St Vincent De Paul

The name of Vincent de Paul is synonymous with compassion and practical help for the needy. As a young priest Vincent was deeply moved by the misery in which many of the people in city slums and remote country areas in France lived. The poor were neglected both spiritually and materially, while the rich lived in luxury. He felt urged to do something to change the situation. Alone he could do very little, so he enlisted the help of many willing volunteers, mostly women, and in 1617 formed them into groups to help the poor in their local areas. These groups became known as the Confraternities of Charity.

Concerned about the spiritual poverty of the country people, four years later, in 1625 he gathered another group around him and the Congregation of the Mission, better known in Ireland as the Vincentian Fathers, came into being.

Then in 1633, together with St Louise de Marillac, he co-founded the Daughters of Charity, who would have “for cloister the streets of the city.”

For further information on St Vincent

Meet St Vincent de Paul through his own writings.

St Vincent de Paul Correspondence Conferences Documents Volumes 1 – 14 edited by Sr Marie Poole DC

Pray with St Vincent de Paul

Advent and Christmas – Wisdom from St Vincent de Paul – John E Rybolt CM
Lent and Easter – Wisdom from St Vincent de Paul – John E Rybolt CM
Praying with Vincent de Paul – Thomas McKenna
15 Days of Prayer with St Vincent de Paul – John–Pierre Renouard

Bibliography

The world of Monsieur Vincent by Mary Purcell
St Vincent de Paul A Biography by Fr José María Roman CM
Vincent de Paul The Trailblazer – Bernard Pujo