Saint of the Day - St. Vincent de Paul (September 27th)
Channel: House of Prayers for Everyone (HOPE)
Date: 26/09/2023

Every Sept. 27, the Catholic Church remembers Saint Vincent de Paul, the French 17th-century priest known as the Patron of Catholic charities for his apostolic work among the poor and marginalized.

Early Life

Vincent de Paul was born on April 24, 1581, to peasant farmers Jean and Bertrande. The third of six children, he had three brothers: Jean, Bernard, and Gayon, and two sisters: Marie and Marie-Claudine.

At 15, his father sent him to seminary, and for three years, Vincent studied at a college in Dax, France. In 1597, he enrolled in theology at the University of Toulouse. He was ordained three years later and was appointed as the parish priest in Tilh at the age of 19. Due to age issues which required a minimum of 24 years of age at the time of the ordination, he resigned from his post and continued his studies. 

On October 12, 1604, Vincent received his Bachelor of Theology from the University of Toulouse; he later received a Licentiate in Canon Law from the University of Paris.

Sold Slavery

In 1605, Vincent sailed from Marseilles; however, he was taken captive by Barbary pirates, who took him to Tunis. His ordeal of captivity lasted for two years, until sometime in 1607. Traditional accounts suggest that Vincent successfully converted his third slave owner back to the Christian faith and escaped with him from Tunisia.

Missionary Works

Upon his return, Vincent spent time studying in Rome and served as an educator and spiritual guide to members of an upper-class French family. Although Vincent is said to have initially begun his priesthood with the intention of securing a life of leisure, he underwent a change of heart after hearing the confession of a dying peasant.

Moved with compassion for the poor, he began undertaking missions. In 1617, Vincent began serving poor families in Paris, bringing them food and comfort. He organized the wealthy women of Paris to assist with this work, collect funds for missionary projects, found hospitals, and gather relief funds to assist victims of war and ransom 1,200 galley slaves from North Africa.

This participation of women would eventually result in, with the help of Louise de Marillac, the founding of the lay-led Ladies of Charity and the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, a society of apostolic life for women.

In 1622, Vincent was appointed a chaplain to the galleys. After working for some time in Paris among imprisoned slaves there, he founded what is now known as the Congregation of the Mission, or the "Vincentians" (also known in parts of Europe as the "Lazarists"). These priests, with vows of poverty, chastity, obedience, and stability, were to devote themselves entirely to the people in smaller towns and villages.

Vincent was zealous in conducting retreats for clergy at a time when there was great laxity, abuse, and ignorance among them. He was a pioneer in clerical training and was instrumental in establishing seminaries. He spent 28 years serving as the spiritual director of the Convent of Saint Mary of Angels.

Death and Veneration

In 1643, when Queen Anne became the sole Regent of France, she appointed nominated Vincent de Paul as her spiritual adviser where the latter helped her deal with religious policy and the Jansenism question.

Vincent de Paul died in Paris on September 27, 1660.

In 1705, the Superior General of the Congregation of the Mission requested that the holy process of Vincent's canonization be instituted. On August 13, 1729, he was declared blessed by Pope Benedict XIII and was canonized eight years later by Pope Clement XII on June 16, 1737.

Vincent's body was exhumed in 1712, 53 years after his death. Eyewitness accounts state that "the eyes and nose alone showed some decay". However, when it was exhumed again during the canonization, it was found to have decomposed due to an underground flood.

His bones have been encased in a waxen figure which is displayed in a glass reliquary in the chapel of the headquarters of the Vincentian fathers in Paris, Saint Vincent de Paul Chapel, rue de Sèvres.

His heart is still incorrupt and is displayed in a reliquary in the chapel of the motherhouse of the Daughters of Charity in Paris.

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Images attributed to the following:
- By Simon François de Tours (1606-1671) - http://www.allposters.com/gallery.asp?startat=/getPoster.asp&amp;CID=F0F59087B76D4AFCA74A54D555BB2908&amp;frameSku=1587925_4986398-10564426, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons
- By Augustyński - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons