Vincent de Paul

Vincent de Paul was a French Catholic priest who dedicated his life to serving the poor and the marginalized. He was born in 1581 in a peasant family in Pouy, Gascony. He showed an early talent for learning and was sent to study at a college in Dax and later at the University of Toulouse. He was ordained a priest in 1600 at the age of 19. He had various experiences that shaped his vocation, such as being captured by Turkish pirates and sold as a slave, serving as a chaplain to the galley slaves in Paris, and witnessing the poverty and misery of the rural poor. He founded the Congregation of the Mission, also known as the Vincentians or Lazarists, in 1625, with the aim of preaching missions to the peasants and training a clergy that would be faithful to the Gospel and attentive to the needs of the people. He also founded the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul in 1633, with the help of Louise de Marillac, as a community of women who would serve the poor, especially the sick, the orphaned, and the elderly. He established many charitable works, such as hospitals, orphanages, shelters, and soup kitchens. He also organized relief efforts for war victims, refugees, and prisoners. He was a spiritual director and advisor to many people, including nobles, bishops, and religious. He died in Paris on September 27, 1660, after a long illness. He was canonized by Pope Clement XII in 1737 and declared patron of all charitable works by Pope Leo XIII in 1885. His feast day is celebrated on September 27.