The Core Values of Vincentian Education

The educational endeavors of Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac, often overshadowed by their other works, were an integral part of their service to the poor. Vincent de Paul is sometimes seen as an anti-intellectual, but he made sure he received the best theological education possible. He was also a successful teacher. He taught school during his student days at Toulouse and while he was pastor of Clichy, and he was primarily engaged with the Gondi family as a tutor for the eldest son. He knew that the religious neglect of the poor and the clergy’s ignorance were inextricably intertwined. The education of priests was thus a fundamental part of the Congregation’s mission. Vincent insisted that the seminary programs have intellectual and practical components. Louise de Marillac’s education and experience as a teacher are described in detail as well. She understood the need to educate poor girls and addressed it with her “little schools.” The programs offered in them are outlined. Louise was also responsible for the formation of the Daughters of Charity. In her examination, Louise Sullivan explores the “common principles, methodologies, and values” of Vincent and Louise’s works. She summarizes Vincentian educational values in her conclusion

God Wants First The Heart And Then The Work : Louise De Marillac And Leadership In The Vincentian Tradition

An overview of the life of Louise de Marillac is presented to show what influenced her as a leader. Her suffering and her desire to be united with the suffering Jesus provided the impetus for her works to relieve the pain of others. Her education, her organizational abilities, and the essential skills and attributes of her leadership are described. She was responsible for the formation of the Daughters of Charity and managed to bridge the social gap between the wealthy Ladies of Charity and the peasant Daughters who assisted them. She was also a good negotiator with civil and ecclesiastical authorities

The Spirituality of Louise de Marillac: Moved by the Spirit to Charity

This article continues the one that immediately precedes it in this issue. It traces the development of Louise de Marillac’s spirituality just before, during, and after the establishment of the Daughters of Charity. Anxiety over her son was the last major obstacle to the tranquility she needed to begin the Company. By 1633, she could devote herself to the spiritual formation of the Daughters and to foster the love they had for each other, which in turn was to be motivated by the love that Christ crucified had for the poor. All other relationships were to be put aside in the face of that love. The article then explains how “Louise’s prayers and meditations followed the rhythm of the liturgical year.” Topics include the three essential virtues of the Daughters (humility, simplicity, and love), the Company’s relationship to Mary and Louise’s contemplation about her, the redemption, and God’s will, among others

The Hands of Providence: Vincent de Paul, Louise de Marillac, and Feminine Charitable Activity in France, 1617–1660

Vincent de Paul collaborated with women from the beginning of his ministry. Madame de Gondi was the one who urged Vincent to preach at Folleville, chose the subject of his sermon, and asked him to give missions on her lands. She was also instrumental in the founding of the Confraternities of Charity and the Congregation. Louise de Marillac was Vincent’s friend and collaborator in many works, especially in the establishment of the Daughters of Charity. She was responsible for the Daughters’ spiritual formation. Marguerite Naseau showed Vincent the potential that peasant women had for charity; before he met her, he was focused on leading only wealthy women in that cause. It is worth noting that many of the Daughters were peasants who would have been excluded from religious life. Vincent added a revolutionary dimension to women’s works of charity: spiritual ministry, which had previously been confined to the clergy

Sister Rosalie Rendu: A Daughter of Charity On Fire with Love for the Poor

https://via.library.depaul.edu/vincentian_ebooks/1004/thumbnail.jp

The Spirituality of Louise de Marillac: Formed by the Spirit for Charity

This article presents “a spiritual portrait” of Louise de Marillac as reconstructed from Vincent’s letters to her and explores her prayer life using her writings. After 1623, Louise went on a complex and difficult journey of faith that was shaped by her temperament, her experience, and her time. She was extremely intelligent and capable, but also needed frequent spiritual reassurance, which Vincent de Paul provided throughout their relationship. However, she was well educated in the Bible and in spiritual practices before she met him. Her beginning was ascetic, with a demanding prayer schedule. Such discipline was related to her self-doubt. She was freed from this by service to Christ as she saw him in the poor and a corresponding deeper discovery of God’s love. Her interior life was still essential, but it was more spontaneous. Vincent helped her reach this end by teaching her to trust in providence. Louise was then able to accomplish her work with the Confraternities of Charity

Dust Devil Tracks

Dust devils that leave dark- or light-toned tracks are common on Mars and they can also be found on the Earth’s surface. Dust devil tracks (hereinafter DDTs) are ephemeral surface features with mostly sub-annual lifetimes. Regarding their size, DDT widths can range between ∼1 m and ∼1 km, depending on the diameter of dust devil that created the track, and DDT lengths range from a few tens of meters to several kilometers, limited by the duration and horizontal ground speed of dust devils. DDTs can be classified into three main types based on their morphology and albedo in contrast to their surroundings; all are found on both planets: (a) dark continuous DDTs, (b) dark cycloidal DDTs, and (c) bright DDTs. Dark continuous DDTs are the most common type on Mars. They are characterized by their relatively homogenous and continuous low albedo surface tracks. Based on terrestrial and martian in situ studies, these DDTs most likely form when surficial dust layers are removed to expose larger-grained substrate material (coarse sands of ≥500 μm in diameter). The exposure of larger-grained materials changes the photometric properties of the surface; hence leading to lower albedo tracks because grain size is photometrically inversely proportional to the surface reflectance. However, although not observed so far, compositional differences (i.e., color differences) might also lead to albedo contrasts when dust is removed to expose substrate materials with mineralogical differences. For dark continuous DDTs, albedo drop measurements are around 2.5 % in the wavelength range of 550–850 nm on Mars and around 0.5 % in the wavelength range from 300–1100 nm on Earth. The removal of an equivalent layer thickness around 1 μm is sufficient for the formation of visible dark continuous DDTs on Mars and Earth. The next type of DDTs, dark cycloidal DDTs, are characterized by their low albedo pattern of overlapping scallops. Terrestrial in situ studies imply that they are formed when sand-sized material that is eroded from the outer vortex area of a dust devil is redeposited in annular patterns in the central vortex region. This type of DDT can also be found in on Mars in orbital image data, and although in situ studies are lacking, terrestrial analog studies, laboratory work, and numerical modeling suggest they have the same formation mechanism as those on Earth. Finally, bright DDTs are characterized by their continuous track pattern and high albedo compared to their undisturbed surroundings. They are found on both planets, but to date they have only been analyzed in situ on Earth. Here, the destruction of aggregates of dust, silt and sand by dust devils leads to smooth surfaces in contrast to the undisturbed rough surfaces surrounding the track. The resulting change in photometric properties occurs because the smoother surfaces have a higher reflectance compared to the surrounding rough surface, leading to bright DDTs. On Mars, the destruction of surficial dust-aggregates may also lead to bright DDTs. However, higher reflective surfaces may be produced by other formation mechanisms, such as dust compaction by passing dust devils, as this may also cause changes in photometric properties. On Mars, DDTs in general are found at all elevations and on a global scale, except on the permanent polar caps. DDT maximum areal densities occur during spring and summer in both hemispheres produced by an increase in dust devil activity caused by maximum insolation. Regionally, dust devil densities vary spatially likely controlled by changes in dust cover thicknesses and substrate materials. This variability makes it difficult to infer dust devil activity from DDT frequencies. Furthermore, only a fraction of dust devils leave tracks. However, DDTs can be used as proxies for dust devil lifetimes and wind directions and speeds, and they can also be used to predict lander or rover solar panel clearing events. Overall, the high DDT frequency in many areas on Mars leads to drastic albedo changes that affect large-scale weather patterns

Around the tangent cone theorem

A cornerstone of the theory of cohomology jump loci is the Tangent Cone theorem, which relates the behavior around the origin of the characteristic and resonance varieties of a space. We revisit this theorem, in both the algebraic setting provided by cdga models, and in the topological setting provided by fundamental groups and cohomology rings. The general theory is illustrated with several classes of examples from geometry and topology: smooth quasi-projective varieties, complex hyperplane arrangements and their Milnor fibers, configuration spaces, and elliptic arrangements.Comment: 39 pages; to appear in the proceedings of the Configurations Spaces Conference (Cortona 2014), Springer INdAM serie

PTF11iqb: cool supergiant mass-loss that bridges the gap between Type IIn and normal supernovae

The supernova (SN) PTF11iqb was initially classified as a Type IIn event caught very early after explosion. It showed narrow Wolf–Rayet (WR) spectral features on day 2 (as in SN 1998S and SN 2013cu), but the narrow emission weakened quickly and the spectrum morphed to resemble Types II-L and II-P. At late times, H? exhibited a complex, multipeaked profile reminiscent of SN 1998S. In terms of spectroscopic evolution, we find that PTF11iqb was a near twin of SN 1998S, although with somewhat weaker interaction with circumstellar material (CSM) at early times, and stronger interaction at late times. We interpret the spectral changes as caused by early interaction with asymmetric CSM that is quickly (by day 20) enveloped by the expanding SN ejecta photosphere, but then revealed again after the end of the plateau when the photosphere recedes. The light curve can be matched with a simple model for CSM interaction (with a mass-loss rate of roughly 10?4 M? yr?1) added to the light curve of a normal SN II-P. The underlying plateau requires a progenitor with an extended hydrogen envelope like a red supergiant at the moment of explosion, consistent with the slow wind speed (<80?km?s?1) inferred from narrow H? emission. The cool supergiant progenitor is significant because PTF11iqb showed WR features in its early spectrum – meaning that the presence of such WR features does not necessarily indicate a WR-like progenitor. Overall, PTF11iqb bridges SNe IIn with weaker pre-SN mass-loss seen in SNe II-L and II-P, implying a continuum between these types

PTF11iqb: cool supergiant mass-loss that bridges the gap between Type IIn and normal supernovae

The supernova (SN) PTF11iqb was initially classified as a Type IIn event caught very early after explosion. It showed narrow Wolf–Rayet (WR) spectral features on day 2 (as in SN 1998S and SN 2013cu), but the narrow emission weakened quickly and the spectrum morphed to resemble Types II-L and II-P. At late times, H? exhibited a complex, multipeaked profile reminiscent of SN 1998S. In terms of spectroscopic evolution, we find that PTF11iqb was a near twin of SN 1998S, although with somewhat weaker interaction with circumstellar material (CSM) at early times, and stronger interaction at late times. We interpret the spectral changes as caused by early interaction with asymmetric CSM that is quickly (by day 20) enveloped by the expanding SN ejecta photosphere, but then revealed again after the end of the plateau when the photosphere recedes. The light curve can be matched with a simple model for CSM interaction (with a mass-loss rate of roughly 10?4 M? yr?1) added to the light curve of a normal SN II-P. The underlying plateau requires a progenitor with an extended hydrogen envelope like a red supergiant at the moment of explosion, consistent with the slow wind speed (<80?km?s?1) inferred from narrow H? emission. The cool supergiant progenitor is significant because PTF11iqb showed WR features in its early spectrum – meaning that the presence of such WR features does not necessarily indicate a WR-like progenitor. Overall, PTF11iqb bridges SNe IIn with weaker pre-SN mass-loss seen in SNe II-L and II-P, implying a continuum between these types