Saint of the Day: St. Vincent de Paul

Founder of the Congregation of the Missions and the Daughters of Charity (1580-1660)

His life

+ Born in 1580, Vincent was ordained when he was only twenty-years old and appointed to serve as chaplain of Queen Margaret of Valois. He later became the private chaplain to the powerful Gondi Family.

+ While ministering to peasants on the Gondi estate, Vincent came to understand that God was calling him to serve the poor and most marginalized.

+ Returning to Paris, Monsieur Vincent helped galley slaves, organized charitable confraternities to provide food and clothing for the poor, and founded a new community of priests and brothers dedicated to the missions and formation of the seminarians: the Congregation of the Missions (now more commonly known as the Vincentians). A short time later, aided by Saint Louise de Marillac, he founded the Daughters of Charity.

+ Always gentle, understanding, and aware of the needs of the poor, Vincent de Paul died in 1660. Canonized in 1737, he is honored as the patron saint of social workers.

+ Inspired by the life and mission of Saint Vincent, Blessed Frederic Ozanam established a charitable organization dedicated to the care of the sick and poor. Since 1833 Frederic’s “conference of charity”—the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul—has provided care for countless people in need throughout the world.

For prayer and reflection

“Since God surely loves the poor, he also loves those who love the poor. For when one person holds another dear, he also includes in his affection anyone who loves or serves the one he loves. That is why we hope that God will love us for the sake of the poor.”—Saint Vincent de Paul

Vocations

To learn about the Congregation of the Missions (the Vincentians), visit:

Western Province: www.vincentian.org

New England Province: www.cmnewengland.org

Eastern Province: www.cmeast.org

Prayer

O God, who for the relief of the poor
and the formation of the clergy
endowed the Priest Saint Vincent de Paul
with apostolic virtues,
grant, we pray, that, afire with that same spirit,
we may love what he loved
and put into practice what he taught.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.

(from The Roman Missal)

Saint profiles prepared by Brother Silas Henderson, S.D.S.