent was saying
Mass in the chapel of the Carmelite monks. During the
elevation of the host, Vincent was lifted up above the ground
37
and Father Vaccari who was watching him was struck with
wonder. When the time for the elevation of the chalice came
he was found to be in ecstasy with the arms extended and
his face bathed in light. During the Octave of 1850 a similar
thing happened. Elizabeth Sanna after her confession to
Vincent, was talking to him about the death of Father
Bernardo Clausi. Vincent made a reply and was suddenly
rapt in ecstasy and was raised more than two feet above the
ground and remained suspended in the air for a few minutes.
Elizabeth was struck with fear at the strange sight and did
not dare to speak to him again. Towards the end of his life
such phenomena became more frequent.
Miracles Attributed to St. Vincent Pallotti after His Death
The fame of sanctity and the miraculous works of
Vincent did not cease with his death, but it increased, and
still continues in Rome and in different parts of the world.
His relics were much sought after by all classes, even by
national leaders. His tomb is visited by a great number of
people whose faith in his intercession never diminished, as
is evidenced by the favours which the Lord, by his
intercession deigns to grant.
Francesco Boccabella, from VeUetri, was ill for a
month, and was at the point of death. Having received a
picture of Vincent, he had confidence in his intercession,
and in six days was perfectly cured. His son Mariano had
such a dislike for his father that he refused even to
acknowledge him as his father. But after the picture of
Vincent was placed in their house he felt his heart so changed,
38
that with tears in his eyes he ran to his father’s bed, humbly
asked his pardon, and was reconciled to him.
Another miraculous incident took place in the life of
a thirteen year old girl named Agnese Carravacci. She had
been suffering from epileptic attack for nearly two years,
with frightful convulsions. The doctors who treated her
declared her incurable. Her father, who had been several
times cured by Vincent when he was alive, had confidence
that even after death Vincent would cure his daughter,
therefore, going to the church at Salvatore in Onda, he asked
for one of the relics of Vincent and obtained a piece of the
shirt and one of his pictures. He hung the picture on the wall
and that night the girl fell asleep and contrary to the practice
slept through the whole night w ithout any epileptic
convulsions.
At the break of the day she had a vision. She thought
she was in the church of St. Peter with her mother, when a
priest, small in stature with a baldhead, dressed in a cassock
and gown (the girl had never seen Vincent), walked towards
the statue of St. Peter. Then the mother approaching him
and said, “this little daughter of mine is very ill; pray for her
that she may be healed.” Vincent seemed to take the girl in
his arms, raised her up a little that she might kiss the foot of
St. Peter and having himself done so, put her down saying
to her, “hope in God,’ and then vanished from their sight.
The girl on waking from sleep found herself cured and told
this vision to her parents. The family then went to the Church
of St. Peter to offer a thanksgiving Mass to the Lord for the
grace received through Vincent. The doctor, who treated her,
39
confirmed the cure and commented: “we are blind; saints

only can do this; we cannot.”
Another moving incident is reported by Father Don
Mariano of the order of Camaldoli. He had been suffering
from headache for many years so severely that it made him
vomit, and produced such weakness in his limbs that he was
obliged to use a stick. He was chosen the Procurator General
of his congregation in 1850 and he had recourse to Vincent
saying” “we have always been friends; it is now time for
you to show me if you have really wished me well, by
interceding with God for health to enable me to fulfil my
duty.” From that moment on he was better and thereafter
never experienced headache or vomiting and walked easily
without a stick.
The city of London witnessed too miraculous healings
through the intercession of Vincent. Ann White of London,
who was suffering from haemorrhage, was declared to be
dying by the four doctors who treated her. Then her husband,
Mr. White, went to call Father Don Raphael Melia, one of
the companions of Pallotti, to administer to her the last
sacraments. Melia gave him three threads from the shirt of
Vincent and advised him to give them to his dying wife in
three spoonfuls of water, praying three “Our Father” and
three “Hail Mary.” Mr. White obliged to his advice. He took
the relics and showed them to his dying wife and said, “this
is the last remedy which can save you, if you have faith
therein.” She then with a lively faith took the three threads
in three spoonfuls of water. She felt herself restored and her
strength returned and acclaimed in a loud voice, “I feel
myself a great deal better; yes indeed I am better.” Father
Melia on the following day \4§ited her and found her in full
cheerfulness and in perfect health. They thanked the Lord
together for the favour received through the intercession of
Chapter Four
VARIOUS FOUNDATIONS OF
PALLOTTI
From 1809 to 1829, Vincent had joined in twenty-

six apostolic groups each with its own distinct spirituality
and apostolate. His association with these apostolic groups
helped him understand a number of things: the possibility
of an association of diocesan, religious and lay persons to
work together on a voluntary basis while maintaining their
primary commitment; the lay potential for the apostolate of
the Church, etc.
A. Foundations by Pallotti
1. Union of Catholic Apostolate (UAC)

The Union of Catholic (U.A.C.), gift of the Holy
Spirit, is a communion of those faithful who, inspired by
the charism of St. Vincent Pallotti, promote the co
responsibility of all the baptised to revive faith and rekindle
charity in the Church and in the world, bringing all to unity
in Christ (GS 1).
UAC and Its Beginning
Pallotti was seventeen years a priest when on January
9th, 1835, during the Holy Eucharist, at Communion, he
felt called by God to found the Union of Catholic Apostolate
41
(UAC) which he did on April 4th 1835. The UAC is an asso

ciation of faithful following the charism of St. Vincent Pallotti
and promoting collaboration among the laity, clerics and
religious.
Like every association within the Catholic Church,
the Union of Catholic Apostolic has a specific aim, which
the founder received from God. And that aim is what it has
in common with the mission of Jesus Christ and of the
Church, that is, “to revive faith and re-enkindle charity of
the entire People of God and to spread the faith and charity
in the world, so that ‘soon there may be but one flock and
one Shepherd’ (John 10:16). In short, we can say that the
aim of the UAC is to increase the collaboration among the
members of the Church, that is, among the priests and
brothers, religious and laity to fulfil fully and more efficiently
the apostolic tasks.
The UAC was approved by Cardinal Vicar Carlo
Odescalchi on 9thApril, 1835 and by Pope Gregory XVI in
a rescript dated 11th July of the same year. The first meeting
of the Union was held in the parish church of Santa Maria
in Carinis in Rome. This group mirrored the future and larger
Union of Catholic Apostolate. Gennarino Sacchetti writes
in glowing terms, “There were only fifteen people; but the
group reflected such universality - different languages and
nations - oriental and western, united together with the bond
of Christ’s emulating charity: eight secular priests, one
religious priest and six lay people.”
42
Joining the U nion im posed no obligation in

conscience beyond the divine precept to love one’s neighbour
as oneself. The soul of the whole Union was love and that
love was to be like that of Jesus Christ - total and unselfish.
The title of his foundation, the Union of Catholic Apostolate
meant exactly what it said: the unity of all, in a universality
of means, of persons and of places.
Further light on the Aims of the UAC
The Union of Catholic Apostolate was born in
response to the actual needs of the Church and the world.
Looking back in 1839, Vincent wrote that the Union “was
in the Church as ‘a Gospel trumpet’ which called, invited
and rallied all to provide for the present and future needs of
the world in the matter of religion. The required motivation
for joining the Union was to be the same for lay people,
clergy and religious, “the greater glory of God and the
salvation of all”.
Vincent wished to bring the faith to people of other
lands and to revive the faith of those who had lost it. But it
was a universal problem, which could not be tackled alone
and unaided. He had in mind a large association consisting
of many members, clergy and religious, men and women,
full of zeal and love, working together for the revival of
faith and the spread of charity.
He saw clearly the faith and social needs of Rome
and the missions. He gathered into communion like minded
people to respond to these needs. To this end he brought
together people in whom the fire of God was burning. This
43
group met privately in Vincent’s home towards the end of

1834.
From the very beginning the Union was open to all
the faithful regardless of sex, state of life, rank and condition.
Its goal was the development, increase and preservation of
the Catholic faith. Pallotti wanted to reawaken and to deepen
in all Christians a consciousness of their apostolic vocation
and to bring all to cooperate in the salvific mission of the
church.
Vincent used every means to spread faith and love.
Already in May 1835, a public appeal was made, and in
January 1836, after the Epiphany Octave, a full-scale
operation was set in motion to win new recruits for the Union.
It was a “revival”, a rallying cry “to awaken on as large a
scale as possible among the Catholic population - among
priests, members of religious Orders and lay people - the
consciousness of their apostolic responsibility; to stimulate
each and every one to be apostolic in outlook and in deed in
the circle in which they moved.”
All were animated by the desire to hasten the arrival
of that time when there would be but one flock and one
Shepherd. Through the powerful intercession of Mary, Queen
of the Apostles, they firmly hoped to see their wish fulfilled.
Pallotti showed the depth of his affection for his followers
and the concern for his confreres could be seen in one of his
letters where he writes, “I see you in God; I treat you in
God; I greet you in God. I love you in God and in God I find
myself always united to you and to all your undertakings.”
44
The Spirituality of the UAC

For St. Vincent Pallotti, spiritual life is a life of
relational communion between God and humankind, a
fellowship that initiates and continues with God’s love and
grace, always demanding humankind’s cooperation. It is a
fellowship that occurs because God manifests Himself as a
God of love and mercy, so that a person’s relationship with
God is to become an encounter and a rapport between a son/
daughter and a concerned and compassionate Father. In this
divine-human encounter, Jesus Christ is the mediating and
redeeming factor. He is the Apostle of the Eternal Father,
sent to witness the love of the Father and to work His
apostolate of love and mercy. He freed humankind from sin
and re-established its friendship with the Father. The
important and essential elements of the spirituality of the
UAC are:
i. The Imitation of Christ
According to the inspiration Pallotti received, the
Christ of the scripture was to be the Model of all apostolic
activity. God sent His only begotten Son to preach the precept
of love by word and deed. Christ gave that same mission to
His apostles with the words, “As the Father has sent me, so
I send you” (Jn 20:21). Therefore the most perfect imitation
of Jesus Christ became the source and inspiration of
apostolate and mission. To his first companions who wanted
a written rule, Vincent would say: “We have the Gospel,
what more do we want?” Holiness meant becoming like
Jesus, the first-born Brother to whom everyone must be
conformed (Rom 8:27-30).This means that the strength of
45
the Pallottine apostolate is based on the validity of the

formula: the greater the imitation of Christ the greater the
glory of God and sanctification of souls and the smaller the
imitation of Christ the less the glory of God and the less the
sanctification of souls. The foundation of the Society and
the life of everyone in it was, “the imitation of the humble,
poor, laborious, charitable and despised life of Jesus Christ.
So whoever makes himself holy gives genuine glory to God
and becomes an instrument of grace for others.”
Romans 8:29, taken in the context o f G od’s
magnificent plan of salvation revealed and realised in Christ,
is seized by Pallotti to express what his response must be to
God’s plan as it affects his life. Jesus my first-born Brother
is the image of the Father to whom I must be conformed.
Thus salvation for Pallotti is hinged on his personal vocation
to image Christ.
In pursuing the imitation of Jesus, Pallotti gave his
followers a short cut, Mary, the Mediatrix of all Graces and
the Queen of the Apostles. Vincent wrote, “one who truly
loves Mary will not only be saved, but through her
intercession will also increase in holiness day by day until
he becomes a great saint.” He says, “True devotion to Mary
consists in imitating her Son and in learning from her how
to imitate Him.”
ii. The Life of Prayer
Vincent believed that effectiveness in apostolate
comes through prayer. Prayer was the way to be transformed
46
into Christ, the Apostle of the Father (Heb 3:1). Pallotti

describes the following conditions for prayer.
Firstly, the desert: the absence of all distraction. Night
time, walking to and from engagements, time spent in waiting
for people, these were the desert places that Vincent created
within a busy city apostolate. He sought silence, that inner
stillness where he met God. Internal recollection was the
means to make the presence of God an actual reality.
Secondly, the soil into which the seed falls is the heart,
the organ of prayer. It is the inner core of the person where
decisions, emotions and will reside. Vincent Pallotti’s
constant conviction that all are created in the image of a
God, who is love, evokes a heart in which this Love can be
reciprocated. He touched the God of infinite Love through
prayer.
The seed, thirdly, is the word of God, which in a heart
well disposed, takes root and grows. Vincent practiced and
encouraged others to reverently and constantly read the
Scriptures. Vincent’s faith was nurtured by the Scriptures,
both Old and New testaments, by the lives and teachings of
the saints and mystics and by the teaching of the Church.
He writes, “my Jesus... You have touched my poor heart
each time Your holy Gospel is read, or when someone reads
it in private, devoutly and with faith...”
Fourthly, the fruit of the Word that is sown in the
heart is that Christ lives in our hearts through faith (Eph
3:16). Vincent lived by faith in a personal God with whom
he constantly interacted. He believed silence, solitude and
47
prayer to be the fundamental conditions for growth into a

personal relationship with God.
iii. Call to Holiness
Our adoption as “sons in the Son” is the effect of the
inexhaustible and ever self-giving love of God, who first
loved us (1 John 4:19) with the sole purpose of eliciting in
us a lasting “fellowship in love.” Pallotti was convinced that
the virtue of love that is loving God and loving our neighbour,
was fundamental and vital for his institution. His spirituality
is not an adornment of the soul; it is to be dynamism of
relationships. Thus, the motto of the Union in the words of
St. Paul: “The charity of Christ urges us on” (2 Cor. 5:14).
Having stressed the obligation of a universal
apostolate, Pallotti proceeds to the very relevant question of
its practical application. He states that capacity and method
will vary with each individual, but God clearly signifies to
each one his duties through the personal conditions and
circumstances of his life. Accordingly, everyone is under
obligation to promote the spiritual welfare of others as well
as one’s own in the measure peculiar to one’s own particular
circumstances in life, and the means at one’s disposal.
Pallotti wanted his followers first of all to strive for
holiness. This, according to him, was an obligation to all.
He says, “We m ust increase daily in holiness and
perfection...because for this purpose we entered the
Congregation.” Pallotti wanted all to seek perfection. He
saw to it that their cooperation was “motivated by the most
48
loving and truly religious desire to propagate the glory of

God and the Name of Jesus everywhere and always, in order
to sanctify the whole human race with the most sublime
perfection.” The apostolate becomes a means for sanctifying
oneself, and this self-sanctification enhances the apostolate.
iv. The Cenacle, a Vital Need
The Cenacle was for Vincent a concrete sign and a
cause of communion, between Christ-minded people. It
represented for Vincent a community of discernment as Mary
and the disciples sought the Spirit’s leading in the mission
and m inistry that lay ahead. With her own personal
experience of the Spirit, Mary prepared that group of 120
for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
The Cenacle was a two-fold source of inspiration. It
was an inner motivation for apostolate, and it was an
organizational model for the Union of the Catholic
Apostolate. The Cenacle showed Vincent a Church at prayer,
awaiting the Spirit (Acts 1:14); and a live Church exploding
into action (Acts 2); and a community growing in response
to apostolic preaching, possessing all things in common and
distributing their goods to people in need (Acts 2:4-42). It
represented for him a Church come alive, enkindling faith
and active in love.
Pallotti was inspired to see Mary in the Cenacle
together with the Apostles while the Holy Spirit enkindled
in them the zeal of future labours and even of martyrdom. It
pleased him to imagine himself and his companions among
49
the twelve. The painter, Serafino Cesaretti, produced the

painting featuring the Virgin seated on a throne and
surrounded by the Apostles who received with her the
Consoling Spirit. This picture is venerated even today in
Rome, in the parish of Queen of Apostles, looked after by
the Pallottine Fathers.
v. Mary Queen of Apostles a Perfect Model
The little humble room of Pallotti at San Salvatore
has on its wall an imposing painting of the Mother of Divine
Love. Under her protection, Vincent began, carried on, and
fulfilled his mission in life. He consulted her, prayed to her,
loved her, walked with her, made her speak, spoke about
her, spread her devotion and proclaimed her glory, worked
wonders through her and led the people to render her honour
and veneration.
To Mary he consecrated all his work, which he placed
humbly under her protection; he chose a title that he added
to the Apostolic mission and declared his Union “under the
guardianship and protection of Holy Mary, Queen of
Apostles.”
The choice of the Mary Queen of Apostles as
Patroness of the Union was inspired by Mary’s example in
the apostolate of love and her valiant fervour in the sacrifices
associated with the mystery of the Redemption. Pallotti
speaks of her as a model for imitation, and states that though
she was neither priest nor apostle, she played so great a part
in the redemption and in the propagation of faith throughout
the world that the extent of her apostolic activity raises her
far above Christ’s chosen disciples. Her title ‘Queen of the
Apostles’ is not merely an honorary one. All persons, lay
and clerical, are to be animated with her spirit of charity for

Christ.
The Patroness of the Union is the Blessed Virgin
Mary, Queen of Apostles, eminent model of the spiritual
and of apostolic zeal. Vincent writes, “the Union of the
Catholic Apostolate labours under the protection of Mary,
Queen of Apostles, so that lay people, diocesan and religious
of any Order, state or condition, may have in Mary, after
Jesus Christ, the most perfect model of Catholic zeal and
perfect charity. For, she collaborated so earnestly in working
for God’s greater glory and the salvation of souls that she
surpassed the Apostles in merit.”
Mary is the Queen of Apostles for a number of
reasons. She is first of all, the Mother of Jesus, our Divine
Master, and therefore the channel of all goodness. She
exercised the apostolate at its highest. She knew well all
what the Saviour said and did. She remembered and
meditated everything in her heart. Hence she could instruct
the apostles as a teacher. She invoked the Holy Spirit upon
the apostles on Pentecost day and she encouraged them in
their faith and zeal.
vi. Family of Nazareth, an Example to Imitate
Vincent often visited the house of Nazareth in spirit
and encouraged others in this practice. He desired that the
holy family of Nazareth would shape each community of
the Union. He writes, “We ought to regard Jesus, Mary and
Joseph, who formed the little family of Nazareth as the model
of the whole family formed by our little Union as well as by
the individual communities.”
51
Nazareth was, for Vincent, a God-given design, a

school of holiness which one entered in order to be taught
by Joseph and Mary; where one learned from Jesus the
innocence of holy childhood, no matter what one’s previous
life had been; and where one practised virtue, especially
obedience, joy and a spirit of sacrifice, prerequisites for an
apostolic life. Growth in apostolic holiness was to be
developed in a family atmosphere, modelled on the spirit of
the holy family of Nazareth.
vii. Importance of Community Living
It is as a loving community, Vincent believed, that
members of the Union exercised apostolate. His intention is
well expressed in this text from the Second Vatican Council:
“as long as we remain in community with one another in
mutual love we are responding to the deepest vocation of
the Church. It is the love of those united in the Spirit for the
work of the Gospel which does the most to reveal God’s
presence to the world of today. In other words, our loving
communion, embodying the love between Father and Son,
is to be the visible expression and loving witness of the
mission or apostolate of Jesus. That is why Jesus said, “by
the love you have for one another all will know you as My
disciples” (Jn 13:35); “they shall reach perfection in unity
and the world shall know that you have sentme” (Jn 17:23).
Vincent was no friend of doing things merely by habit
and he did not tolerate what was done by force. He had a
special regard for generosity and liberty. He wanted all
religious acts to have the perfume of fresh flowers. “Of what
worth is an expression of love, which is crushed by the
52
m onotony o f routine or, even w orse, perform ed

begrudgingly? Isn’t false love rather like a smile on the face
of a corpse?” Therefore when he asked for the collaboration
of all the faithful in the Catholic Apostolate, he left it totally
free as to when one wanted it, how one wanted it and as
long as one wanted it.
2. Society of the Catholic Apostolate (SAC)
(Pallottine Fathers and Brothers)
The Society of the C atholic A postolic is an
international community of priests and brothers which is an
integral part of the Union of Catholic Apostolic. It has the
same apostolic aim and spirit as the UAC. The members of
the Society serve the Church in her apostolic mission to the
world.
The members bind themselves to the Society of the
Catholic Apostolate by the promises of chastity, poverty,
obedience, perseverance, the sharing of resources and the
spirit of service. The basic motto of the Society is “the love
of Christ urges us on” (2 Cor 5:14). Consecration unites the
Fathers and Brothers in fraternal community. In this way
they give witness to their union with Christ, in the hope that
this union will reach its fullness when the Lord comes at the
end of time.
The Society of the Catholic Apostolate awakens and
deepens in all the faithful an awareness of their apostolic
vocation, it encourages them to take an active part in the
apostolate and it helps them to be ready and willing to
53
cooperate with one another in carrying out apostolic

activities. To accomplish this, the SAC will use whatever
means are appropriate to promote, defend and nourish
Christian life.
Pallotti had a broad vision regarding brothers in the
Society. According to him the Brothers were not mere manual
labourers, but could also be engaged in apostolic activities.
They should be capable of imparting catechetical instructions
to the young people in parishes, hospitals, prisons and on
the occasions of parish missions. Pallotti felt that brothers
in the mission territories could do much for the propagation
of faith through their professional skill and various other
activities. From the point of view of the universal apostolate
the holy Founder thought that without the brothers in the
community as apostolic witnesses in various fields of activity,
the witness of the society would be incomplete.
The Society is a core community of the Union of
Catholic Apostolic. As such, it has a special responsibility
for the spirituality and the apostolic effectiveness of the
whole UAC.
In summary, the members follow Jesus Christ in the
SAC; by making his hidden and public life, even to death
on the cross, the fundamental rule of their lives; and by
hoping to find perfection with Him in the resurrection. The
members are guided by a spirit of generous love which
desires only to serve and does not seek its own interests (1
Cor 13).
3. Sisters of the Catholic Apostolate (CSAC)
54
A young woman called Benedetta Gabrielli came and

told Pallotti of her decision to dedicate her life to the cause
of the apostolate. She had witnessed in Pallotti something
very miraculous in the year 1837. While looking out through
her window she noticed Pallotti passing along the street in
pouring rain totally dry with his hat under his arm. The event
had stirred her soul and she decided to co-operate with
Pallotti in his marvellous apostolate. After due instructions
and a period of eight days retreat, she received from Pallotti
the habit of the third order of St. Francis accepting the name
Maria Bernadette of the precious Blood and she became the
first Mother Superior of the Congregation of the Pallottine
Sisters on March 30th 1843. Thus the Pia Casa, the orphanage
became the cradle of the Institute of the Pallottine Sisters.
On the 29th of June 1843 Sr. Bernadette received four
more companions. Gradually the number of candidates
increased and the Institute began to be consolidated. The
official institution of the ‘Congregation of the Sisters of the
Catholic Apostolate’ took place in the year 1843.
According to the wishes of the Founder, the Sisters
of the Catholic Apostolate around the world are engaged in
various apostolates. They conduct Orphanages, Schools,
Nurseries, Hospital and Clinics, and Catechetical Centres.
The Congregation takes advantage of all the opportune
means available to increase, defend and spread the Christian
faith. Urged on by love, they commit themselves as the
Founder did, to cooperate with all their strength to the
continuation of the mission of Jesus Christ, Apostle of the
55
Eternal Father, responding to the needs of our times with

complete availability for every work of charity and zeal.
4. Missionary Sisters of the Catholic
Apostolate (SAC)
(Pallottine Missionary Sisters)
The Pallottine Missionary Sisters had their beginnings
in the Cameroon mission of the Pallottine Fathers. Pallottine
Fathers from Germany were commissioned to evangelize
Western Cameroon, which was a German colony where only
German nationals were permitted to work. Soon the Fathers
realized that the mission could bear its expected fruit only
with the work and help of sisters. But there were no German
sisters among the Pallottine Missionary Sisters in Rome. At
the same time no one thought of opening a new mission
congregation in Germany, because of the political difficulties.
Meanwhile General Superior of the Pallottine Fathers got in
touch with Mother Raffaella Castellani of the Pallottine
Sisters and gave a suggestion that German girls for Cameroon
missions could have their studies in Rome and Fr. Wilhelm
Whitmee could be appointed as superior for them. Under
the leadership of Fr. Whitmee and Mother Raffaella
Castellani an International Mission Institute, under the
patronage of Queen of the Apostles was opened in June 1891.
On June 27,1894 the first three sisters from the International
College made their first profession.
Meanwhile the difficult situations in the college
accelerated the decision to open a community of sisters in
Germany. With the permission of the Berlin Government
and Bishop of Limburg a community of the Sisters was
56
opened. The aim of this community was to form and prepare

missionaries for the mission lands. On 19 March, 1895,
Fr. Wilhelm Whitmee wrote a letter to Mother Raffaella
Castellani, Superior General of the Pallottine Sisters asking
permission for the Sisters of the German decent who so
desired to leave Rome and continue their preparation in
Germany for the Cameroon mission to form a separate entity.
He received a positive response from Mother Raffaella,
which was confirmed by Card. Parrocchi, Vicar Bishop of
Rome, on 15 April 1895. Later, the Congregation for
Religious also allowed the Pallottine Sisters of German origin
open an independent entity to serve the missions under the
name, “Pallottine Missionary Sisters.”
On 25 April 1895, nine courageous pioneers safely
reached their final Consecration. From then on, Limburg
became the Mother house for the Pallottine Missionary
Sisters and the community grew steadily inspired by the
example of the missionaries. In 1905 First General Chapter
was held and Sr. Felizitas was elected as the first Mother
General. Today Pallottine Missionary sisters are spread over
18 countries and involved in different mission apostolates
relevant to the signs and times.
B. Later Foundation
1. Khristsevikas
The Foundation of the Khristsevikas of the Union of
the Catholic Apostolate, a Secular Institute for women draws
its inspiration from the charism of St. Vincent Pallotti. The
origin of the Institute dates back to the late 1950’s when
57
there was a great need felt for Sisters to work in the Raipur
mission of Madhya Pradesh state, India to compliment the
work of the priests.
Initially the idea came from Fr. Bryan Tieman, an
Australian Pallottine who, at that time, was working at St.
Joseph’s church Raipur. Msgr. Werner Hunold who arrived
in Raipur around this time also was enthusiastic about the
proposals of Fr. Tieman. Pooling their ideas together, and
with the help of Fr. Ansgar Faller, who was at that time
working in the Sacred Congregation for Religious and
Secular Institutes and Msgr. Jos Fernandez, Director of the
Pontifical Missions in India, they gradually gave shape to
the idea of a Secular Institute, with the vision and ideas of
St. Vincent Pallotti.
In 1960, the first members were sent to ‘Regina
Mundi Institute’ in Rome. Fr. Faller also secured for them a
house, 77 N ido' (The Nest) for their residence near the
Vatican Museum. Fr. John S. Gaynor was their Spiritual
Director during their time in Rome. In the meantime, Fr.
Faller had contacted the Hildegard Sisters of the Catholic
Apostolate, (which was founded by Fr. Adolf Panzer SAC,
in 1921, in Germany who were dedicated to Family
Apostolate) and the Theresien Sisters of the Catholic
Apostolate were contacted (founded by Fr. Josef Frank SAC
for the purpose of charity, care for the sick, education of
children, direction of children’s home etc. in Germany).
These two formed a federation at the request of Fr. Faller in
order to give shape to the new Indian group. These agreed
58
to see to the financial support and formation of the Indian

members.
Having completed a three year course on Sacred
Sciences in 1963, five of them began their spiritual year at
the Mother house of the Sisters of the Hildegard, at
Hildenbrandseck-Neustadt, Germany. On September 17,
1964 four of them took their First Promises and returned to
India soon after. On January 15, 1965 they arrived in Raipur
to start their mission under the guidance of Msgr. John
Weidner and Msgr. Francis Werner Hunold. They took the
name of Khristsevikas of the Society of the Catholic
Apostolate, for their Institute.
In their efforts to live their commitment in a secular
form and in keeping with the vision and inspiration of
St. Vincent Pallotti, they have tried and have been open to
diverse forms of Apostolate. To be an effective witness each
one had to develop her charism and abilities as best as she
could. Some of the areas in which members were and are
involved are: social work in rural areas and urban slums,
non-formal education of women and girls, running working
women’s hostel and engaged in women’s issues, care of
children from broken homes, agriculture and dairy farming,
teaching, nursing, secretarial and catechetical work, Christian
art, Leprosy rehabilitation, student counselor and Christian
journalism . Their services have also been rendered
substantially to the cause of the Secular Institutes and Lay
Societies of India.
59
Conclusion
THE POPES ACKNOWLEDGE THE
INSPIRATION OF PALLOTTI
In conclusion, we observe that in Vincent Pallotti are
found all the characteristics of a saint to be an inspiration
and model for all. His whole private and public life, words,
apostolate, miraculous works and foundations are heroically
virtuous and inspirational. He has shown equal heroism in
the exercise of the theological and moral virtues as well as
the works of the Catholic Apostolate. His example gives a
perfect model of sanctity required in everyone for the
exercise o f C atholic A postleship. The Church has
subsequently acknowledged the relevance of his life,
inspiration and foundations.
During the Second Vatican Council Pallotti was
canonised by Pope John XXIII who said of the Saint, “The
glorification of Vincent Pallotti is an invitation to all priests
to continue on the road opened by Jesus Christ, Redeemer
and teacher. It is also an invitation to re-dedicate oneself to
the work, which is first and essential, namely holiness of
life.”
Later on Pope Paul VI felt compelled to write,
“Vincent Pallotti anticipated a discovery by almost one
60
The Popes Acknowledge the Inspiration .
hundred years. He discovered in the world of lay people a

great capacity for good work. Their capacity had been
passive, dormant and timid, unable to act. Vincent Pallotti
has awakened the conscience of the laity.”
Pallotti’s view on laity was held in such honour during
the Second Vatican Council that Pope Paul VI again wrote
on September 1, 1963: “St. Vincent Pallotti was, to use the
words of the great pontiff, Pius XI, the Forerunner of Catholic
Action which is that form of Christian life which joins the
lay volunteer to the work of evangelisation, edification and
sanctification entrusted to him and to hold with a specific
mandate for action by the ecclesiastical hierarchy. He thus
built a bridge between the clergy and the laity which is one
of the most farseeing means of modem spirituality and which
gives greater hope for the church of God... Vincent gave us
an extremely practical lesson: honour the vocation, as it is
called today, of the mature age of the laity.”
Added to these were the words of Pope John Paul II
who said that the “intuition of Vincent Pallotti was verified
in the Second Vatican Council”.
Pope John Paul II in a homily given at the Church of
San Salvatore in Onda on January 22, 1986, spoke these
encouraging words, “Continue to multiply your commitment
so that what Pallotti prophetically announced and what the
Second Vatican Council authentically confirmed, becomes
a happy reality, and all Christians become authentic apostles
of Christ in the Church and in the world.”
61
SOURCES AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
1. Augustine Kolencherry, “St. Vincent Pallotti”

2. Corinne R. Hart, “Vincent Pallotti Apostle and
Lover”
3. Eugene Weber, “Saint Vincent Pallotti Apostle and
M ystic”
4. Flavian Bonifazi, “St. Vincent Pallotti’s Legacy”
5. Flavian Bonifazi, “Yearning of a Soul”
6. Flavian Bonifazi, “Our Pallottine Heritage”
7. Francesco Amoroso, “A Remarkable Roman”
8. Hans Wallhof, “St. Vincent Pllotti, A Prophet for
Our Time”
9. John S. Gaynor, “The Life of St. Vincent Pallotti”
10. John W inson, “A postle in A ction St. V incent
Pallotti”
11. Pat Jackson, “Empowered by Love”
12. R. Melia, “The Life of Father Pallotti”
13. U n io n o f the C ath o lic ap o sto la te , “ G eneral
Statutes”
62
Appendix I
LETTER OF ST. VINCENT PALLOTTI

TO
HIS SPIRITUAL CHILDREN
My dearly beloved in Jesus Crucified:

In the first place and with all my heart, I thank God
who in His mercy has chosen and called you. God sent you
as workers in His harvest that through your ministry faith
may be preserved and love may grow among the sheep of
Christ already in His fold, and that those who are still to be
led into His chosen flock may be disposed to receive the gift
of faith.
Therefore, rejoice in the Lord, again I say rejoice.
For, as you have been chosen and called to accomplish God’s
work. So God gave you all graces and faith activated by
love, so that in all things you may be found faithful servants
of Christ.
Thus, through the mercy of our God and the grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ, you will bear fruit, and your fruit will
remain as God wills it.
But to be found faithful, one should not wrap the
talents one has received in a cloth nor hide them, but one
63
should use them for the benefits of his soul and for the
salvation of others.
All who are called and chosen have received from
the Lord talents in a measure according to their election and
holy vocation. But not all are found faithful in using them,
and among them there are but few who by their fidelity have
gained more talents.
Therefore let us take heed that through the mercy of
our God and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ we may
become faithful in all things according to God’s will.
It is our task to cooperate in the spreading of the
Gospel with the power of God who redeemed us and gave
us our holy vocation, not according to our deeds, but
according to His great mercy and the grace given us in Jesus
Christ. And as He is the first-born among many brethren,
we should become like him in all things.
We, who are called to the sanctuary through the mercy
and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, should thank God
who loved us with an everlasting love. He has shown us the
Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of His only begotten Son
who, for our example, has so walked in the footsteps of our
Lord Jesus Christ in all the ways of Justice that in the fullness
of holiness, grace and justice she excelled all the angels and
all the elect.
God, thus, showed her to us as an example, but also
through the same only begotten Son, He also gave her to us
as a Mother so that through her intercession and with the
example of her whole life we can always follow the footsteps
of our Lord Jesus Christ witljlaith, hope and love.
Appendix II
UNION OF THE
CATHOLIC APOSTOLATE IN INDIA
I. Communities
1. Society of the Catholic Apostolate (SAC):

(Pallottine Fathers and Brothers)
i) Prabhu Prakash Province
Pallotti Bahwan
Seminary Hills
Nagpur- 440 006
Maharashtra
ii) Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Province
Assumption House
P.O. Box No. 4321
Kalyan Nagar, Chelikere
Bangalore - 560 043
Karnataka
iii) Khrist Jyothi Region
Jyothi Niwas
Village Amaseoni
G.S.I. ViaM.C.F.
Raipur- 493 111
Chhattisgarh
65
2. Sisters of the Catholic Apostolate (CSAC)
St. Vincent Pallotti Convent
Edakochin
Cochin - 682 006
Kerala
3. Missionary Sisters of the Catholic Apostolate
(SAC)
(Pallottine Missionary Sisters)
St. Vincent Krapa Convent
Byrathi Cross, Kothannur
Bangalore - 560 007
Karnataka
4. Khristsevikas
Vardan, 2, Pushpak Society,
Kalyani Nagar,
Pune-4 1 1 016
Maharashtra
II. Individual Members

There are thirty nine individual members of UAC in
India. All of them are from Nagpur, a city in the central
India. They, after a long period of collaboration with the
Pallottine Fathers and Sisters in Nagpur and a year of
intensive form ation on UAC, made their apostolic
commitment in the Union of the Catholic Apostolate on
February 26, 2009 and have taken the challenge to become
apostles in their life situations.
66
Union o f the Catholic Apostolate in India
The rite of Commitment to the UAC was held in the

Chapel of Pallottine Animation Centre (PAC) at Nagpur
during the solem n H oly E ucharist celebrated by Very
Rev. Fr. Friedrich Kretz, the Ecclesiastical Assistant to the
UAC and the Rector General of SAC., Rev. Sr. Josephine
D ’Souza, the President of the UAC Coordination Council
of India (UAC-CCI) received their commitment and gave
them the UAC Cross as a symbol of their membership.
These members under the guidance of Pallottine Fathers
and Sisters in Nagpur are engaged in various spiritual and
secular activities of charity and mercy. They have an
Executive Committee to direct and guide their activities.
They also commit themselves in raising funds for the remote
missions and for the cause of the poor and less privileged
children of Nagpur.
67
Photo- Mary Queen of the Apostles
68

St. Vincent Pallotti, An Inspiration and Model For Everyone

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

St. Vincent Pallotti, An Inspiration and Model For Everyone

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

St.

Union of the Catholic Apostolate

For Private Circulation only

Profile of St. Vincent Pallotti

Sources and Acknowledgments

St. Vincent Pallotti was a Roman diocesan priest. His

without endangering his worldly pursuits; and everyone will

St. Vincent Pallotti lived in an age of revolutions as

Paul de Gesslin a companion of Vincent summed up the

Vincent’s mother was a sensitive woman endowed

life. These were Vincent’s first years of schooling in the

became a gathering place for his classmates. He became their

and consolation. Whenever I receive this heavenly Manna,

His Love of the Poor

Young Vincent had but one goal in life: his childhood

exercised his ministry in the confessional and in preaching.

“Look how God behaves thriftily. Even a drop of water he

struggling to swallow it, kept silence and then Vincent gave

The generosity of this man of God was something

and was the expression of his innermost conviction and

The next morning Vincent had caught a very bad cold.

the house received her. He went up to Pallotti and spoke of

From the time of his ordination to priesthood Vincent

evangelisation of the world would succeed only when priests

Vincent faced the violent mob. At first it seemed that the

To remedy this situation Pallotti got engaged in

On his many journeys he also encountered the fringe

Apostolate to the Military

Vincent visited all four prisons in Rome along with

was confessor and spiritual accompanier to many people of

participated in it. He invited even foreign preachers to the

MIRACULOUS WORKS OF PALLOTTI

the man whom he revered that the in-charge obeyed. But

discouraging reply from Vincent, by his own choice entered

A similar thing happened at another time. There were

On the day of the retreat the Mother Superior found

confirmed the cure and commented: “we are blind; saints

From 1809 to 1829, Vincent had joined in twenty-

1. Union of Catholic Apostolate (UAC)

(UAC) which he did on April 4th 1835. The UAC is an asso­

Joining the U nion im posed no obligation in

group met privately in Vincent’s home towards the end of

The Spirituality of the UAC

the Pallottine apostolate is based on the validity of the

into Christ, the Apostle of the Father (Heb 3:1). Pallotti

prayer to be the fundamental conditions for growth into a

loving and truly religious desire to propagate the glory of

the twelve. The painter, Serafino Cesaretti, produced the

and clerical, are to be animated with her spirit of charity for

Nazareth was, for Vincent, a God-given design, a

m onotony o f routine or, even w orse, perform ed

cooperate with one another in carrying out apostolic

A young woman called Benedetta Gabrielli came and

Eternal Father, responding to the needs of our times with

opened. The aim of this community was to form and prepare

to see to the financial support and formation of the Indian

hundred years. He discovered in the world of lay people a

1. Augustine Kolencherry, “St. Vincent Pallotti”

LETTER OF ST. VINCENT PALLOTTI

My dearly beloved in Jesus Crucified:

1. Society of the Catholic Apostolate (SAC):

II. Individual Members

The rite of Commitment to the UAC was held in the

(UAC) which he did on April 4th 1835. The UAC is an asso