Vincentian Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
Written by Holly Maes – MCDC Committe Member
Amongst many of the Greatest Generation, through Baby Boomers, Gen X, even some Millennials, there is the perception that we have three new bad words in our language – Diversity, Equity, Inclusion. Why does this even matter to Vincentians? Our very creed, going back to St. Vincent de Paul himself, states that it matters. We are supposed to be seeing the face of Christ in every person we see. Most importantly, our Friends in Need, but also including our fellow Vincentians, the people who volunteer or work in stores, the people handing out food in the pantries. We are ALL children of God first. We state we will not treat people differently for any reason. Why? It’s what Christ did. He didn’t ask what’s your religion before he cured the lame. He didn’t ask, are you young or old when healing a leper. He wants us to emulate Him. We are His hands, feet, eyes, ears, and everything else here on earth.
Amazing how the Gen Z’s and Gen Alpha’s don’t have a problem with these three words, yet so many from older generations do. It brings a slight chuckle to my lips that many of us were out there marching for civil rights and protesting war, yet now have difficulty being equitable to the disabled (whether physical, mental or spiritual), to those with gender identity differences, to those from certain religions to the immigrant.
So now what? First, pray. Second, pray more. Third, pray more attentively and with others. You see, we can’t do this alone. We need the help of the Holy Spirit to take away our notions that people are different in some way. We need Christ beside us, guiding us, leading us. Every human being is a child of God, and because we know this as a Vincentian, we need to live our lives and our service as Vincentians this way. We need to embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion with a Vincentian heart.
That doesn’t mean we don’t think about accessibility – but that’s for a future edition of Frederick’s E-gazette!
