Saint Vincent de Paul 17C. Served Poor

Saint Vincent de Paul was born on April 24, 1581, and died on September 27, 1660. Saint Vincent de Paul dedicated his entire life to serving the poor and is renowned worldwide for his efforts. Learning about him should be interesting. He was a French Priest who, in 1622, was appointed the chaplain of the galleys in Paris; that is where the slaves were. Interestingly, Saint Vincent de Paul was zealous in going on retreats for the clergy at a time when the local clergy’s morals were in decline. De Paul was famous for his compassion, humility, and generosity. He was canonized in 1737. Do you give to the Saint Vincent de Paul Society?

Saint Vincent de Paul Biography

Saint Vincent de Paul was born in 1581. There was a stream named the “Paul” in the of where he was born in France, and it is probably named after his family. He was of noble birth, though he did not like that fact and hid it in his correspondence. He had three brothers and two sisters. He was the third child and was able to read and write at an early age. He also worked as a child, herding his family’s livestock. At age 15, his father sent him to a seminary, which he paid for by selling the family’s oxen.

Saint Vincent de Paul studied at a college for three years. It adjoined a monastery of the Friars Minor, where he resided. In 1597, he enrolled in theology at the University of Toulouse. There, he paid his tuition by tutoring other students. He was ordained on  September 23, 1600. He was only 19.

Saint Vincent de Paul was a slave after hw was captured by Barbary pirates. We know this because he wrote letters during the time of his captivity (in 1307-1068). He was captured as he sailed from Marseille on his way back from Castres. His first master was a fisherman, but he was not good at this line of work due to sea sickness and was soon sold. His next master was a spagyrical physician, alchemist, and inventor. During the passage, the old man died, and Vincent was sold once again. His new master was a former Catholic priest and Franciscan from Nice.

After returning to France, Vincent went to Rome. There he continued his studies until 1609, when he was sent back 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. On May 13, 1643, Louis XIII died, and the widow, Queen Anne, had her husband’s will annulled by the Parlement de Paris. She became the sole Regent. Anne nominated Saint Vincent de Paul as her spiritual adviser; he helped her deal with religious policy and the Jansenism question.

In 1617, he began serving poor families in Paris, bringing them food and comfort. He organized wealthy women of Paris as the Confraternities of Charity to help 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. In 1622, Saint Vincent de Paul was made a chaplain to the galleys.

Saint Vincent de Paul died in 1660. His body was exhumed in 1712, 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 1737, 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.. His heart is still incorrupt, and is displayed in a reliquary in the chapel of the motherhouse of the Daughters of Charity in Paris.

Conclusion

Saint Vincent de Paul is remembered in the best possible way. The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, a charitable organization dedicated to the service of the poor, was established in 1833.. The society is present in 153 countries. Niagara University in Lewiston, New York, St. John’s University in New York City, and DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois, were founded in 1856, 1870, and 1898, respectively, by the Congregation of the Mission in the United States. Many high schools are named after Vincent.