4th Centenary Foundation of the Congregation of the Mission

The Vatican celebrates the 400th anniversary of the founding of the Congregation of the Mission, a religious order established in 1625 under the inspired leadership of Saint Vincenzo de Paoli in France. Faithful to the vision and heart of their founder, the members of the Congregation, also known as the Vincentians, recognize themselves as called by God. Their mission is to bring the light of the Gospel into the hearts of those who live in the shadows of poverty, promoting spiritual education and a holistic human and Christian formation. Vincenzo de Paoli did not look to just any Christ, but to Christ the evangelizer of the poor, who lets His word shine forth in places of abandonment and in the faces the world has forgotten. Vincentian spirituality is deeply rooted in principles that speak directly to the heart: charity that embraces, humility that stoops to serve, generosity that becomes self-gift, and above all, love for the poor, not only as an act of justice, but as service rendered to Christ Himself (cf. Mt 25:40). The stamp features a portrait of Saint Vincenzo de Paoli, founder of the Congregation, alongside the official logo created for the celebration of the 400th anniversary, which depicts a stylized representation of the Vincentian charism, symbolized by a burning heart and flame.