Biography of saint vincent de paul

17th Century French priest and saint

"St Vincent de Paul" redirects here. For other uses, see Vincent de Paul (disambiguation).

Saint Vincent de Paul C.M.
Seventeenth-century portrait of Vincent by Simon François de Tours
Born	24 April Pouy, Gascony, Kingdom of France
Died	27 September () (aged&#;79) Paris, Kingdom of France
Venerated&#;in
Beatified	13 August , Rome, Papal States by Pope Benedict XIII
Canonized	16 June , Rome, Papal States by Pope Clement XII
Major shrine	Saint Vincent de Paul Chapel, 95, Rue de Sèvres, Paris, France
Feast	27 September 19 July (Roman Calendar, –)
Patronage

Vincent de Paul, CM (24 April – 27 September ), commonly known as Saint Vincent de Paul, was an Occitan French Catholic priest who devoted himself to serving the penniless.

In , Vincent was appointed as chaplain to the galleys. After working for some period in Paris among imprisoned galley slaves, he returned to be the superior of what is now known as the Congregation of the Mission, or the "Vincentians" (in France known as "Lazaristes"), which he co-founded.

These Vincentian 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 the local clergy's morals were flagging.

The French priest St. Vincent de Paul organized works of charity, founded hospitals, and started two Roman Catholic religious orders. Vincent de Paul was born into a peasant family on April 24,in the village of Pouy in southwestern France. He studied theology at the University of Toulouse, was ordained a priest at 19, and completed his theological studies 4 years later.

He was a pioneer in seminary education and also founded the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul. He is the namesake of the Vincentian Family of organizations, which includes both of the religious communities he founded.

He was renowned for his compassion, humility, and generosity.

Vincent was canonized in and is venerated as a saint in both the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion.^[1]

Early life and education

Vincent de Paul was born in in the village of Pouy, in the province of Guyenne and Gascony, Kingdom of France,^[2]:&#;18&#; to peasant farmers.

His father was Jean de Paul and his mother was Bertrande de Moras. There was a stream named the "Paul" in the vicinity, and it is believed that this might contain been the derivation of the family name. He wrote the name as one word, Depaul (possibly to avoid the inference that he was of noble birth), but none of his correspondents did so.^{[2]:&#;21–22&#;} He had three brothers (Jean, Bernard, and Gayon) and two sisters (Marie and Marie-Claudine).^[3] He was the third child and demonstrated a talent for literacy early in life.

He also worked as a child, herding his family's livestock.^[2] At age 15, his father sent him to a seminary, which he paid for by selling the family's oxen.^[4]

For three years, Vincent studied at a college in Dax, Aquitaine.

It adjoined a monastery of the Friars Minor, where he resided. In , he enrolled in theology at the University of Toulouse. The atmosphere at the university was rough.

Toggle share options: Saint Vincent de Paul, French saint, founder of the Congregation of the Mission (Lazarists, or Vincentians) for preaching missions to the peasantry and for educating and training a pastoral clergy. Known for his charity and compassion for the poor, he is the patron saint of charitable societies.

Fights broke out between various factions of students which escalated into armed battles. An official was murdered by two students. Nevertheless, he continued his studies, financing them by tutoring others. He was ordained on 23 September , at the age of nineteen, in Château-l'Évêque, near Périgueux.

This was against the regulations established by the Council of Trent which required a minimum of 24 years of age for ordination, so when he was appointed parish priest in Tilh, the appointment was appealed in the Court of Rome. Rather than respond to a lawsuit in which he would probably not have prevailed, he resigned from the position and continued his studies.

On 12 October , he received his Bachelor of Theology from the University of Toulouse. Later he received a Licentiate in Canon Law from the University of Paris.^[2]:&#;31&#;

Abduction and slavery

Vincent wrote a letter in July and a postscript in February that described his experience of abduction and slavery.

In , Vincent sailed from Marseilles on his way back from Castres where he had gone to sell property he had inherited from a wealthy patron in Toulouse. He was taken captive by Barbary pirates, who took him to Tunis.^[5] De Paul was auctioned off as a slave, and spent two years in bondage.^[6]

His first master was a fisherman, but Vincent was unsuitable for this line of work due to sea sickness and was soon sold.

His next master was a spagyrical physician, alchemist and inventor. He became fascinated by his art and was taught how to prepare and administer his master's remedies. The fame of Vincent's master became so great that it attracted the attention of men who summoned him to Istanbul.

During the passage, the old bloke died and Vincent was sold once again.^[2]:&#;50&#; His new master was a former Catholic priest and Franciscan from Nice, Guillaume Gautier. Gautier had converted to Islam in order to acquire his freedom from slavery and was living in the mountains with three wives.

The second wife, a Muslim by birth, was drawn to and visited Vincent in the fields to question him about his faith. She became convinced that his faith was true and admonished her husband for renouncing his Christianity. Her husband became remorseful and decided to escape endorse to France with his slave.

They had to wait ten months, but finally they secretly boarded a small boat and crossed the Mediterranean, landing in Aigues-Mortes on 29 June ^[2]:&#;52&#;

Controversies about abduction narrative

Early biographies referred to Vincent's letters in characterizing his capture and enslavement from to More recently, however, some biographers have raised doubts about that narrative but have not suggested any alternative account of Vincent's life during those two years.

The biographer Pierre Coste, who wrote Monsieur Vincent, a comprehensive biography based on correspondence, interviews, and documents, publicly confirmed the accuracy of Vincent's captivity and enslavement. According to Antoine Rédier, however, Coste privately questioned the reliability of Vincent's letters about his enslavement but kept those doubts private to evade scandal and potential backlash.^[7][8][9] Skeptics agree that the letters themselves were written by Vincent, but question Vincent's account of the events of – Pierre Grandchamps and Paul Debongnie have argued that the captivity narrative is implausible, whereas the analysis of Guy Turbet‑Delof strongly supported Vincent's account and concluded as follows: "There is nothing in Vincent's writing, or in other sources, that would lead us to reject his testimony.

In ending, we must accept one of two alternatives; either Vincent de Paul was a prisoner in Tunis from to , or we must regard his letter of 24th July, , and the postscript dated 28th February, , as a brilliant fraud which he perpetrated without any possible access to literary or other sources for inspiration."^[9]

Return to Europe

After returning to France, Vincent went to Rome.

St. Vincent de Paul was born to a poor peasant family in the French village of Pouy on April 24, His first formal education was provided by the Franciscans. He did so well, he was hired to tutor the children of a nearby wealthy family.

There he continued his studies until , when he was sent endorse to France on a mission to King Henry IV. Once in France, he made the acquaintance of Pierre de Bérulle, whom he took as his spiritual advisor. André Duval, of the Sorbonne introduced him to Canfield's "Rule of Perfection".^[10] Vincent was by nature a rather irascible person, but he gradually learned to become more sensitive to the needs of others.^[11]

In he was sent as a parish priest to the Church of Saint-Medard in Clichy.

In less than a year, Bérulle recalled him to Paris to serve as a chaplain and tutor to the Gondi family.^[5] "Although Vincent had initially begun his priesthood with the intention of securing a life of leisure for himself, he underwent a change of heart after hearing the confession of a dying peasant."^[12] It was the Countess de Gondi who persuaded her husband to endow and support a group of qualified and zealous missionaries who would work among poor tenant farmers and country people in general.^[11]

On 13 May , with Louis XIII dead, Queen Anne had her husband's will annulled by the Parlement de Paris (a judicial body comprising mostly nobles and high clergymen), making her the sole Regent.

Anne nominated Vincent de Paul as her spiritual adviser; he helped her deal with religious policy and the Jansenism question.

Foundations of the Vincentian Family

Vincent is the patron of all works of charity.

A number of organizations specifically inspired by his perform and teaching and which claim Vincent as their founder or patron saint are grouped in a loose federation known as the Vincentian Family. The publication The Vincentian Family Tree presents an overview of related communities from a genealogical perspective.^[13]

Confraternities, Ladies, and Daughters of Charity

In , Vincent began serving poor families in Paris, bringing them diet and comfort.

He organized wealthy women of Paris as the Confraternities of Charity to assist with this work, collect funds for missionary projects, found hospitals, and gather relief funds to assist victims of war and ransom 1, galley slaves from North Africa.^[14] This participation of women would eventually result in, with the help of Louise de Marillac, the founding of the lay-led Ladies of Aid and the Daughters of Help of Saint Vincent de Paul (French: Filles de la Charité),^[1] a society of apostolic being for women.

Congregation of the Mission

In Vincent was appointed a chaplain to the galleys.^[3] 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.^[11]

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.^[11] He spent 28 years serving as the spiritual director of the Convent of St. Mary of Angels.^[15]

Death

Vincent died in Paris on 27 September ^[5]

The World of Saint Vincent de Paul

The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, a charitable organization consecrated to the service of the poor, was established in by French university students, led by Frédéric Ozanam.

The society is today present in countries.^[16]

Veneration

In , the Superior General of the Congregation of the Mission requested that the holy process of Vincent's canonization be instituted.

On 13 August he was declared blessed by Pope Benedict XIII. He was canonized nearly eight years later by Pope Clement XII on 16 June ^[5]

Vincent's body was exhumed in , 53 years after his death.

The written account of an eyewitness states that "the eyes and nose alone showed some decay". However, when it was exhumed again during the canonization in , it was set up 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.^[17]

In , Vincent's feast day was included in the Roman Calendar for celebration on 19 July, this rendezvous being chosen because his evening of death was already used for the feast of Saints Cosmas and Damian.

The brand-new celebration was given the rank of "Double", and was changed to the rank of "Third-Class Feast" in ^[18] The revision of the General Roman Calendar transferred his memorial to 27 September, moving Cosmas and Damian to 26 September to create way for him, as he is now better known in the West than them.^[19]

Vincent is honored with a Lesser Festival on 27 September in the Church of England.^[20][21] The Episcopal Church liturgical calendar honors him together with Louise de Marillac on 15 March.^[22]

One of the feasts celebrated by the French Deist Church of the Theophilanthropy was dedicated to Vincent.^[23]

Legacy

Niagara University in Lewiston, New York, St.

John's University in New York City, and DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois, were founded in ,^[24] ,^[25] and ,^[26] respectively, by the Congregation of the Mission in the United States. Many high schools are named after Vincent.

Parishes are assigned to Vincent in Los Angeles;^[27] Washington, D.C.;^[28]Omaha, Nebraska;^[29]Mays Landing, Modern Jersey;^[30]Mt.

Vincent de Paul. Vincent de Paul was born to a poor peasant family in the French village of Pouy on April 24, His first formal education was provided by the Franciscans. He did so well, he was hired to tutor the children of a nearby wealthy family.

Vernon, Ohio.^[31]Houston, Texas;^[32]Delray Beach, Florida; Wheeling, West Virginia,^[33]Coventry, Rhode Island, Churchville, Modern York,^[34] Peryville, Missouri,^[35]Lenox Dale, Massachusetts,^[36]Girardville, Pennsylvania,^[37]Arlington, Texas, Denver, Colorado,^[38]Malang (Indonesia),^[39]Philippines and elsewhere.^[40]

Countless books, films, and monuments have been dedicated to his memory around the globe.

See also

References

External links