Vincentian Leader Letter Critical Analysis Assignment
“We may think we’ve heard the whole story, but that story resonates more deeply when we read letters. Part of the reason for that resonance is the immediacy of letters. Letters are what history sounds like when it is still part of everyday life… Lord Byron wrote ‘Letter writing is the only device for combining solitude and good company,’ and the safety of that combination seems to inspire the courage to be honest. Dreams are confided in letters – both the nightmares and the hopes. Love is confided in letters – without fear of hearing laughter… A lot of the joy of reading letters comes from hearing the ring of unaffected truth. People describe things in letters, in passing, that they take for granted but we need not. For example, the pack of wolves passing a schoolhouse near the home of a lone woman homesteader; the code words for ordering liquor during the days of Prohibition…these are the little details that refresh even the most familiar events.”
– Letters of the Century by Lisa Grundwald and Stephen Adler
Letter writing was the main forms of communication for our founding Vincentian leaders. Vincent wrote over 30,000 letters in his lifetime. This assignment is an opportunity for you to get to know one of the Vincentian leaders more intimately through their letters. Please follow these steps for this assignment:
1. Choose one of the founding Vincentian leaders (Vincent de Paul, Louise de Marillac, Frederic Ozanam, Amelie Ozanam, Elizabeth Seton) that you would like to get to know more intimately through their letters.
2. Spend some time reading through their letters,
a minimum of 10, to get to know them. You might choose letters from one time period in their life, or examine letters at different times in their life. Look for concrete examples in their letters that demonstrates their leadership approach, important signs of the times and their role in responding, relationships, religious and faith experiences.
3. In light of the 10 (or more) letters write a reflective analysis letter back to the Vincentian leader you chose explaining to them what you gleaned and learned from their letters. Share with the Vincentian leader what you hope to carry with you from the insight of their leadership and approach to social change, along with any critiques you may have of their approach. Integrate in the letter how these lessons relate to your own life, leadership, service, and faith/spiritual journey.
Your letter analysis will be evaluated on including the following:
· What do their letters invite you to as:
· 1) a leader,
· 2) a spiritual person, and
· 3) how you approach social change and building relationships with those on the margins during this moment in history
· For each of the above prompts, use a
direct citations from the letters that informs
each of the above connections.
· In a separate page at the end include the citations of the ten or more letters that you read.
· 3-4 pages, double spaced, 12 font, 1 inch margins
Example of Letter Analysis:
Sr. Louise Sullivan, D.C. in her article, “God Wants First The Heart And Then The Work:’ Louise De Marillac And Leadership In The Vincentian Tradition,” gives a good analysis of the letter we will read in class. Notice how she uses direct quotations to
explain her point that Louise’s leadership style is relational.
“Fifth, Relational. A letter of 26 October 1639, addressed to Sisters Barbe Angiboust and Louise Ganset, illustrates this method. It is to be noted, first of all, that Louise writes to both sisters in the same letter, rather than just to the superior as might have been expected. She begins by telling them of the good that she knows they are accomplishing. Then, in her usual direct style, she addresses the problem head on. She says, “However, I have learned what I have always feared. Your work, which has been succeeding so well…has done nothing for your advancement in perfection.”
She then speaks to them individually, pointing out the failings and suggesting possible remedies. After this, she looks at herself, and the responsibility that may be hers for what has happened, since she was not always as available to them as she might have been. Following this, Louise expresses her confidence that, together, they will work things out. Louise also acknowledges that the process is a painful one for both of them and she concludes, “True humility will regulate everything.””
