Vincent de Paul

Who they were

Vincent was born in 1581 to a peasant family in Gascony. A benefactor noticed his intelligence and paid for his studies; he was ordained at 19 in 1600. Sailing from Marseille to Narbonne, he was captured by pirates and sold as a slave in Tunis, winning his freedom two years later when his third master became a Christian.

Made parish priest of Clichy near Paris in 1612, he met Cardinal Bérulle, then became tutor to the children of the Gondi family, where he saw the vast gulf between rich and poor. In a country parish he organised his parishioners to help a sick, starving family, and learned that charity needs organisation. He founded the Congregation of the Mission to preach to the rural poor and the Daughters of Charity. He died in 1660, aged 79, leaving no writings: charity was his masterpiece.

The miracles

In 1885 Pope Leo XIII named him patron of all Catholic charitable associations. The miracles examined for his canonisation are not described in the sources we have used.

Why that counted as sanctity

Vincent found Christ in the poor and served both as one love: 'Let us love God, but let it be at our own expense, with the labour of our arms and the sweat of our brow.'

Connected on this site

• Catherine Labouré Saint
  “Catherine Labouré, DC (2 May 1806 – 31 December 1876) was a French member of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul and a Marian visionary.” — Wikipedia
• Gianna Beretta Molla Saint
  “Molla also dedicated herself to charitable work amongst the elderly and was involved in Catholic Action; she also aided the Saint Vincent de Paul group in their outreach to the poor and less fortunate.” — Wikipedia
• José Maria de Yermo y Parres Saint
  “He also was once a vowed member of the Congregation of the Mission due to his devotion to Saint Vincent de Paul but left it after experiencing a sudden vocational crisis.” — Wikipedia
• Louise Marillac Saint
  “Louise de Marillac , also known as Louise Le Gras, (August 12, 1591 – March 15, 1660) was the co-founder, with Vincent de Paul, of the Daughters of Charity.” — Wikipedia
• Pier Giorgio Frassati Saint
  “He was dedicated to social justice issues and joined several charitable organizations, including Catholic Action and the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, to better aid the poor and less fortunate living in his hometown of Turin.” — Wikipedia
• Alain de Solminihac Blessed
  “He was also a member of the Compagnie du Saint-Sacrement, and acquainted with Vincent de Paul and Francis de Sales.” — Wikipedia
• Alfonso Navarrete Blessed
  “Celebrated for his social work he has been called the Vincent de Paul of Japan and at some point became Master of the Order of Preachers in the country.” — Wikipedia
• Edmund Bojanowski Blessed
  “Vincent de Paul led to his contemporaries famously nicknaming him the "second St.” — Wikipedia
• Federico Albert Blessed
  “He founded the Vincentian Sisters of Mary Immaculate, the Albertines, to educate the young and care for the sick and needy in the spirit of St Vincent de Paul.” — this site's research
• Franciscana Cirer Blessed
  “Francinaina Cirer Carbonell (1 June 1781 – 27 February 1855) was a Spanish Roman Catholic member of the Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul of Mallorca.” — Wikipedia
• Frédéric Ozanam Blessed
  “He founded with fellow students the Conference of Charity, later known as the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul.” — Wikipedia
• Giuseppina Nicoli Blessed
  “Giuseppina Nicoli, DC (18 November 1863 – 31 December 1924) was an Italian Catholic member of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul who served as a catechist in Sardinia.” — Wikipedia