Opening address to delegates of the General Assembly

Fr. Dennis Holtschneider, C.M.

President of DePaul University
26 June 2016

My brothers,

Welcome to DePaul University. My name is Dennis Holtschneider and I am one of

the 33 confreres who participate in the work of the university.

Some teach or work as administrators.

Others are in pastoral ministry, or serve the poor and help our students to meet the
poor by doing so.
Two confreres (as well as a daughter of charity) work as Vincentian historians.

Two work in formation.

Seven more confreres govern the university on one of its two boards.
8 others are confreres from around the world who are studying for their graduate
degrees.

One more, Fr. Gregg Baaga from the Philippines, spent a sabbatical year with us
this past year and was a blessing to our house and to our university in the process.
DePaul was founded in 1898, making it 116 years old this year, but the
Vincentians have labored on this piece of land since 1870, founding a small church at
Chicagos northern edge as the city grew because of massive immigration from Europe.
Today, the university has 24,000 students and nearly 2500 employees. Everyone
including our lay employees and our students consider themselves Vincentians. And
it is in all their names that I welcome you today.

I welcome you, too, in the name of the presidents of other Vincentian

universities: Niagara University, St. Johns University in NYC, Adamson University in the
Philippines and DePaul College in India. All of us are honored that you have chosen a
Vincentian university for your meetings. Please know that we will be praying for you and
your work every day while you are here.

A number of our DePaul University community will be staffing this assembly. I

know you will find, as I have, how large their hearts are, and how much they love this
university. They will be present to staff your meetings; they will help with your
computers; they will prepare your meals; they will staff your residence; they will assist

with your liturgies, and much more. They have worked hard for many months, and they
too are honored to play a part in this historic gathering the first time a General
Assembly has been held outside of Europe.

As you walk along Belden Avenue between this building and your residence, you
will see a clock about 3 meters in height. The names of every Vincentian priest and
brother ever assigned to DePaul University appear on it. The monument was completed
just a few days ago, and marks the 200th anniversary of the Congregations arrival in the
United States, which we celebrate this year. Those first four Vincentians from the
province of Rome left Europe by ship on June 12th and arrived in the U.S. on July 23rd.

Think of that. Exactly 200 years ago, on these same dates of this Assembly, those
missionaries were at sea. They did not know what would await them here, but they were
filled with faith and determined to build up the Church in the new territories. Like those
missionaries at sea, you too have traveled far to be here, and you too are wondering and
reflecting about the future of our Congregations work. Thank you for taking these
weeks for that reflection and for your leadership as you help all of us bring the work of
St. Vincent de Paul to a new and always-changing world.

Thank you again for hosting your meetings here at DePaul. We are honored and
humbled that you are here. May God deeply bless your work during these days.

Que Dieu vous bnisse.

Que Dios les bendiga.
God bless you.