Incarnating vincentian charism: A classical grounded theory in the education ministry of the Daughters of Charity in the Philippines

• Main Author: Onag, Josie B.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2012
• Subjects: Missions—Educational work; Daughters of Charity (Philippines); Educational Leadership; Religion
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_doctoral/1249
• Institution: De La Salle University

While there was such a move to revitalize the Vincentian charism and go beyond what has been achieved in the last General Assembly of the Daughters of Charity in France in 2006, there has been no empirical study made in terms of a clear and coherent conceptual framework on how Vincentian charism is incarnated in the education ministry of the Daughters of Charity in the Philippines. An evolved grounded theory was designed to unearth the stakeholders' understanding on how they live this out as partners of the Vincentian educational mission. The seven (7) schools with tertiary education under the Daughters of Charity in the Philippines with representatives coming from different sectors of each institution comprise the participants for this study with the first theoretical sampling coming from the First Lay President of the three (3) DC schools in Western Visayas. Interviews were analyzed using the constant comparison method and analysis through higher levels of abstraction. "ncarnating Vincentian Charism" was the central concern that emerged. Five main processes have been identified and explained that comprise an emerging substantive theory of "Incarnating Vincentian Charism". The multidistinct yet related processes are: 1) identifying the nature of Vincentian charism, 2) discovering the dimensions / elements of Vincentian charism, 3) contextualizing the process of imbibing Vincentian charism, 4) determining the strategies of Vincentian charism, 5) living-out the means / goals of Vincentian charism. The study revealed that the multi-distinct yet related processes could serve as a grounded typology in which stakeholders gain an optimistic view and wider perspective on what it means to incarnate Vincentian charism in education as mission partners and the struggle they experience in trying to make a difference in the life of the poor, to effect change in and transform society.