Saint Vincent de Paul, Confessor
S. Vincentii a Paulo Confessoris
Saint Vincent de Paul, the great apostle of charity, gave himself to the service of the poor, the abandoned, and the suffering, and founded congregations that carry on his work of mercy to this day.
Saint Vincent de Paul was born about the year 1581 to a peasant family at Pouy in Gascony, in the south of France. Ordained a priest while still young, he came in time to a deeper conversion of heart, in which the service of the poor became the very centre of his priesthood and the great work of his long life.
The apostle of charity
Saint Vincent saw in the poor and the suffering the living image of Christ, and he spent himself untiringly in their service. He preached missions to the neglected country people of France, and to continue this work he founded the Congregation of the Mission, whose priests — called Vincentians or Lazarists — gave themselves to the evangelisation of the poor and to the formation of good and holy priests in the seminaries.
With Saint Louise de Marillac he founded the Daughters of Charity, who went out from the cloister into the streets and homes of the poor to nurse the sick, to care for foundlings and orphans, to feed the hungry, and to visit the prisoner. He organised relief for provinces ravaged by war, ransomed captives, established hospitals and homes for the abandoned, and stirred the consciences of the rich to works of mercy. Few men have done so much to clothe the charity of Christ in deeds.
A heart formed by the love of Christ
Through all his vast labours Saint Vincent remained a man of deep humility and prayer, persuaded that charity toward the poor must flow from the love of God and lead back to it. He died at Paris in 1660 and was canonised in 1737; later he was named the heavenly patron of all works of charity. The collect of his feast recalls that God strengthened him with apostolic power to evangelise the poor and to promote the dignity of the priestly order, and prays that we who venerate his merits may be instructed by the example of his virtues.
The Collect
O God, who for the evangelizing of the poor and the increase of the honour of the priestly order didst endow blessed Vincent with apostolic strength: grant, we beseech thee; that we, who venerate his holy merits, may be instructed by the example of his virtues.
Deus, qui ad evangelizándum paupéribus et ecclesiástici órdinis decórem promovéndum beátum Vincéntium apostólica virtúte roborásti: præsta, quæsumus; ut, cujus pia mérita venerámur, virtútum quoque instruámur exémplis.
Patronage
He is the patron of all works and societies of charity, of hospitals, prisoners, and the relief of the poor; the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul bears his name.
In the Modern Calendar
In the modern calendar his feast is observed on 27 September as an obligatory memorial.
Common Questions
When is the feast of Saint Vincent de Paul?
In the calendar of the 1962 Roman Missal his feast is kept on 19 July as a Third Class feast. In the modern calendar it is observed on 27 September.
Who was Saint Vincent de Paul?
He was a French priest of the seventeenth century who devoted his life to the service of the poor and the formation of priests. He founded the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians) and, with Saint Louise de Marillac, the Daughters of Charity, and is honoured as the great apostle of charity.
What is the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul?
It is a lay charitable society founded in the nineteenth century by Blessed Frédéric Ozanam and his companions, who placed it under the patronage of Saint Vincent and took up his work of serving the poor person to person. It is named for him, though founded long after his death.
See where this feast falls in the Church’s year on the liturgical calendar, or find a Traditional Latin Mass near you.
These pages are offered with love for the saints and for all who seek them. If anything here should need correcting, we humbly beg your pardon and ask your help — kindly write to [email protected], and we will mend it as soon as we can.
Receive the coming feasts, Mass times, and reflections from our community — sent with care, never spam.