A bit About St. Vincent

St. Vincent de Paul was born in 1580 to a large and poor farming family. At the extraordinary age of 20, he was ordained a priest. In 1605, on a voyage by sea from Marseilles to Narbonne, he fell into the hands of African pirates and was carried as a slave to Tunis. He was held captive about two years, until he escaped.

After a brief visit to Rome he returned to France, and became tutor to a wealthy noble family. During that time he saw the terrible spiritual state of the peasantry of France. In 1617, he began to preach missions. So many people came to hear him preach that priests from elsewhere were called to assist him in hearing confessions. In 1625, he laid the foundations of the Congregation of the Mission, later to be known as the Lazarists or Vincentians.

Charity was St. Vincent de Paul’s predominant virtue. He was a holy charismatic man able to procure funds and assistance from wealthy Parisian women. He used the gifts to assist the poor and destitute in the city.