Vincent de Paul was recognized as a saint by the Church in 1737 and declared patron saint of charitable works. As with each of us, Monsieur Vincent’s holiness was the result of a long journey that led him to God. His strength lay in daring to open his heart to the breath of the Spirit, day after day.
“…Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.”
(Mt 25:40)
“You must also remember that your principal concern, which God asks especially of you, is to be very attentive in serving the poor, who are our lords. Oh yes, Sisters! They are our masters… You must see that, as far as in you lies, they want for nothing, both with regard to their physical health and for the salvation of their souls.”
(St. Vincent)
| 1581 | Birth in Pouy, near Dax in the Landes region |
| 1600 | Ordination at Château-l’Evêque in the Dordogne region |
| 1610 | Chaplain at the Court of Queen Marguerite de Valois |
| 1612 | Parish priest in Clichy |
| 1613 | Tutor in the de Gondi family |
| 1614 | Serious crisis of faith for three or four years |
| 1617 | Decisive year: confession of a peasant in Picardy; 25 January: first sermon in the church of Folleville; 8 December: establishment of the first Confraternity of Charity in Châtillon-les-Dombes. |
| 1619 | Chaplain General of the Galleys |
| 1625 | Foundation of the Congregation of the Mission |
| 1628 | Proposed formation for priests, retreat for ordinands |
| 1633 | Foundation, with St. Louise de Marillac, of the Company of the Daughters of Charity |
| 1638 | Start of the work for the foundlings |
| 1639 | Relief sent to war-torn Lorraine |
| 1646 | Foundation of the Algiers mission; missionaries sent to Ireland and Scotland |
| 1648 | Mission to Madagascar |
| 1651 | Organization of collections to help victims of the war in Picardy, Champagne and Ile-de-France |
| 1660, 27 September | Death of Monsieur Vincent |
| 1737 | Beatification by Pope Benedict XIII |
| 1737 | Canonization by Pope Clement XII |
| 1883 | Declared patron saint of Christian charitable works |
| 27 September | Liturgical feast |
He was born into a close-knit middle-class farming family in 1581 in Pouy, near Dax. He was the third of six siblings. His parents were Christians and passed on to him an active, practical faith. Vincent was intelligent and fervent. Very quickly, encouraged by his family, he set his sights on a bright future: studies and the priesthood.
He went to Dax and Toulouse. To pay for his studies, his parents sold part of their precious goods: a pair of oxen. He even tried his hand at tutoring; he was ordained very young, at the age of nineteen in 1600.
Vincent was a man on the move, almost as much as today’s businessman, but on horseback and by stagecoach. History may be confused with legend, as Vincent’s exact itinerary is uncertain. For three years, no one knows where he was: was he taken by pirates, did he remain in slavery in Barbary, in what is now Tunisia?… He reappeared in Paris in 1608. His connections brought him to Pierre de Bérulle, one of the leading exponents of the French School of Spirituality. This movement contributed to the internal reform of the Catholic Church by emphasizing that Jesus took on our human condition: God became man and draws close to us in daily life. Priests were invited to seriously live their vocation, forming and rooting themselves deeply in Christ, which was rare at this time when the Church had lost its authenticity.
In his early years, Vincent’s vocation as a priest was also to ensure an “honest retirement.” He thought of a career that would enable him to protect his family from poverty. He was an enterprising, lively and interesting man. He joined the royal court around 1610, as a distributor of alms on behalf of Queen Margot, King Henri IV’s first wife.
Because of a certain idleness, Vincent experienced doubt and the darkness of faith for three or four years. It was in giving his life for the love of Jesus Christ in the service of those who are poor that he rediscovered his relationship with God. In 1612, he became the happy parish priest of Clichy and said: “Mon Dieu, how happy you are be to have such good people!” Soon, he was at the service of one of the most influential families, the de Gondi. Monsieur de Gondi was General of the galleys, and his wife managed her estate. Vincent was the children’s tutor; he became Madame de Gondi’s spiritual director.
1617 was a pivotal year for Vincent. One day, as he accompanied Madame de Gondi in overseeing her lands, he heard the confession of a dying peasant. This man, reputed to be a good man, felt the anguish of going to hell for the sins he had never dared confess. After this confession, he found peace. After this occasion, Madame de Gondi became concerned about the spiritual state of the people under her authority and invited Monsieur Vincent to find “how this could be remedied.” The following day, 25 January 1617, he preached in the church at Folleville with so much ardor that the parishioners turned out in large numbers for confession.
That same year, at the age of thirty-six, he moved to Châtillon-les-Dombes, near Lyon, thanks to Bérulle. He learned of a family in need and mentioned it during Mass. The faithful responded with an outpouring of generosity and flocked to the bedside of the sick members of the said family with plenty of food. Vincent was delighted and immediately began to think of a better organization. With the help of pious ladies, he formed a group with a set of rules to serve those who are poor as “if they were God Himself.” These were the first “Charities” (today, known as the International Association of Charities or the Ladies of Charity ). This experience strengthened him in his new mission to serve persons who are helpless. Pressured by the de Gondi family, he returned to their household and devoted himself to the physical and spiritual needs of those who are poor, strongly supported by Madame de Gondi, who in 1625, signed the founding contract of the Congregation of the Mission, charged with evangelizing the countryside. From then on, he served those who are poor with two goals in mind: mission and charity.
Vincent was a man of prayer and practicality, who sought to organize direct aid for those in need. In 1624, God placed on his path Louise de Marillac, who asked him for spiritual help. He entrusted her with the task of visiting the fledgling charities and, thanks to her, founded the Daughters of Charity in 1633. To form priests, he set up the Tuesday Conferences, retreats for ordinands, formation courses for seminarians, and opened seminaries. He was constantly creating mutual aid networks with local authorities in order to come to the assistance of all the human miseries of his time: galley convicts, foundlings, the wounded in wars in Lorraine, Picardy, Champagne and Ile de France, the elderly and those with mental disabilities… Nothing could stop the imagination of M. Vincent and his collaborators. It was all about uplifting the person, the whole person, so that each one might feed oneself, learn a trade, regain one’s dignity as a child of God!
Vincent knew how to reach out to those in power to elicit their charity and ask for their political help, at the risk of losing all credit with Mazarin. He saw only the need to relieve the misery of those who are poor who are the face of Jesus Christ.
He died on 27 September 1660, leaving behind him lay people, priests, Sisters, a family – the Vincentian Family – and above all a spirit that still lives on today: the fire of love for persons who are poor that animated Saint Vincent de Paul’s heart.
To learn more:
Readings:
- IBAÑEZ, José María, C.M.: Vincent de Paul. Realism and Incarnation. Salamanca: SIGUEME. 1982. 317p. 20cm.
- MEZZADRI, Luigi, C.M.: Brief Life of St. Vincent. Salamanca: CEME. 1990. 117p. 19cm.
- NOS MURO, Luis, C.M.: St. Vincent de Paul. Person, work and thought. Madrid: Ediciones Paulinas. 1984. 270p.
- ORCAJO, Antonino, C.M.: Vincent de Paul through his word. Madrid: La Milagrosa. 1988. 256p. 20cm.
- ORCAJO, Antonino, C.M. and PÉREZ FLORES, Miguel, C.M.: San Vicente de Paúl II. Spirituality and selection of Writings. Madrid: BAC. 1981. 551p. 20cm.
- ROMAN, José María, C.M.: San Vicente de Paúl I. Biografía. Biography (2nd ed.) Madrid: BAC. 1982 707p. 20cm.
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