Saint of the day September 27: Saint Vincent de Paul. Catholic Saints

Every September 27, the Catholic Church celebrates Saint Vincent de Paul (1581-1660), French priest, pioneer of Catholic social works in modern times and, fundamentally, an example of inexhaustible charity.

He professed an immense devotion to the Virgin Mary, whom he considered the inspirer and protector of his work: “If the Mother of God is invoked and taken as Patroness in important things, nothing can happen except that everything goes well and results. in the glory of good Jesus, his Son” (Saint Vincent de Paul).

Saint Vincent de Paul is the patron saint of works of charity. Among the many that he undertook, the Congregation of the Mission stands out, of which he was founder. Today its members are called “Vincentines” in his honor. Mention should also be made of the Daughters of Charity, known as “Vincentines.” If one knows something of the good that both religious orders have done and the impact they have had, it is simply impossible to doubt Saint Vincent de Paul as one of the most representative figures of French Catholicism of the 17th century.

Early years

Vincent de Paúl de Moras was born in Gascony, France, in 1581, into a family of peasants. There is a lot of certainty about these data, although controversy remains, more than anything, about the exact place where he was born. Two towns today dispute this privilege: the village of Pouy, which, since the 19th century, has been called Saint-Vincent-de-Paul in his honour; and Tamarite de Litera, where her parents were born.

As a teenager he was sent to the Franciscan school in the prosperous city of Dax, where he devoted himself fully to his studies. There, too, years later, he would receive the tonsure and minor orders, and then enter the university of Toulouse, where he would study theology.

His father, before he died, intended that his assets would be used to pay for the rest of Vincent’s education, although, in the end, it would be the saint himself, as the main heir, who would give up the money to fend for himself. Thus, Vicente began to work as a teacher in a school.

early priesthood

Vincent was ordained a priest in 1600, when he was only nineteen years old, and immediately the bishop, given the maturity of the new priest, wanted to entrust him with a parish which, however, he did not manage to take over due to his young age – the code of canon law is prevented it given his youth.

Father Vincent de Paul preferred to continue his studies in this way and postpone the possibility of assuming any position. To achieve this he needed money and he knew that he was completely devoid of fortune. It was then that he received surprising news: a very old lady from Toulouse had left him an inheritance. To collect it, Vicente had to go to Marseille. Unfortunately, when he embarked back, the ship he was traveling on was attacked by a group of Turkish pirates and Vicente was taken prisoner.

Some of his biographers report that he was sold as a slave and that he was in the service first of a fisherman, then of a doctor and finally of an apostate Christian, a former Franciscan friar. Vicente managed to return the latter to the Christian faith – that man had adopted Islam – and thanks to his help he managed to return to Paris.

“I will gladly spend what I have…” (2 Cor 12, 15)

After resuming his priestly practice, Vincent was appointed chaplain, but he had to go through abundant financial hardships.

Providentially, through a friend of his, the future Cardinal Pedro de Berulle, he obtained a job as a tutor for the children of an illustrious local family, the Condi. In these circumstances, Vincent began to delve more deeply into the Gospel and the demands of Christian life: working for those with wealth, he better considered the drama of those who live in poverty.

Father Vicente proposed to pay with love for all the love received from God, and he wanted to do it in a special way with those most in need.

In this way, he took a turn in his pastoral work and began to care for the dying, abandoned and sick. Visits to remote places became more and more frequent. The saint came and went with the purpose of assisting those who needed it. He knew very well that God, in his tenderness, could not forget those most in need.

“…And I will even give myself completely for all of you” (2 Cor 12, 15)

His life experience in the service of the Lord instilled in his heart the desire to organize a congregation that would primarily administer works of charity. Thus, Vincent founded the Congregation of the Mission.

Being a missionary for him was something that could only be sustained by dedicated and constant prayer. His time as a preceptor and the good theological training he received inspired him to have the members of the new congregation also dedicate themselves to the formation of the clergy. Later, together with Saint Louise de Marillac, she would found the Company of the Daughters of Charity.

For Saint Vincent, in addition to prayer, the cultivation of virtue, especially humility, was very important. This should be the basis of Christian life and an indispensable quality of missionary priests.

Promoter of spiritual life and recourse to advice

Saint Vincent met Bishop Saint Francis de Sales who entrusted him with the chaplaincy of the ‘visitandines’ (Order of the Visitation) of Paris, and the spiritual direction of Saint Joan of Chantal (1572-1641). Over time he became an advisor to authorities and rulers.

The good Vincent was a true friend of the dispossessed and a zealous apostle of his time. He left for the Father’s House on September 27, 1660.

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If you want to know more about Saint Vincent de Paul, we recommend this article from the Catholic Encyclopedia: https://ec.aciprensa.com/wiki/Vicente_de_Paul_San.

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