“The most powerful weapon to conquer the devil is humility. For, as he does not know at all how to employ it, neither does he know how to defend himself from it.”- St. Vincent de Paul

On April 24, 1581, in the French town of Pouy, St. Vincent de Paul was born into a lowly peasant family. The Franciscans gave him his initial formal schooling. He excelled to the point where a wealthy local family engaged him to tutor their children. He pursued his official education in theology at the University of Toulouse using the money he made from teaching.

He lived in Toulouse for a while after receiving his ordination in 1600. He was captured on a ship sailing from Marseilles to Narbonne in 1605, taken to Tunis, and sold as a slave. Two years later, he and his master were able to flee and made their way back to France.

For further study, St. Vincent traveled to Avignon and then Rome. While there, he became the Count of Goigny's chaplain and was put in charge of delivering money to the worthy needy. For a little time, he took on the role of pastor of a tiny church in Clichy, in addition to his roles as a teacher and spiritual adviser.

From that moment on, he dedicated his life to preaching missions and offering aid to the needy. He even built them hospitals. He later expanded his care and ministry to prisoners because the need to evangelize and support these people was so serious. Since he was unable to meet the demands, he established the Congregation of Priests of the Mission, often known as the Vincentians, as a religious congregation of priests and the Ladies of Charity, a lay organization of women, to assist.

At the time, there were not many priests in France, and those who were there were neither well-trained nor devoted to their religion. Vincent played a role in changing the clergy's education and preparation for the priesthood. He accomplished this initially by offering retreats and then by aiding in the creation of a forerunner to our modern seminaries. It has been claimed that he instilled a "Christian spirit among more than 20,000 persons in his last 23 years" through his retreats, which were open to priests and laypeople.

On September 27, 1660, he passed away in Paris at the age of 80. St. Vincent is attributed with two miracles: the recovery of a laywoman from paralysis and the healing of an ulcer-ridden nun. Pope Benedict XIII beatified him on August 13, 1729, as a result of the first. On June 16, 1737, less than 8 years later, Pope Clement XII canonized him. Vincent was honored by the Bull of Canonization for his kindness, reform of the clergy, and early involvement in the fight against Jansenism.

His incorrupt heart is kept in the Sisters of Charity Convent, and his bones are preserved in a wax replica of the saint that is kept in the Lazarist Mission Church. Both sites are in Paris, France.

Over 30,000 of St. Vincent's letters are said to have been written during his lifetime, and about 7,000 of those letters were reportedly gathered in the 18th century. Today, there are at least five compilations of his letters.

With around 4,000 members in 86 nations, the Vincentians are still around today. Along with St. Louise de Marillac, St. Vincent co-founded the Daughters of Charity in addition to his order of Vincentian priests. Today, there are more than 18,000 Daughters serving the underprivileged in 94 nations.

St. Vincent is sometimes referred to as "The Father of the Poor" and "The Apostle of Charity." The feast day of St. Vincent de Paul, the patron of all charitable societies, is September 27.

Other Saints of the Day
Saint Bonfilius
Saint Absadi
Saint Ceraunus
Saint Elzear of Sabran
Saint John Mark