Deepening the Society’s Spiritual Foundation as First Woman To Serve As National Formation Director
Through prayer, formation, and leadership, women have helped ensure that the Society of St. Vincent de Paul’s work remains rooted in its deepest mission: seeing Christ in those who are poor and vulnerable. One woman who has helped strengthen that spiritual foundation across the United States is Sister Kieran Kneaves.
Sr. Kieran became SVdP’s first National Formation Director in 2002. A member of the Daughters of Charity, a religious community of women founded by St. Vincent de Paul and St. Louise de Marillac, she has always been dedicated to helping members of the Society determine their spiritual “why” behind their service.
Strengthening Formation
When Sr. Kieran was invited to serve as the Society’s first National Formation Director, she stepped into a role at a pivotal moment. At the time, the Society’s National President, Gene Smith, asked in a letter to all Conferences, ‘What do we need to renew ourselves?’
“The number one statement that came back was ‘Spirituality,’” she said. “We need to know our roots.”
Sr. Kieran instantly acted. She brought decades of experience as a Daughter of Charity and educator to her role and focused on helping Vincentians better understand the spirit that already animated their service. Drawing on the Vincentian tradition, she developed study guides, formation materials, and national programs that helped bring greater clarity and consistency to formation across the country.
“I did a lot of publications, workshops, retreats … just educating the Society,” she said. “They had the spirit in their heart and their soul. I just gave them words to talk about it.”
Connecting Service and Spirituality
For Sr. Kieran, formation was never about creating something new – it was about helping Vincentians recognize what was already present in their work.
“I had to learn the Society’s whole culture and respect that culture in order to teach what I knew about the heritage and spirituality of St. Vincent himself.”
That mutual exchange – learning and teaching – became central to her approach.
She worked closely with leaders like Sheila Gilbert, SVdP’s first woman National President, who helped guide and support formation efforts during those early years.
“Sheila was wonderful to work with because she was so creative,” Sr. Kieran said. “She would give me ideas and then let me do them.”
A Lasting Impact
Sr. Kieran also witnessed firsthand the evolving role of women within SVdP, particularly the gradual shift toward leadership.
“There were a lot of women at the conference level. But not in leadership … it was all men when I first got there.”
Over time, that began to change. She pointed to leaders like Gilbert as pivotal in that shift, noting that her election marked “a turning point” for SVdP.
Today, formation remains a cornerstone of the SVdP’s work, shaped in part by the foundation Sr. Kieran helped build. Looking ahead, she sees the continued collaboration between men and women as essential to SVdP’s future.
“The greatest need is to really work together in mutuality and respect,” she said. “The gifts of men and women working together … that’s powerful.”
