The Vincentian Marian Youth (JMV) is an international association of young people requested by the Blessed Mother herself during the apparition to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830.  Its focus is to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, Evangelizer of the Poor, with the Virgin Mary as its guide and Saint Vincent de Paul as mentor.

 

The Local Chapter

On the second Sunday of every month the Southeast Missouri Chapter of the Vincentian Marian Youth come together to celebrate their commitment to Christ through Faith Expression and Eucharist Mass at our Lady’s Shrine Church.

 

During the liturgies, these young people are involved in the ministries of the celebration—as musicians, lectors, readers, ushers, servers, and Extraordinary Ministers of Communion.

 

Service Projects

Besides meeting in prayer, the group also performs many acts of charity in the spirit of Saint Vincent.

 

Each year the group travels to various parts of the country to perform service work for the poor of a particular city or region.  Past service project weeks have been in New Orleans, Chicago, Northern Indiana, and West Virginia.  Some of the charitable work includes home repairs ranging from drywall installation, winterizing homes, painting, roofing, to yard work and neighborhood improvement projects.  Approximately 200 young people have participated in these service weeks, many helping out more than once.

 

The group also sponsors weekend long service projects for its members throughout Southeast Missouri.  Some of the projects have included repairing, painting, and winterizing homes, moving furniture and cleaning of the local Saint Vincent de Paul Society Store, and painting and general repairs of the regional outreach center offices, and providing household supplies to families affected by a local tornado.

 

About 160 different young people have been involved in these weekend service projects, again, many more than once.  These young people learn to give without expecting anything in return.

 

An Anniversary Celebration

The Southeast Missouri Chapter recently celebrated their fifth anniversary in January with a clothing drive at their monthly Faith Expression and Eucharist Mass at our Lady’s Shrine Church.  Clothes collected were taken to Saint Louis to be sold and the funds raised were used to help with the cost of the group’s trip to Washington, D. C. to attend the annual Right to Life March.

 

All is not work and prayer for the group.  The local group has a gathering space in Perryville they’ve named “Vinney’s.”  Special events are scheduled when the young people and their youth ministers can come together socially in a safe, enjoyable “teen space.”

 

The Southeast Chapter of the Vincentian Marian Youth has grown steadily since their first encounter in January 2004.  Jesus, through Mary, has led them to become much more than they envisioned at the outset.  To learn more about the Vincentian Marian Youth, visit them on their web site at www.vmy.us.  Learn more about the global Vincentian Marian Youth by visiting their web site at www.secretariadojmv.org.