SAINT VINCENT DE PAUL

 

Saint Vincent de Paul
Saint Vincent de Paul

By Edward Matulanya 

Early Life and Education

Saint Vincent de Paul was born on April 24, 1581, in Pouy, Gascony (now Saint-Vincent-de-Paul), France, into a poor peasant family. At the age of 15, his father sold the family’s oxen to finance his education at the seminary in Dax. Vincent later studied theology at the University of Toulouse and was ordained a priest in 1600 (Catholic.org, n.d.; Wikipedia, 2025).

Captivity and Conversion

In 1605, Vincent was captured by Barbary pirates and sold into slavery in Tunis. After two years, he escaped and returned to France, where he resumed his theological studies in Rome and Paris (Catholic.org, n.d.).

Commitment to the Poor

Vincent's life took a transformative turn after hearing the confession of a dying peasant, leading him to dedicate himself to serving the poor. He founded the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians) in 1625 to evangelize the rural poor and train clergy (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2025). In 1633, he co-founded the Daughters of Charity with Louise de Marillac, a pioneering non-cloistered religious institute dedicated to active charitable works (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2025).

Charitable Initiatives

Vincent organized laywomen into Confraternities of Charity to care for the sick and poor. He established hospitals, orphanages, and shelters, and was instrumental in the training of priests and the establishment of seminaries (Catholic.org, n.d.; Wikipedia, 2025).

Legacy and Canonization

Saint Vincent de Paul died on September 27, 1660, in Paris. He was beatified in 1729 and canonized in 1737 by Pope Clement XII (Wikipedia, 2025). His feast day is celebrated on September 27.

References

Catholic.org. (n.d.). St. Vincent de Paul. Retrieved from https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=326

Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2025, August 2). Saint Vincent de Paul. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Vincent-de-Paul

Wikipedia. (2025, August 2). Vincent de Paul. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_de_Paul

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

FAITH OF ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

Image
Image of Catholic Church at Vatican By Edward Matulanya Here are Meaning, believe, founder, sacraments, teaching source, Morals, source of faith, History and key teaching of Roman Catholic Church. 1. Meaning of Roman Catholic Church  The Roman Catholic Church means the universal Christian community under the leadership of the Bishop of Rome (the Pope). 2. Understand the Core Beliefs of the Roman Catholic Faith The Roman Catholic Church belief in one God in three persons ; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Catechism of the Catholic Church [CCC], 1997, §234; Matt. 28:19). Catholics hold that Jesus Christ is true God and true man, whose incarnation, death, and resurrection bring salvation to humanity (CCC, 1997, §§461–463; John 1:14). 2. Founder of Roman Catholic Church  The Church, founded by Christ on the apostles with the pope as Peter’s successor, is “the universal sacrament of salvation” (CCC, 1997, §774; Matt. 16:18–19). Salvation is a gift of grace received through faith ...
Read more

TWELVE APOSTLES OF JESUS

Image
  Jesus Christ with twelve apostles at last feast By Edward Matulanya Here are twelve apostles chosen by Jesus, celebration of Eucharist, their mission, their succession, their liturgical Celebration a summary of their lives.  The Catholic Church teaches that Jesus personally chose and appointed the Twelve to share in His mission and to lay the foundation of the Church. Twelve apostles chosen by Jesus  Jesus called his disciples, and chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles (Luke 6:13, NABRE). They were to be with Him, to preach, and to have authority to drive out demons (Mark 3:13-19). Celebration of Eucharist At the Last Supper He conferred on them a share in His priesthood and the command to celebrate the Eucharist (Luke 22:19–20; Catechism of the Catholic Church [CCC], 1994/2019, §§859–860). Catholics hold that this apostolic ministry continues through apostolic succession, with bishops as the successors of the apostles (CCC §§861–862). The Role of Jesus’ Ap...
Read more

SAINT JOSEPH OF CUPERTINO

Image
Saint Joseph of Cupertino  By Edward Matulanya Early life of Saint Joseph of Cupertino St. Joseph of Cupertino was born June 17, 1603, in Cupertino, Apulia (southern Italy). Orphaned before birth and raised in poverty, he struggled with learning and was considered slow by his peers. After repeated rejections from religious communities, he was eventually accepted as a servant by the Conventual Franciscans and later admitted as a friar. Vocational life of Saint Joseph of Cupertino  Despite his lack of education, Joseph was ordained a priest in 1628 after a providentially simple examination. He became famous for extraordinary mystical phenomena, especially levitation during ecstatic prayer. These events attracted large crowds and even the attention of the Inquisition, though he was never condemned. Because the public excitement disrupted community life, Joseph spent much of his later years in seclusion, devoted to humility and prayer. He died on September 18, 1663, in Osimo, Ital...
Read more