We invite you to join this initiative by signing your prayer commitment, a gesture that renews today the founding act of Saint Vincent de Paul and brings you into a chain of prayer around the world.
The goal of this campaign is to reach 45,000 people committed to prayer, in honor of the 45,000 livres that made the beginning of the mission possible.
By doing so, you will receive a prayer to accompany your commitment and you will be spiritually united to the mission that, for more than 400 years, has served the poorest.
On April 17, 1625, at the Gondi family palace in Paris, an event took place that would mark the history of charity and evangelization.
Before two notaries of the Châtelet, Vincent de Paul and Philippe Emmanuel de Gondi and his wife, Marguerite de Silly, signed the founding contract of the Congregation of the Mission.
The origin of this agreement arose from a deep realization: while in the cities spiritual needs were well attended to, the “poor people of the countryside” were almost completely abandoned.
To respond to this reality, the creation of an association of ecclesiastics was proposed, who, renouncing comforts and benefits, would dedicate themselves entirely to the salvation of the poorest.
That document defined the essential traits of the future “Little Company”:
To support this work, the Gondi family provided a capital of 45,000 livres.
That contract was the seed of what is now the Congregation of the Mission.
Today, in 102 countries, thousands of missionaries continue this dedication, faithful to the spirit of that April 17, 1625.
In the context of the Fourth Centenary, whose jubilee year concludes today, April 17, 2026, this gesture seeks to make that signature present.
Signing this contract is a simple yet deeply meaningful gesture.
It is a visible sign of a willing heart and a shared mission. It is a way of spiritually joining those who, for 401 years, have given their lives in service to the poorest.
Sign your prayer commitment: https://www.signforthemission.org/
