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Vincent de Paul | |
---|---|
Priest and founder | |
Born | 24 April 1581 Pouy, Gascony, Kingdom of France |
Died | 27 September 1660 79) Paris, Kingdom of France | (aged
Venerated in | |
Beatified | 13 August 1729, Rome, Papal States by Pope Benedict XIII |
Canonized | 16 June 1737, Rome, Papal States by Pope Clement XII |
Major shrine | Saint Vincent de Paul Chapel, 95, Rue de Sèvres, Paris, France |
Feast | 27 September 19 July (Roman Calendar, 1737–1969) |
Patronage |
|
Vincent de Paul, CM (24 April 1581 – 27 September 1660), commonly known as Saint Vincent de Paul, was an Occitan French Catholic priest who dedicated himself to serving the poor.
In 1622, Vincent was appointed as chaplain to the galleys. After working for some time in Paris among imprisoned galley slaves, he returned to be the superior of what is now known as the Congregation of the Mission, or the "Vincentians" (in France known as "Lazaristes"), which he co-founded.
These Vincentian priests, with vows of poverty, chastity, obedience, and stability, were to devote themselves entirely to the people in smaller towns and villages. Vincent was zealous in conducting retreats for clergy at a time when the local clergy's morals were flagging. He was a pioneer in seminary education and also founded the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul. He is the namesake of the Vincentian Family of organizations, which includes both of the religious communities he founded.
He was renowned for his compassion, humility, and generosity. Vincent was canonized in 1737 and is venerated as a saint in both the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion. [1]
Vincent de Paul was born in 1581 in the village of Pouy, in the province of Guyenne and Gascony, the Kingdom of France, [2] : 18 to peasant farmers; his father was Jean and his mother Bertrande de Moras de Paul. There was a stream named the "Paul" in the vicinity and it is believed that this might have been the derivation of the family name. He wrote the name as one word – Depaul, possibly to avoid the inference that he was of noble birth, but none of his correspondents did so. [2] : 21–22 He had three brothers – Jean, Bernard, and Gayon – and two sisters, Marie and Marie-Claudine. [3] He was the third child. He demonstrated a talent for literacy early in life, but also worked as a child, herding his family's livestock. [2] At 15, his father sent him to seminary, which he paid for by selling the family's oxen. [4]
For three years, Vincent studied at a college in Dax, Aquitaine. It adjoined a monastery of the Friars Minor, where he resided. In 1597, he enrolled in theology at the University of Toulouse. The atmosphere at the university was rough. Fights broke out between various factions of students which escalated into armed battles. An official was murdered by two students. Nevertheless, he continued his studies, financing them by tutoring others. He was ordained on 23 September 1600, at the age of nineteen, in Château-l'Évêque, near Périgueux. This was against the regulations established by the Council of Trent which required a minimum of 24 years of age for ordination, so when he was appointed parish priest in Tilh, the appointment was appealed in the Court of Rome. Rather than respond to a lawsuit in which he would probably not have prevailed, he resigned from the position and continued his studies. On 12 October 1604, he received his Bachelor of Theology from the University of Toulouse. Later he received a Licentiate in Canon Law from the University of Paris. [2] : 31
Vincent wrote a letter in July 1607 and a postscript in February 1608 that described his experience of abduction and slavery. In 1605, Vincent sailed from Marseilles on his way back from Castres where he had gone to sell property he had inherited from a wealthy patron in Toulouse. He was taken captive by Barbary pirates, who took him to Tunis. [5] De Paul was auctioned off as a slave, and spent two years in bondage. [6]
His first master was a fisherman, but Vincent was unsuitable for this line of work due to sea sickness and was soon sold. His next master was a spagyrical physician, alchemist and inventor. He became fascinated by his art and was taught how to prepare and administer his master's remedies. The fame of Vincent's master became so great that it attracted the attention of men who summoned him to Istanbul. During the passage, the old man died and Vincent was sold once again. [2] : 50 His new master was a former Catholic priest and Franciscan from Nice, Guillaume Gautier. Gautier had converted to Islam in order to gain his freedom from slavery and was living in the mountains with three wives. The second wife, a Muslim by birth, was drawn to and visited Vincent in the fields to question him about his faith. She became convinced that his faith was true and admonished her husband for renouncing his Christianity. Her husband became remorseful and decided to escape back to France with his slave. They had to wait ten months, but finally they secretly boarded a small boat and crossed the Mediterranean, landing in Aigues-Mortes on 29 June 1607. [2] : 52
Early biographies referred to Vincent's letters in describing his capture and enslavement from 1605 to 1607. More recently, however, some biographers have raised doubts about that narrative but have not suggested any alternative account of Vincent's life during those two years. The biographer Pierre Coste, who wrote Monsieur Vincent, a comprehensive biography based on correspondence, interviews, and documents, publicly confirmed the accuracy of Vincent's captivity and enslavement. According to Antoine Rédier, however, Coste privately questioned the reliability of Vincent's letters about his enslavement but kept those doubts private to avoid scandal and potential backlash. [7] [8] [9] Skeptics agree that the letters themselves were written by Vincent, but question Vincent's account of the events of 1605–1607. Pierre Grandchamps and Paul Debongnie have argued that the captivity narrative is implausible, whereas the analysis of Guy Turbet‑Delof strongly supported Vincent's account and concluded as follows: "There is nothing in Vincent's writing, or in other sources, that would lead us to reject his testimony. In conclusion, we must accept one of two alternatives; either Vincent de Paul was a prisoner in Tunis from 1605 to 1607, or we must regard his letter of 24th July, 1607, and the postscript dated 28th February, 1608, as a brilliant fraud which he perpetrated without any possible access to literary or other sources for inspiration." [9]
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. André Duval, of the Sorbonne introduced him to Canfield's "Rule of Perfection". [10] Vincent was by nature a rather irascible person, but he slowly learned to become more sensitive to the needs of others. [11]
In 1612 he was sent as a parish priest to the Church of Saint-Medard in Clichy. In less than a year, Bérulle recalled him to Paris to serve as a chaplain and tutor to the Gondi family. [5] "Although Vincent had initially begun his priesthood with the intention of securing a life of leisure for himself, he underwent a change of heart after hearing the confession of a dying peasant." [12] It was the Countess de Gondi who persuaded her husband to endow and support a group of able and zealous missionaries who would work among poor tenant farmers and country people in general. [11]
On 13 May 1643, with Louis XIII dead, Queen Anne had her husband's will annulled by the Parlement de Paris (a judicial body comprising mostly nobles and high clergymen), making her the sole Regent. Anne nominated Vincent de Paul as her spiritual adviser; he helped her deal with religious policy and the Jansenism question.
Vincent is the patron of all works of charity. A number of organizations specifically inspired by his work and teaching and which claim Vincent as their founder or patron saint are grouped in a loose federation known as the Vincentian Family. The 1996 publication The Vincentian Family Tree presents an overview of related communities from a genealogical perspective. [13]
In 1617, Vincent began serving poor families in Paris, bringing them food and comfort. He organized wealthy women of Paris as the Confraternities of Charity to assist 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. [14] This participation of women would eventually result in, with the help of Louise de Marillac, the founding of the lay-led Ladies of Charity and the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul (French : Filles de la Charité), [1] a society of apostolic life for women.
In 1622 Vincent was appointed a chaplain to the galleys. [3] After working for some time in Paris among imprisoned slaves there, he founded what is now known as the Congregation of the Mission, or the "Vincentians" (also known in parts of Europe as the "Lazarists"). These priests, with vows of poverty, chastity, obedience, and stability, were to devote themselves entirely to the people in smaller towns and villages. [11]
Vincent was zealous in conducting retreats for clergy at a time when there was great laxity, abuse, and ignorance among them. He was a pioneer in clerical training and was instrumental in establishing seminaries. [11] He spent 28 years serving as the spiritual director of the Convent of St. Mary of Angels. [15]
Vincent died in Paris on 27 September 1660. [5]
The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, a charitable organization dedicated to the service of the poor, was established in 1833 by French university students, led by Frédéric Ozanam. The society is today present in 153 countries. [16]
In 1705, the Superior General of the Congregation of the Mission requested that the holy process of Vincent's canonization be instituted. On 13 August 1729 he was declared blessed by Pope Benedict XIII. He was canonized nearly eight years later by Pope Clement XII on 16 June 1737. [5]
Vincent's 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, Saint Vincent de Paul Chapel, rue de Sèvres. His heart is still incorrupt, and is displayed in a reliquary in the chapel of the motherhouse of the Daughters of Charity in Paris. [17]
In 1737, Vincent's feast day was included in the Roman Calendar for celebration on 19 July, this date being chosen because his day of death was already used for the feast of Saints Cosmas and Damian. The new celebration was given the rank of "Double", and was changed to the rank of "Third-Class Feast" in 1960. [18] The 1969 revision of the General Roman Calendar transferred his memorial to 27 September, moving Cosmas and Damian to 26 September to make way for him, as he is now better known in the West than them. [19]
Vincent is honored with a Lesser Festival on 27 September in the Church of England. [20] [21] The Episcopal Church liturgical calendar honors him together with Louise de Marillac on 15 March. [22]
One of the feasts celebrated by the French Deist Church of the Theophilanthropy was dedicated to Vincent. [23]
Niagara University in Lewiston, New York, St. John's University in New York City, and DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois, were founded in 1856, [24] 1870, [25] and 1898, [26] respectively, by the Congregation of the Mission in the United States. Many high schools are named after Vincent.
Parishes are dedicated to Vincent in Los Angeles; [27] Washington, D.C.; [28] Omaha, Nebraska; [29] Mays Landing, New Jersey; [30] Mt. Vernon, Ohio. [31] Houston, Texas; [32] Delray Beach, Florida; Wheeling, West Virginia, [33] Coventry, Rhode Island, Churchville, New York, [34] Peryville, Missouri, [35] Lenox Dale, Massachusetts, [36] Girardville, Pennsylvania, [37] Arlington, Texas, Denver, Colorado, [38] Malang (Indonesia), [39] Philippines and elsewhere. [40]
Countless books, films, and monuments have been dedicated to his memory around the globe.
The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul is an international voluntary organization in the Catholic Church, founded in 1833 for the sanctification of its members by personal service of the poor. Started by Frédéric Ozanam and Emmanuel-Joseph Bailly de Surcy and named after Vincent de Paul, the organization is part of the global Vincentian Family of Catholic organizations.
Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton was a Catholic religious sister in the United States and an educator, known as a founder of the country's parochial school system. Born in New York and reared as an Episcopalian, she married and had five children with her husband William Seton. Two years after his death, she converted to Catholicism in 1805.
The Congregation of the Mission, abbreviated CM and commonly called the Vincentians or Lazarists, is a Catholic society of apostolic life of pontifical right for men founded by Vincent de Paul. It is associated with the Vincentian Family, a loose federation of organizations that look to Vincent de Paul as their founder or patron.
Catherine Labouré, DC was a French member of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul and a Marian visionary. She is believed to have relayed the request from the Blessed Virgin Mary to create the Miraculous Medal, now worn by millions of people around the world. Labouré spent forty years caring for the aged and infirm. For this, she is called the patroness of seniors.
Joseph Rosati, CM was an Italian-born Catholic missionary to the United States who served as the first Bishop of Saint Louis from 1826 to 1843. A member of the Congregation of the Mission, in 1820 he was appointed provincial superior over all the Vincentians in the United States.
Many religious communities have the term Sisters of Charity in their name. Some Sisters of Charity communities refer to the Vincentian tradition alone, or in America to the tradition of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, but others are unrelated. The rule of Vincent de Paul for the Daughters of Charity has been adopted and adapted by at least sixty founders of religious institutes for sisters around the world.
Antoine-Frédéric Ozanam was a French Catholic literary scholar, lawyer, journalist and equal rights advocate. He founded with fellow students the Conference of Charity, later known as the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II in the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris in 1997. His feast day is 9 September.
The Company of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, commonly called the Daughters of Charity or Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, is a Society of Apostolic Life for women within the Catholic Church. Its members make annual vows throughout their life, which leaves them always free to leave, without the need of ecclesiastical permission. They were founded in 1633 by Vincent de Paul and state that they are devoted to serving the poor through the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.
Pierre Toussaint was a formerly enslaved Haitian-American hairdresser and philanthropist, brought to New York City by his enslavers in 1787. He was declared Venerable by Pope John Paul II in 1996.
Louise de Marillac , also known as Louise Le Gras, was the co-founder, with Vincent de Paul, of the Daughters of Charity. She is venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church and the Episcopal Church in the United States of America.
The Sisters of Charity Federation in the Vincentian-Setonian Tradition is an organization of fourteen congregations of religious women in the Catholic Church who trace their lineage to Saint Elizabeth Seton, Saint Vincent de Paul, and Saint Louise de Marillac.
A society of apostolic life is a group of men or women within the Catholic Church who have come together for a specific purpose and live fraternally. It is regarded as a form of consecrated life.
William Turner was an Irish-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as bishop of the Diocese of Buffalo in New York from 1919 until his death in 1936.
The Chapel of Graces of the Miraculous Virgin or informally the Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, is a Marian shrine located in Paris, France.
The Vincentian Studies Institute of the United States (VSI) is an American Catholic research outfit at DePaul Universityin Chicago, Illinois. It promotes research on the Vincentian Family.
Michael Domenec, DD, C.M. full name Miquel Joan Josep Domènech i Veciana, was a Spanish prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the second bishop of the Diocese of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania from 1860 to 1876 and as the only bishop of the short-lived Diocese of Allegheny in Pennsylvania from 1876 to 1877.
John Gabriel Perboyre, CM was a French priest of the Congregation of the Mission, who served as a missionary in China, where he suffered martyrdom. He was canonized in 1996 by Pope John Paul II.
François-Régis Clet, CM was a French Catholic missionary who served in East Asia during the 19th century as a member of the Vincentians. He was canonized in 2000 as one of the Martyr Saints of China in the Catholic Church.
The College of the Immaculate Conception of Concordia, commonly known as Concordia College Manila, is a private Catholic basic and higher education institution run by Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul in Paco, Manila, in the Philippines. The college was founded in 1868. The institution is affiliated with DC-SLMES(St. Louise de Marillac Educational System).
Marie de Mandat-Grancey, Daughters of Charity, was a Roman Catholic religious sister, best known for her involvement in the discovery of the House of the Virgin Mary in Ephesus, Turkey.