St. Vincent de Paul

Today is the feast of St. Vincent de Paul, and we pray today especially for members of the society of St Vincent de Paul, who helps us to reach out to those in need in our community. So often, the parish office receives phone calls, asking for help, with utility bills and food allowance, and the members of the society reaches out to them, and let us be thankful for the people who helped us to connect with the poor.

St Vincent de Paul, came from humble origins, and was born in April 1581.  He received formal education by the Franciscans.  He did very well in school that he was hired to tutor children from a wealthy home.  With the funds he was able to attend university and was ordained in 1600.  Then the story is kind of like St Patrick, because he was captured and sold as a slave, but he managed to escape two years later.  St. Vincent went to Avignon and later to Rome to continue his studies. While there he became a chaplain to the Count of Goigny and was placed in charge of distributing money to the deserving poor. He became pastor of a small parish in Clichy for a short period of time, while also serving as a tutor and spiritual director.

From that point forward he spent his life preaching missions to and providing relief to the poor. He even established hospitals for them. This work became his passion. He later extended his concern and ministry to convicts. The need to evangelize and assist these souls was so great and the demands beyond his own ability to meet that he founded the Ladies of Charity, a lay institute of woman, to help, as well as a religious institute of priests - the Congregation of Priests of the Mission, commonly referred to now as the Vincentians

This was at a time when there were not many priests in France and what priests there were, were neither well-formed nor faithful to their way of life. Vincent helped reform the clergy and the manner in which they were instructed and prepared for the priesthood. He did this first through the presentation of retreats and later by helping develop a precursor to our modern day seminaries. At one point his community was directing 53 upper level seminaries. His retreats, open to priests and laymen, were so well attended that it is said he infused a "Christian spirit among more than 20,000 persons in his last 23 years."

The Vincentians remain with us today with nearly 4,000 members in 86 countries. In addition to his order of Vincentian priests, St. Vincent cofounded the Daughters of Charity along with St. Louise de Marillac. There are more than 18,000 Daughters today serving the needs of the poor in 94 countries. He was eighty years old when he died in Paris on September 27, 1660.He had "become the symbol of the successful reform of the French Church". St. Vincent is sometimes referred to as "The Apostle of Charity" His incorrupt heart can be found in the Convent of the Sisters of Charity and his bones have been embedded in a wax effigy of the Saint located at the Church of the Lazarist Mission. Both sites are located in Paris, France.

Beatified him on August 13, 1729. He was canonized 8 years later by Pope Clement XIII. The Bull of Canonization recognized Vincent for his charity and reform of the clergy, as well as for his early role in opposing Jansenism. It has been reported that St. Vincent wrote more than 30,000 letters in his lifetime and that nearly 7,000 had been collected in the 18th century. There are at least five collections of his letters in existence today.

From his biography, St Vincent de Paul lived a very active and productive life.  From his experience growing up from humble beginnings, he wanted to reach out to those in need.  And he also did many wonderful things for Christ and Holy Mother Church, setting up organizations to help form priests and seminarians and recruited many people to care for the poor of Christ.  Happy feast day of St Vincent de Paul.