Three Pioneer Vincentians

The lives and contributions of Felix De Andreis, Joseph Rosati, and John Timon are described. De Andreis was the Congregation’s first superior in America. He traveled extensively in his ministry to American Catholics, taught seminarians, and began the novitiate. Rosati began Saint Mary’s Seminary and became the first bishop of St. Louis. To name just a few of his projects as bishop, he built a cathedral, brought the Sisters of Charity to St. Louis, and advocated their union with the Daughters of Charity. History is indebted to him for his careful records. The Congregation achieved national prominence thanks to him. John Timon was the first provincial of the American province and bishop of Buffalo. Born in the United States, he understood that the Congregation had to adapt to American life. His commitment to education differentiated the American province from its European counterparts, which focused on parish missions. He also made sure that American Vincentians lived in community, which they had been unable to do during the priest shortage of the early nineteenth century